“Yes, honey, you’re going to catch Layla.”

“I am? I’m going to catch Layla?” I said, feeling a bit terrified and more than a little confused.

“I thought the midwives deliver the baby,” I said.

“Apparently not, sweetheart, apparently not,” Maggie said with a big grin.

Standing there, I know I looked like a deer in the headlights, and as Maggie gave me a little wink she said, “Oh Jimmy, relax, you’ll do fine. It’s not like Mama’s never done this before.”

“Oh, thanks,” I said. “I feel so much better now!”

Maggie laughed and left the room saying, “You’ll do fine sweetheart, just fine.”

Needless to say, after Maggie’s announcement that I was going to be “The Master of Ceremonies” of the home birth, I couldn’t sleep. First of all, I didn’t know that much about music and no one ever told me anything about catching the baby. There is no way I would have agreed to a home birth if I’d known this in advance and I’m more than sure that Maggie waited until the very last minute to drop this on me, knowing damn well I’d have said no to the whole home birth thing from the get-go if I’d been let in on this part of the deal.