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.

Already not listening to anyone, that’s my girl.

So the midwife told us a while back that our little one was engaged (already, hadn’t even met the boyfriend) and would likely not be late. It is now a day after her due date and our little one is doing what all parents dread, she is not listening to a word people tell her. So here we sit, some more comfortably than others, waiting for the little one’s eventual arrival, when ever that may be.

It’s annoying, because she will come out when she’s good and ready, nothing we can really do about it. I feel if the midwife hadn’t said anything (and I understand why she did) that we would have just gotten on with everything as normal, instead of thinking the baby would come any day now. Luckily we managed to enjoy Christmas without having to worry too much. We are just looking forward to meeting our daughter, seeing what she looks like and getting on with raising her, (my other half is looking forward to other things that all pregnant women will understand).

So for now, no news, will hopefully have a post soon with the arrival of our little superhero, but till then we shall sit and wait in excited anticipation.

Nursery Mode Activated – Final Phase

I wrote my first blog (check it out here) on my first shopping trip and how it made me feel included in this whole having a child thing. It made it more real, to me at least, when buying things for your future devil child, however since taking on the task of decorating the nursery, I have felt even closer to the little bundle of joy happily chilling out in the wife’s belly. Looking at the room, and though we both decided on the style, color and ‘theme’, it was me who did most of the decorating. It’s my first ever gift (apart from being an awesome dad) to my daughter.

My previous blogs (Phase one and Phase two) detailed the transformation from a man cave/den into a room with bright colored walls and some IKEA furniture, along with some Shakespeare on the wall. Since then, we have bought some decorations for the wall, curtains and a black out blind (pink of course), an awesome (if I do say so myself, which I do) rug for the floor and also two cute nightlights.

Let me show you the final phase of the nursery, the completed room.

Expected arrival, so says she.

So my wife went to the mid wife without me today, first one without me I might add due to work, however according to her the mid wife gave us some interesting news. She told us that our little sprog is in the perfect position etc her heart rate has slowed down (that worried me for a moment) and that she doesn’t look like she will be late.

Great news, though I have realised that my baby is a girl, the mid wife is a women and so is my wife obviously, and what I have learnt from women over the years is that when they say they are ready, its a complete lie.

My wife will say that she will be ready in 5mins but in reality it’s not for another 20mins before she emerges to put her shoes on which take a further 10mins, before the final “oh I just need to” and finally we can leave.

So when she tells me the baby is ready and won’t be late I will take this with a pinch of salt. That is all. 

The countdown begins – are we ready?

So are we ready? Fuck no! We have the nursery complete (well apart from the curtains and some more vinyl stickers) with all the furniture the little one needs and all the storage we need to store all the stuff the little one needs. What I have found out, with expecting a child, is that such a small little being needs so much stuff. How does it need all this stuff??? I understand what all of it does, it just annoys me that it will grow out of most of it or not need some of it, only a couple of months down the line.

Anyway, back on topic, are we ready? I laugh at anyone who asks this, yes we have a pram/buggy, a place for baby to sleep, a car seat to bring it home safely, clothes for it wear and turd catchers to well catch the turd, but are we ready? Is anyone really ready to be parents? Without having the experience of having a child (which already makes you a parent so not included in this panic) how can we really know what to expect from our little bundle of joy? We can’t, which means we aren’t ready for this, all we are is prepared for what ever it may throw at us (sometimes literally).

No matter how much you read, or how much information you absorb from books or the internet, or even the advice you get from EVERYONE under the sun, it isn’t till that little bundle of joy is in your arms, in the safety of your own home, it’s home, that you will know if you are ready for parenthood. I can tell you now, even without a baby in my arms, I am not ready for this, no one is ready for parenthood, if they say that are, they lie.

That being said, I still shout BRING IT ON, because though I am not ready for this, I am excited to give it my best shot, because ultimately that is all you can do, that’s all any dad or mother has ever done, given it there best shot. Showered there little one with love, affection, a home and a family, everything it needs, everything you can offer it, that’s all anyone can do when they become a parent. I am looking forward to it all, no I am not ready to be a dad, but I welcome it with open arms and great big smile on my face.

Ante-Natel Class – The wonders of knowledge

So I have seen in a number of films and TV shows where the parents expecting there bundle of joy rock up to a hall, a house, a room or a park, filled with other parents expecting babies and learn all about what to do. These sometimes include funny moments or serious moments depending on the show or film we are watching but what they show is people becoming friends at the end of it all, sometimes finding their best friends for life..

I was expecting a class that was going to run over a number of weeks, one evening a week, where the same group of worried and scared faces would appear, talk, learn and laugh with one another. I was also expecting, due to seeing this in films and TV shows, to sit behind my partner while she sat on a cushion and breathed, a lot.

After experiencing my first, and what I believe to be my only, Ante-Natal class, this is what I found and what I thought of it.