I’m waiting at the airport for a flight back home. Yesterday I had the privilege of supporting my friend while she labored to bring her first baby into the world. For many logistical reasons we weren’t sure if  our plan would work. Early morning fog delaying my flight out continued to threaten the plan, even as I made it on an airplane. But I made it, so happy to be with my friends. I watched her as she went deep into the place we go in labor, and staying so connected with her partner. The Baby reminded me of her presence while swimming around on the inside as her mom swam in the tub on the outside. I thought about the other babies I’ve seen moving around during labor, and feeling my own babies moving as they prepared to be born. I watched baby spiral out with strong pushes and be unwrapped from her umbilical cord like taking off a necklace. There was a pause as she took her first full breaths and before being handed to her mom where they looked at each other with open eyes for the first time. This moment is so special. Both people are tired, both messy with birth, and both so present. It’s one of the moments I’m very lucky to witness.

Later my friends settled in their bed with their new baby who, though a few hours old, hadn’t really left the bed she was born on. I listened from the spare bedroom to new baby cries and parents talking quietly. A whole new person had come into this world and things felt pretty good.