Adventure: The Birth of Our Daughter

Our baby is finally here! The last four days have been a crazy ride and one of the best times of my life.

It was a normal Thursday morning, wake up, workout, get ready to take the Misses to the doctor. Little did I know that this would be my last workout as a Dad-to-be. After my workout and our walk, we made it to the doctors office for what would be our last prenatal visit. During the prior visit our doctor expressed that he had some concern that baby was getting too big. On this visit, he was worried about the same thing. After finishing his exam he stated that my wife was 2cm dilated, baby was in position and she was primed for induction. He asked if we (really my wife) wanted to be induced? After a week of trying to naturally jump start labor with no luck, we quickly said yes. Doc then asked, "what about today?" My wife and I looked at each other and nodded our heads, “sure, let’s do it!” we replied. Doc left the room to make a call to the hospital. A few minutes later he returned and said, "okay be there at noon." At this point it was already about 10:15am. So we rushed home to get the pups situated, grabbed my wife a light meal and headed to the hospital. We got to our labor room, met the staff and got started on the process of labor induction. Now let me tell you, it is a long, and drawn out process. We got there around noon, and nothing really happened until around 7 o’clock. As labor progressed, my wife’s water still hadn’t broken. At 9pm on the dot, Doc broke her water and that’s when things really started to progress. Contractions quickly became stronger and more frequent. By 5cm the pain was unbearable and my wife elected for an epidural. After that, labor became much more tolerable and we just chugged on through the night. However, around 4am or so, labor had stalled. Baby didn’t respond well to the increase in pitocin and her heart rate would drop with every contraction. That’s when Doc started to talk about the potential need for a c-section. In the end, labor had come to a halt at 7cm. With the best interest of baby and Mom in mind, we elected to move forward with the c-section. They quickly prepped my wife and I and the next thing I knew, we were being taken to the OR.

As I watched them secure my wife to the surgical table and prep her abdomen, I’ve never been more terrified in my life. An overwhelming fear ran over me at the thought of something going wrong and loosing my wife. I held her hand put all my trust into the doctors and the team. Fast forward 20 minutes, and that fear turned into and overwhelming joy as I watched them lift my daughter from the womb. Hearing her little cry for the first time, shifted my entire world. Time itself had stopped, as I fell in love. She was perfect, and her mother, my amazing wife, had never been more beautiful.

I quickly realized that there were now two stars at the center of my solar system. Two beautiful stars.

Tips & Lessons Learned - As the Dad-to-be, it is not your place to decide if medication or an epidural will be used. I’ve always stood firm that that decision is and should always be made by the Mom-to-be. It is our jobs to support her no matter what. - Be sure to eat, stay hydrated, and try to rest as much as possible. You're going to need it. - Don’t eat in the room with your wife. She’s not allowed to eat, and won’t be able to eat for many hours. Don’t make it harder by eating in front of her. - Bring your camera, and know how to use it. Some of the biggest moments in you life are about to happen, you’ll want to try to capture as much as possible. - Don’t trade documenting the moment, for being in the moment. Find the balance. - Bring yourself a pillow, blanket, and a sheet to sleep on. - Just be ready for the long haul. Labor takes hours. - Ask questions. You’re a part of the team too and most likely you are your wife’s biggest advocate. If you don’t understand something, or your wife looks uneasy about something, ask questions. - Embrace every single minute of it.

#Birth #birthstory #daughter #labor #csection #waterbroke #dilated