In 1982, we had a daughter. I was so excited, hoping it was a girl, but did not find out until she was born. My husband was working out of town the day she was born. He would come home every weekend and spend time with us and then drive eight hours to where he worked. We were in the process of moving, and actually did when my daughter was one week old.
Back to my story. When I went into labor, I was staying with my parents so I would be closer to the hospital. My husband had left to go back to work and had only got there when I called to tell him that I was in labor. To make a long story short, he never made it back in time. So I needed a substitute birth coach. My Mother, who had given birth to six children, offered to come in. The look on her face when she saw her grand daughter was priceless. It was a moment she was so happy to witness.
Two days later my younger sister gave birth to a boy and my Mother was there for her too. The nurses thought she was a midwife as they had just seen her days before. I think of this moment a lot now, as my Mother passed away in February of this year. Now my little girl is pregnant and due in September and she wants me to be there. I am so excited, but also uncomfortable knowing what my daughter will have to go through. But we all know that all the labor pain memories disappear very quickly when we are handed our newborn baby. My hands will be full with cameras and video to take in the first moments of life. We know she is having a boy and she had the 3D baby photos done so we have a good idea of what he will look like. I know my Mother will be looking down on the day our grandson is born.
Stay tuned. I will write about the delivery room story in the next chapter.
