The most significant moment in my life, so far, happened when I was just 12 years old. My mom gave birth to my youngest sister and the experience ignited a passion in me that has never left.
I was in middle school and my sibling, we didn’t know if it was a little boy or girl but everyone secretly hoped for another girl, was due on Friday the 13th of October. The Wednesday before, my dad let me know early in the morning that my mom was going to the hospital, and my little brother or sister was going to be born! A few hours later, after confirming that my mom was in labor and was going to deliver today, my grandma brought me to the hospital. At first the nurses were very reluctant to let a child in. They didn’t know how prepared and excited I was for this moment. Eventually I was allowed in, but made sure to stand out of the way of everyone. I knew that the nurses and doctors were not happy that I was there, though.
I was only there a short while before my mom started pushing, and my baby sister was born. I watched every moment in complete awe and wonder. I saw every bodily fluid that commonly makes an appearance during labor, and I wasn’t fazed in the least. I could barely believe that this little being that had been hidden for the past nine months, only known by movements and heartbeats, was really here with us now!
It was incredible.
After my dad cut her cord, the nurses brought her out to the hallway to weigh her, and I went with to watch. They swaddled her up and asked if I wanted to hold her, of course I did! I carried this brand new life back into the room and started sobbing. Everyone, thinking something was wrong, asked why I was crying and I just said “She’s finally here!”
Years later and Makayla Rose still speeds around us all just like the day she blasted herself into this world. Watching her birth, feeling the energy in the room, witnessing this real-life miracle made me know that I had to continue to be a part of this amazing process for the rest of my life. I’m proud to say that I still love experiencing the incredible energy that surrounds a birth, and am so excited to be making my passion become my career and my life.
Do you remember a significant life-forming moment in your past? How has that helped you make important decisions in your life since then?
