It was a privilege to be with her
to
see her courage and perseverance
hold her hand and help her scream
to be pushed pulled punched
and yelled at
to cry laugh and sigh
with her
to breathe through contractions
and pause in silence.
It was a privilege
to talk her through the appearance
of her baby’s head
like a squashed wet tennis ball
then the tiny face hands shoulders
and body.
It was a privilege
to witness the first bonding stroke
on sticky red skin
to cut the cord
that had been the child’s lifeline
for months
and to hear the first splutter
and cry.
It was a privilege to be with her
to share the arrival
of her daughter
and
to welcome her own
new granddaughter.
c. Kathryn Coughran
First published: 1994
In: Family Matters
(Kathryn Andersen)