The end of Season 2 of Call the Midwife did not disappoint! I have to admit, I was holding my breath a little bit, thinking about how the last season of Downton Abbey ended, and was sincerely hoping that there wouldn’t be any tragedies to break my heart while we waited for another season. Thankfully, it was just the opposite, and I finished out Season 2 with warm and fuzzy feelings. When Dr. Turner proposed to Sister Bern — I mean Sheila, with that adorable note from young Timothy, well, I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I have found that with my own wedding coming up (next week!), I am much more emotional than usual! The birth of Chummy’s sweet baby boy also had me in tears. I would have been devastated if something would have happened to her or baby Fred! I was so glad that despite complications, everything turned out well.

One other thing I loved about this final episode of Season 2 was how Jenny remarked that the midwives and nuns at Nonnatus House were Chummy’s family. I think it’s safe to say that you become so close with your midwifery colleagues that they really do become like family. After all, it’s these others who truly understand what you go through every day, the women and friends who you can call at all hours of the night to get their advice on what to do with a stalled labor patient, rejoice in your retelling your beautiful birth stories or lean on when you’ve had a rough day. I would be lost without these lovely, supportive midwives!

I had originally wanted to end this blog post with a birth story, but I just have so many memorable stories floating around in my head that it would be impossible to choose just one. There is just nothing like watching a woman with her support team. It might be her husband, partner, mother, sister or doula, but these people are so important to the birthing process. Someone to provide that firm sacral pressure, to hang on to during a contraction and someone who will sway in the birth dance with you. Then there is the moment that you see the baby “turn the corner” so to speak, where the head no longer goes back in after each push, but slides under that bone in the pelvis and is just on the brink of being born. That must be such an intense feeling for both mom and baby! Sometimes when the head is born, but before the body is born, the little baby will open his or her eyes or make a face. I wonder what they are thinking in that instant. And then there is the amazing moment when those slippery little babies fully emerge into the world. Again, how lucky am I that I get to see this on a regular basis? These mothers allow me to be the first person to lay hands on their babies, they trust that I will help guide them through pregnancy and labor and those early hours of motherhood. There are also those births that maybe did not go as planned, and babies were born by cesarean section. I still get to be there, holding mom’s hand, supporting her through her birth. Sometimes I get to be the one to take pictures, to make sure the dad is able to announce the sex of the baby and to help that baby snuggle in right on mom’s chest while her surgery is finished. A birth is no less of a spectacular moment just because the baby is born by c-section. All births are special. When Jenny was telling Jimmy that she really loved this life, that she felt as though she had a purpose and direction and was really content, I completely understood her. It can be challenging at times, but I can’t imagine my life any different!

Andrea Altomaro (MS, RN, CNM) has been nurse-midwife for the past three years and is currently working for the Henry Ford Health System. Before becoming a midwife, she worked as a nurse in the emergency department and also in labor and delivery.
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