I held Beatrice’s hand tightly, gently placing my head against hers. The air, once filled with intense anticipation, was cracked by the piercing cry of a new babe making his introduction.

The nurse placed our baby on Beatrice’s stomach. With outstretched arms, a new mother all but spent cuddled with her son in a moment of deep tenderness and love. “You did it,” I whispered in her ear.

My hand tightened around Beatrice’s. I fixed my gaze on our baby. He wailed in intermittent bursts, reassuring us of his vitality; soon after, his cries faded into steady breaths, expressive of the comfort and security found in his mother’s grasp.

Samuel Edward was born on May 29 in Calgary, weighing 6.8 pounds and measuring 21 inches in length.