The most fun part of being a doula for my friend Sara, was when the attending nurses would ask how we knew each other. Most assumed me to be a relative, so when Sara would respond with, "She dated my husband, " we always had a good laugh.
I realized the other day that I am friends with several guys that I dated in high school and college on Facebook. I am also friends with their wives on Facebook. Even the wives that I haven't met! How is that for uncommon? But really, this post is about Sara because today is her birthday and we both gave birth to our daughters on our birthday.
When Sara moved here a little over three years ago we had already been friends for 5-6 years. She was pregnant with her first child, a girl. Her husband followed a couple of months later in the move, and so I made her stay in my basement because their apartment was 45 minutes away and I was the only person she knew in the area that could come get her if something happened. So for a couple of months we were roommates of sorts. During that time I said, "You know I had c-sections and have no idea what I am doing, but if you need help with labor and delivery I can figure it out."
A week later she said, "I'm going to take you up on that."
So then I had to figure it out. I called my friend Beautopotamus (shout out to Real!), my source on all things doula and birthing, and asked her what to do. She gave me some ideas, and then Sara took a birthing class from her, and we were ready to go.
When Sara told me she was pregnant I said to her, "You are going to have a girl, and she will be born on your birthday." We laughed, because I had had my daughter on my birthday. On September 8th three years ago, we went to a movie to celebrate her birthday. She was scheduled for induction the next day, so I would have been off by one day.
Except shortly after we left the movie theater, and about 10 minutes after I said, "You know if your water breaks, go to the hospital!", her water broke.
I got the text and after laughing for a full 5 minutes, realized that I needed to get my stuff together and get to the hospital.
Sara's daughter was born not only on her birthday, but at 9:09am (which I predicted would happen at 7:30am that morning). It was a beautiful and amazing experience (for me), and I was so grateful for it.
As amazing as it was, it paled in comparison to the experience we had when she gave birth to her second daughter a year ago.
My point in sharing all of this, is that friendship comes along at different times in your life and sometimes comes from strange places. Don't ever limit your friendships, because if I had walked away from this one, I would have missed out on countless priceless moments.
Happy Birthday, Sara! I love you, and your baby girls!
:)
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