Doula in Stilettos

On November 8, 2010, our son Avery was born. His arrival came as a big surprise to everyone because he was 5 weeks and 1 day early. My husband Billy is a pilot and was on a trip to Arizona when I found out that I was going to have the baby early. I was planning to get some groceries and do some baking and my parents were boarding a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Perhaps the person who was most surprised by Avery's hasty arrival was my friend Heather. The day before Avery's birth, we had talked to her about being my emergency contact in case I needed a ride to the hospital if Billy was out of pocket. We never thought we'd need her to step in because Billy was scheduled to take leave around my due date. Heather agreed to be available but probably never thought she'd get an urgent call in the morning. She was great! She said she would stay with me until Billy got to the hospital and while she waited with me, she provided chap stick, water and most importantly, distractions. We all thought we had plenty of time--after all, it was my first child. I think Heather and I were both surprised that after about 2 hours, it was time to push. A nurse looked at Heather and commanded her to take a very active roll in the birth. She jumped right into her new roll as a doula. She encouraged me to stay calm and remember to breathe. But perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that she did it all in stilettos. Who does that?! Way to go Heather!