Over the weekend, Nakko and I attended the first of three birthing classes at the hospital, and it finally dawned on me that our lives are going to be forever changed. (You'd think it would've hit me in the seven months since finding out.) I don't know if it was all the information we had to download from 10AM to 3:30PM, but some time in the middle of a breathing lecture, I looked over at my wife and started to imagine what the day would be like, and it was scary. Moreso because, even after watching some of the videos (and we've yet to watch the real graphic ones) it's impossible to expect how things will pan out. But that's when it hit me: one day, come this July, life as we know it will be over.
Re-reading that last sentence, I realize how ominous it sounds. Here's the thing, though: I can't wait! It's weird, really. There's a lot of fear and anxiety mixed in with the joy and excitement. Guess this is what it means to be "expecting."
Since October, when we found out about the baby, we've been preparing for the day Kiki will come into our lives. After a pretty rough first trimester (I never realized my wife could vomit so much), life hadn't changed all that much. Sure, Nakko's belly was slowly-but-surely expanding, and Kiki was definitely moving around in there, but our daily routine was pretty much unchanged.
Well, except for buying a ton of baby clothes (that's not an exaggeration!), reading to my wife's belly, nightly leg/foot/back rubs, trying several different kinds of strawberry smoothies... Okay, so maybe things are different. All that's left are the sleepless nights and poopy diapers, I guess.
4 comments:
I keep hoping that someone will realize that papas could benefit from male prenatal, birthing and post partum doulas who would walk with male parents through this rite of passage, this change of life, this power moment where men are asked to grow and stretch...usually without company, insider witnesses or empathetic support.
don't forget the crying! the crying has got to be the *best* part . . . no, seriously, it's not that bad. i think the poopy diapers at 2 years old are worse . . . =P
My birthing instructor asked the dads to get into the position and try pushing ourselves. Er pretty stupid thing to do even if it amused a few moms.
Other than that I thought it was good for dads to get some prenatal instruction. But I felt so bad for the moms who didn't have the father or a friend and came alone :(
congratulations on little kiki growing!
please send me your button/badge for my father's day blogroll + enter my father's day giveaways. i started them today with a fatboy modern hammock. spread the word :)
mod*mom
http://modmom.blogspot.com
Post a Comment