Parenting

Nurse Delivers Baby Of The Child She Delivered 25 Years Ago

by Ashley Austrew

This mom gave birth with the same nurse who delivered her over 25 years ago.

Anyone who’s ever given birth in a hospital knows you never forget the incredible nurses who stayed by your side, but one Alabama mom has a more unique bond with her nurse than most: her labor and delivery nurse was the same woman who helped deliver her over 25 years ago.

Brittany Ellard Perryman gave birth to her daughter, Caroline, in December, but just last week she took to Facebook to share the incredible story of the woman who helped bring both her and her daughter into the world.

Nurse Daphney Jones Walker helped deliver Brittany in September of 1990, when her mom, Dawn, was new to the state and didn’t have any family present. Throughout her life, Ellard says she’s listened to her mom “sweetly remember” Jones, and when she found out Jones was still working at the hospital where she planned to give birth, she decided to arrange a surprise reunion. She writes:

“I showed her [Daphney] our picture from many years ago. I brought it to the hospital because I wanted to meet this woman who was an angel to my mother. I wanted Mom’s special surprise to be seeing Daphney again. When Daphney walked into the room, Mom immediately knew who she was- from 25 years ago. Mom couldn’t believe it! She jumped up and hugged Daphney, and we all cried.”

The reunion got even sweeter when Jones told Ellard she’d be the nurse throughout her delivery. Jones stayed with Ellard until her shift was over, and then Ellard labored under someone else’s care for the rest of the day, but didn’t deliver. Jones returned during her next shift, and was there beside Ellard as she welcomed baby Caroline into the world. Ellard recalls:

“There I was, 25 years after she helped me take my first breath, relying on sweet Daphney. Trusting her when she said it would be okay, following her directions, listening to the blessings she was speaking over our Caroline. Caroline came that evening, with Daphney by our side. What an honor and special blessing.”

Ellard tells AL.com that she and Jones keep in touch regularly now, and she’s looking forward to the day Caroline can get to know the woman who’s meant so much to their lives. More than anything, she says, she wanted to share her story so nurses like Daphney get the credit they deserve. “I want her to have evidence of all the lives she has touched,” said Ellard. “I know a lot of nurses shadow her, and I want them to see that if you take care of and love your patients, you can change their lives.”

We tend to give doctors a lot of credit and a lot of glory, but it’s the nurses who are there with us every step of the way, getting to know us, getting to know our families, managing our care, and making the medical experience more personal. Nurses truly are superheroes, in every way, and the fact that Ellard’s mom remembered Daphney after all these years just goes to show what an irreplaceable role nurses have in our lives. Daphney has been a nurse for 41 years, and there’s no doubt she’s touched a lot of people in that time. It’s remarkable and inspiring that Ellard took the time to make sure she knows what a huge impact she’s had.