Labor Day – or the story of a struggling 47hrs which finally ended in Joy

I have seen movies that have included the birthing of a child, the actress doing her best to look like shes pushing out a baby when in fact she’s not, it’s just a pillow under her clothes. I’ve seen TV series’ where they have all their friends around them when they give birth, giving her support and making her laugh, while she again acts like she’s giving birth. In these movies and shows the actress will be pregnant going about her daily life, when BOOM out of no where her water breaks, (usually in an embarrassing moment, with her enemy or during an argument) and she is rushed to hospital where she is taken straight into the labor room, midwife examines her and decides, the baby is coming and suddenly the room is full of doctors and nurses, telling the mother to be, to push. Finally baby emerges and is introduced to her mother for the first time.

Sometimes this may be the case, however this was not the case for us, which now begins the tale of Labor Day or as it will be known in history, as the story of a struggling 47hrs filled with pain and finally ending in joy and happiness.

Checklists, checklists, checklists everywhere!

The only time I do check lists is when I go on holiday, not coming back from holiday as at that point I don’t care what I put in my suitcase, but I don’t like the feeling of not being prepared for my vacation. I don’t want to get to my destination and forget something that was needed. Mostly I know what to pack and the essentials I don’t forget, but occasionally I have forgotten an important piece of holiday packing.

The reason I am talking about packing is that I dug out the sheet that I got from my ante-natal class, which is a checklist for dads. Now I know a visit to the hospital is no vacation, defiantly not for the other half and defiantly not for you, but the idea is the same, a checklist of things to do before, on the day and in labor. Some of you may already have a checklist, some of you may think about winging it and some may not have a clue, but this is what I have been told to do, the checklist for expecting dads.