Baby is Born

Well. I am now 10 days into my journey of fatherhood. I have done a lot of fantastic things in my life, but becoming a dad is by far the coolest thing that has happened to me so far.

Coming out of the child birth experience, I now have a deeper respect for the female condition and the strength it takes to become a mother. My wife, Becca, was a trooper through 20 hours of labour and 4 hours of pushing. 1 minute contractions spaced 3-5 minutes apart and no sign of stopping, I was witnessing the interval workout from hell.

I would look into her eyes during the contractions that were not numbed by an epidural. Her vision was blurry and distant as she focused on her breath and rode the wave of pain. Interestingly, the pain of each contraction seemed to peak about 40 seconds into each interval. In between, when Becca rested for 2-5 minutes, I was amazed at how normal our interaction became. Obviously my wife was exhausted, but she was very relaxed, getting the most from her recovery.

One comment Becca made stuck with me. “If I try to avoid the pain and run away, the experience is unbearable. When I chose to embrace my body and run into the pain, the experience is… bearable. I kept on thinking ‘Bring it on!’ This gave me a strong feeling of control and the strength to continue.”

I hope I have strength like Becca’s on the Ocean. I know for now, I feel stronger just looking at our newborn son.

aK