A young lady named Jacee Dellapena recently had a beautiful, powerful experience when she got the chance to help deliver her baby brother!
Jacee, 12, lives in Mississippi, with mom and dad, Dede and Zack Carraway, and younger brother, Zadyn, 18 months. Just this past week, the family expanded, welcoming a brand-new baby boy.
However, for Jacee, the new baby's arrival meant more than simply welcoming another brother into the family. That's because her mom and the obstetrician in charge decided to let Jacee have a very hands-on role in the delivery process.
Jacee was invited into the deliver room to help bring her baby brother into the world, with the doctor's help, in a powerful continuation of an ancient tradition.
Women have always delivered babies with their female relatives present. Even today, birth can sometimes happen so quickly that Grandma is the most qualified OB in the room!
Now, at just 12, Jacee has been invited into that powerful sisterhood, and the photos captured of the moment prove just how emotional and moving the experience was for her.
WARNING: Some readers may find the following content upsetting. If you do not wish to see images of childbirth, please click back to the LittleThings homepage.
A young woman named Jacee just had a truly awe-inspiring experience after getting the opportunity to help her mom, Dede, deliver the family's newest member!
Photos of the incredible moment were shared on Facebook by singer-songwriter Nikki Smith, and quickly became an internet sensation.
The images have received 191,000 reactions and more than 170,000 shares.
Nikki tells LittleThings that, all told, the photos have reached, "over 34 million people."
It's easy to see why the photos made such an impact. They depict the entire emotional rollercoaster of Jacee's first midwifery experience, from start to finish.
The first photo shows Jacee "scrubbing up," complete with rubber gloves and a medical gown, to help her mom's OB with the delivery.
She looks relatively calm in that first photo, but that's about to change!
As Jacee stepped up to help the doctor bring her baby brother into the world, you can see the look of profound, deep emotion on her face.
While Jacee is many, many years from having kids of her own, you can tell that, for the first time, she is tapping into the emotional storm that is motherhood and womanhood.
You can see awe, fear, love, and overwhelming joy, all mixed together, as she welcomes her brother into the world.
In a note to Love What Matters, Jacee's mom, Dede, explains that it was a very conscious choice to let Jacee be part of the birthing process.
She writes, "Jacee wanted to attend Zadyn's birth 18 months ago but we felt she was too young to attend. So this pregnancy her dad and I discussed it and decided it might be a good learning experience for her!"
We think that the opportunity to help was clearly an eye-opening one!
Dede continues:
Jacee came to the hospital with my husband Zack and I around noon.
I received an epidural and made it through the next 8 hours with little to no pain.
Around 8 PM the epidural wasn't working so well, but I was able to start pushing.
They converted my bed and Jacee was so upset because she is so short…She thought she wasn't going to be able to see the delivery over the bed.
My doctor, Dr. Walter Wolfe then suggested, “Jacee, why don’t you suit up and come deliver the baby?”
I was in shock lol! I told her as long as Zack doesn't care, go ahead, and he said "Go for it, Jacee!"
She got suited up for delivery. Although the pain from the contractions and the pushing hurt me so bad, watching Jacee's expressions on her face were like no other.
Concentrating on her face while I pushed helped me so much!
Dr. Wolfe actually put her hands on the inside of his and allowed her to do the entire delivery.
We were all very emotional and it was like no feeling I've ever felt.
It's not every day your eldest child at 12 years old gets to deliver your last child.
We have to agree with Dede: it's truly spellbinding to see Jacee's face transform as she helps her mom through this powerful experience and understands for the first time what birth is all about!
We don't know for sure, but we have a hunch that this won't be the last baby Jacee delivers. Can't you see her growing up to be a midwife or an OB in her own right?
If you were moved by this beautiful birthing story, be sure to SHARE with every mama you know!
