During the prenatal classes the nurse asked ‘Will you have anyone else in the delivery room with you two?’. My husband and I never talked about this but knew we had the same answer and responded in unison ‘No’.
Fast forward to going into labour and being admitted to the hospital. The family and friends were notified and on their way. My little sister, Rachel, asked if she could bring anything to us in the hospital, we had been there five hours so the necessity was food!
So it’s 9 pm and Rachel brings us (my husband) some food, we get chatting, she lightens the mood, sends a few texts for hubby from curious family and friends, offers to stay with me if hubby needs to grab a nap (he’d been up since 4am for work) and that was that. It was an unexpected blessing!
She was also 6 weeks behind me in pregnancy so she says that she got a lot out of the experience in what to expect (especially since she had pretty much the same birthing experience as mine). It really brought us all so much closer to share the experience with her.
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| My sister with my son (a week before she had her baby girl) |
- An extra pair of hands to press on your lower back during contractions
- Someone to grab food, run to the parking meter, etc.
- If your spouse needs to grab a nap then you won’t be left alone
- A go between to those in the waiting room and someone to answer the countless texts asking for a status update
- A support for your spouse – sometimes labour can be scary and confusing, it’s hard for your spouse to make sense of it all and stay strong
- A clear head to ask questions that you or your spouse may not think of at the time
- Someone to take pictures of those special moments
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| Pictures of me holding Levi for the first time, taken by my sister |
But I don’t think you can have just anyone with you. For me, there was no other who could have done the job my sister did – nobody other than my husband knows me so well (good and bad) and cares so deeply and urgently for my well-being. She is the reason I’ll ever want any future daughter I have to have a sister too. If you don’t have someone like this in your life, then I urge you to consider a doula or a midwife, after all that’s their job!
What is (or were) you plans for company in the delivery room?
That is so sweet!
I can imagine having my youngest sister in the delivery room with me… but not for one second either of the other two. They would both be panicked, grossed out, balls of negativity!
Last time, we were alone. My doula couldn’t make it in time (I ended up having an emergency c-section) but I think if she’d been there it would have been a better experience. And she might have actually helped me avoid the c-section. But next time, my doula will be with me, and I’m confident we won’t have a repeat.
And who knows? Maybe my little sister WILL be there. That would certainly be nice. 🙂
I’ve heard so many good things about doulas – I think, especially the first time, it’s so great to have someone extra there. Who knows, maybe your sister will surprise you 🙂