New Life, New Experience
Many events in my life have shaped me into who I am today. One particular event really stands out to me, the day my baby brother was born. Not only was this the first time I had witnessed a life being born, it was the day I got to deliver my brother.
I am the oldest of five, however there is a large age gap between me and my little brother. In fact, when I was married, my brother had not been born. When I was 15, my father passed away. My senior year, my Mom remarried. After graduating from high school, I married my high school love and followed him to Washington state from South Dakota. There, I attended school to become an EMT, as I was very interested in emergency medicine. My desire was to one day become a flight medic. I volunteered for about a year at a fire department after getting my certification. During this time, my husband left for an eight-month deployment. My mom was expecting my brother, and was close to her due date, so I decided to go home to visit my family.
I was hoping that my mom would have the baby while I was home. I wanted to meet my new little brother. After enjoying my family for a few days, Mom went into labor. I went with her to the hospital. I was very inquisitive, wanting to know about the equipment and medications. I took in everything I could learn. Even though I was trained in emergency child birth, I had never seen a live birth. I wanted to stay and see it for the first time. When the doctor came in to check on my mom, Mom bragged about me being a brand new EMT. Much to my surprise, the doctor looked at me and told me I could deliver the baby! I was shocked and excited! My mom used to be an EMT as well as my dad. I felt blessed that Mom trusted me to do this. I knew this would be a once in a lifetime experience.
When the time came for the delivery, the nurses came in and prepared me to deliver. I was given my very own gown and gloves. The doctor came in to coach and help me. I could see my brothers head as it was crowning. The next thing I knew, the head was out! It was time to “catch” the baby. It really is a game of catch. The baby is very slippery, and the latex gloves do not help the matter. I was very surprised how hard this was. The doctor was able to help me hold onto the baby. At this point, the doctor let the dad cut the cord and handed the baby to my mom. It all happened so fast.
There are so many things I learned from this experience. The miracle of birth is amazing! No words can describe seeing a child take their first breath. I was inspired at the creation and birth of a new human; not just any human, my brother! I can say I was the first to hold him. Nothing can take this experience from me. This started my love for pregnant women and new born babies. Just two years later, I began to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. There, I taught prenatal and newborn care for seven years.
I am very grateful that Mom’s doctor was a humble man, and allowed me to have this experience. I am amazed how one event can have such an impact on a life. My brother’s name is Gabriel. He is now thirteen years old. Gabriel and I will have much catching up to do when he is a little older. I live so far away, and now have seven children of my own. I do not think he will tell any of his friends that his big sister delivered him. Even still, I will never forget this experience.