Baby!

Birth Story: Cast of Characters - my friend Deila

It was never my intention to have anyone witness the birth except for Travis and the midwife, and if necessary, a nurse or two. I had no idea how I would handle the pain, and I didn't want anyone around distracting me or worrying about how much pain I was in. It turned out that Delia was the perfect person to have there. I don't think that she said a word during labor; she seemed to know exactly what I needed from her, which was just to be there.

She showed up at the hospital without being asked, and was very careful to tell the nurse that she was there if I wanted to see her, but would leave immediately if I didn't. I know that she meant it, too, because that's the sort of person she is. She wasn't trying to be there to witness the labor or be the first person to hold the baby, she was trying to help me. She knew that I hadn't wanted anyone at the hospital, but somehow knew that by emailing her that morning, I was asking for her help. I didn't want to tell anyone else how I upset I was, because I didn't want to worry anyone, but I knew she would understand.

On the purely practical side, she made a lot of things possible that would not otherwise have been possible. She went and got lunch for us before labor started, because I wasn't willing to have Travis leave, and the hospital provided 'food' for me, but not for Travis. She went to find nurses when necessary, brought me cold washcloths, and generally took care of little things like that without needing to be directed. That was an amazing help. She started taking pictures sometime during labor, which Travis would not have been able to do, so I have pictures of my labor. When the battery on the camera died, she somehow managed to figure out our videocamera and got footage of Alexander actually being born, as well as filming everything that was done to him when he was out of our sight immediately after the birth. I hadn't even known that I wanted the birth videotaped, but I'm so glad that we have it!

Beyond the practical aspects, I just liked having her there. She held my hands sometimes, offering me strength, and she was just nearby the entire time, in case I needed more support. She just sat silently and watched, most of the time, never distracting, but just being supportive. I can't really explain it, but even though she was just sitting silently in a chair during most of the labor, I felt like she was really helping me the entire time, in the best way possible. Thank you for being there, Delia!