Standing between her mother’s legs, I cradled this tiny baby, still floating in her sac. I held her whole world in my hands. Warm fluid surrounded her, a pulsating cord fed her, the harsh reality held at bay a moment longer. I looked over to the baby warmer. The neonatologist nodded, “I’m ready.” Grabbing the sac with a teethy grasper, I tugged several times to break her water. Turbid fluid fell to the floor. She wiggled in my hands, her tiny mouth forming an “O” but no sound coming out, no breath coming in. The only cry was her mother’s.
Andrea Eisenberg is an ob/gyn that has experienced many of life's challenges and joys with her patients. She enjoys writing about these experiences.