The following is an excerpt of a beautiful testimonial written by a new mother who delivered at BBC in April. We are so proud of our newest Staff Midwife, Gail Raymon, for inspiring this lovely letter! This is exactly the kind of story that makes us all feel so fortunate to work at Brooklyn Birthing Center!
Just one week ago, I was in such excruciating pain during 17 hours of active labor that I thought I would never meet my daughter. I feared I would never see the face of the stirring, kicking presence inside of me. I was afraid the only noise I would ever hear her make was the sound of her racing heart on the Doppler: a stampede of horses reassuring me that she was okay. This uncertainty- this fear- would have enveloped me were it not for my wonderful midwife, Gail. She helped me chase away the dark thoughts and usher in hope and reassurance. When it seemed I had hit bottom and couldn’t continue, she held my hand, looked into my eyes and said with a gentle smile, ‘Today is your daughter’s birthday.’
The quiet strength that Gail carries with her is exactly what I needed to get my through the birth of my first child… During labor, Gail was stern with me when I needed firm directives and soothing and maternal when I needed to be reminded that everything would be okay. She instantly learned the names of my “birthing team” (my husband, mom and sister) and continued to check in with them to make sure they were taking care of themselves as well as letting them know the ways they could best assist me…
Although I couldn’t express it while I was in labor, I needed to be reminded of my own strength. I needed to be acknowledged for the hard work I had already done. Gail breathed power and self-confidence into me. My husband, mom and sister followed suit. As the minutes before my baby was born felt like pain-searing hour upon hour, Gail reassured me that I was more than capable of bringing my daughter into this world. She was right (of course). Despite my worst fears, [my daughter] was born at 7:14 pm on April 14th, 2013 at 6 lbs 14 oz. As I held her to my chest for the first time, studied her precious face and listening to the sound of her steady breathing, I remember looking up through tear-filled eyes and telling Gail how glad I was that she was the one who had guided me through it all. She took my hand and swallowed back some tears of her own as she replied, “It was my absolute honor.”