One of my favorite parenting magazines - the only I read, actually - is "Wondertime." My OB subscribes to it and I look for it as reading material whenever I wait in the office.
This article, Dad in the Delivery Room by Jeff Wagenheim, really caught my attention as I am worried about how Paul - and I, for that matter - are going to handle the upcoming labor. Even though we have kids, we've never had to go through the daunting, active task of labor.
The first exert had me laughing as I envision poor Paul will likely have a similar experience: "He looks around the glaringly lit delivery room and notices that everyone (nurse, doctor, duola, memories of the birthing coach and mom) is doing a job. Except him." The writer likens himself as a participant, but "more like those billionaires who pay their way onto space shuttle flight. It's the journey of a lifetime, but do you think those astronauts let these space tourists take the controls for even a second?" Later, as his wife falls deeper into the animalistic sounds of labor, his mind races again: "He's never seen anyone in this state, much less the woman he loves, and it throws him into his own state of paralyzing horror. His instinct is telling him to fix it, to do whatever a good husband has to do to ease his wife's pain and panic, but he can't. He can't move a muscle. He has to remind himself to breathe."
The good news is that eventually, this writer does blink and find his way out of the headlights. He awkwardly trusts his instincts and figures out how to be comforting and helpful, even if it's just to be leaned upon. To read the whole article (it will have you chuckling), click here. And, oh, send a prayer for poor Paul.
An update on what the doctor found: I'm almost 1 1/2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Baby Brother is not too big and is low and turned just perfectly as to prevent unnecessary (in my opinion) back labor. "This baby will not likely be late," was her unhelpful answer when I asked when he's coming. I'll probably make the ballet recital on Monday, but we'll have to wait and see if my cousin's wedding is a go. He needs to be born in the next 2-weeks for that to happen.
