I vividly remember when my little girl, then three, came to visit me in the hospital to see her baby brother for the very first time.
It is a family moment memory so deeply etched on my heart I will no doubt always remember it.
Which will no doubt also be the case for this US family, whose daugthter, 12, not only got to be one of the very first people to meet her new baby brother – she, in fact, also helped deliver him herself.
Prepare to cry at these incredible images, mamas.
What a magic moment.
12-year-old Jacee Delapenna, who lives in Mississippi with her family, was already a big sister to a 19-month-old younger brother, and had asked could she be in the room when her mum gave birth to her second brother.
Jacee's mum, Dede, says to website Babble she saw nothing wrong with allowing it, as she believes birth is natural process and that we shouldn’t hide it away from children who feel comfortable with it, and want to be involved. As well as this, the already mum-of-two knew this was going to be her last baby, and hence her daughter’s last chance to witness the birth of a sibling.
In the end, Dede explains was more than thrilled her daughter got to have the experience, not just because it’s quite an amazing memory, but also because she feels it may serve her in a powerful way in the future.
“When I had my first baby [Jacee] at 22, I never knew what it was about,” shares Dede — a fact that remains pretty true for a lot of women heading into their first births. Most of us don’t witness a birth until our own comes around, and that can sometimes mean there are lots of surprises, and even an element of fear involved too.
In many other cultures, especially where home births are more common, birth often happens with siblings present in the room to observe (or even assist), and there is no denying that this will help demystify and normalize the whole ritual and experience of giving birth.
Dede firmly believes that her 12-year-old will likely have a different understanding of birth than most, and view it as a natural process, if she chooses to become a mother one day in light of this experience.
And looking at this picture, we can't help but agree (and cry!)
