The On-line Journal of Mary Esther Malloy

Babies Are Born Where They Are Born

A Conversation with a Midwife about Not Handing Babies to Their Mothers

As a doula, one of the questions I ask my pregnant clients is, “How do you envision the moment of birth?” Women respond differently, but something I hear over and over is the clear expectation and hope that doctors or midwives will deliver their babies to their chests for that first, long-awaited hello. With my first two children, I didn’t give it a second thought—I assumed my babies would be handed to me as they were born and, following two hardworking but straightforward labors, this is what happened. When I gave birth to my third child, however, this first hello with my baby went quite differently.

A Conversation with a Midwife about Not Handing Babies to Their Mothers