Philosophical wimp

A friend in need is a friend indeed, and there is no better occasion to prove your friendship than in life changing moments, such as childbirth. Let met share the experience of helping my friend Cassie on her due date. We both live in the Greater Toronto Area, and her husband was stationed overseas, involved in a critical assignment. I had known for months that I would be Cassies main support in that emotional moment, so I decided to be the best friend I could be. I started by preparing the checklist with everything my friend would need on the day she goes into labour and afterwards.

Facing the Responsibility

Let me be honest and tell you that I had no idea what childbirth involves. Cassie had told me that she and her husband had signed up for the preservation of stem cells from the umbilical cord, so I had to remember to get in touch with some courier provider services, Greater Toronto Area being home to quite a few, and to select the best one to take care of the transfer of cord blood to the stem cells bank. I also had to film the entire event and send Cassies husband a link to watch his childs birth later on. Indeed, as the day got nearer and I added more bullet points to my checklist, I was getting more and more worried whether I could handle everything and not disappoint Cassie in the moment when she needed me the most.

And the Big Moment Came

However, when I got the phone call from Cassie, I simply knew what I had to do. I was out shopping for baby clothes and I rushed to her home as quickly as I could. On the way in the taxi, I remembered and acted on the entire checklist. Here it is, for everyone who one day will be in the situation of giving this special kind of help:

1. Call the hospital and announce Cassies doctor to prepare for the delivery. This is the absolute first step, because good doctors are in great demand. Actually, Cassies doctor had to be called from an appointment.
   
2. Call the stem cells bank and tell them to get ready to collect the cord blood. I had all the relevant information from Cassie, so I was able to give them the credentials they needed.
   
3. Call the courier and make sure the cord blood would be delivered from the maternity to the stem cells bank.
   
4. Get Cassies maternity bag. We had prepared this bag together and included all the necessary clothes for her and the baby for the next two days.
   
5. Get Cassies documents. Actually, we nearly forgot about them in the rush to get to the hospital, but I made a dash for them just before the taxi left.

Everything went according to plan. Cassies baby boy was born later that evening, the courier services providers were prompt to make the delivery to the stem cells bank, and there was one more happy new mom as the sun set over the Greater Toronto Area.