Sunday, June 17/18
Hey everyone, today I'm writing a post all about Father's Day. It's my husbands first Father's Day, and for the 3 months he's been a Dad he's been wonderful, and I am so thankful I had him with me throughout my pregnancy, delivery and particularly through the first really difficult weeks of being a mother. This post really isn't meant to be helpful, or to make my life/marriage etc. seem perfect, and I can completely sympathize to those who don't have a father in their child's life, or any other number of reasons that Father's Day may not be important to you. So, if it isn't- feel free to ignore and skip over this post, and if it is, enjoy! Sorry it's quite a personal one!
PREGNANCY
My very patient and supportive husband did a lot of things while I was pregnant that made my life so much easier. This picture is just one example- painting my nails because I couldn't reach. He also put my shoes on or tied laces for me a lot toward the end. He avoided foods I couldn't stand in the first trimester. When I thought I felt like pasta (twice...) on our honeymoon in Hawaii and then when it arrived I didn't want anything less, he ate it for me, offered to switch meals or buy a pack of salt and vinegar chips after we'd left the restaurant. In the second trimester when I was determined to paint the nursery even though it was early, he helped me move the furniture and painted all the bits I couldn't reach. He finished an entire second coat of paint while I napped one day, despite me never asking. The third trimester he was a real hero though. He took me swimming on several occasions because feeling weightless was amazing, and he'd hold me up so I could float while we discussed baby names. We were also lucky enough that he could accompany me for many of my appointments, and never complained once. And phew, the hormones and bad moods he dealt with. When I had to stay for a week in the antenatal unit he arranged to stay with me the entire time. He actually had to go home one night and came back because I was sobbing at the thought of him leaving. There were many times where I'd whine and complain and say "but I'm pregnaaaaant", and he really never complained once, although he occasionally reminded me if I was being ridiculous.
LABOUR AND DELIVERY
My husband was such an amazing support during labour and delivery. He was there for the induction process (spread over three days thanks to steroid injections, foley catheters and pitocin IV's), 12 long hours of labour and the emergency c-section delivery neither of us were prepared for. Some key moments where I really appreciated him were during painful contractions- he knew I didn't want to be talked to or touched or praised or encouraged. He just let me do my thing and breathe through it without bugging me, but never left my side. For the epidural he held my hands so that I didn't move as it was administered. And on the way to the operating theatre he said a confident goodbye as I was wheeled in and we were separated, which made me feel a lot better going into it (good acting considering he told me afterward he was worried I might die). During the surgery I was feeling quite a lot of pain, but instead of accepting the Fentanyl I just asked him to talk to me and distract me. He chatted to me about how excited he was to meet our baby and brushed my hair with his hands as I tried to focus on the outcome of the surgery instead of how uncomfortable I was.
SHARING THE LOAD
When she was born, my husband had to wear scrubs, a cap and mask for the sterile environment. He knew I really wanted to do skin-to-skin after the baby was born, but that it now wasn't an option for me in surgery, so he wore his gown backwards so that she could be held against his chest and have that immediate bonding. As soon as she was born he went over to see how she was and carried her back while I got stitched up, and he did his best to hold her so that I could see her. He announced her sex to our parents in the waiting room, helped me when I was really struggling during recovery and made every minute of post-surgery easier. He helped me out of bed, get to the bathroom and even get showered and dressed. Sure, he bumped into things occasionally as he navigated me in a wheelchair which hurt like a B, and made me laugh so much that I was begging him to stop because it hurt, but he also got me food whenever I wanted it, took me to the NICU at 1am because I wanted to see our baby (even though I was in so much pain we had to turn around and go back the the room) and he immediately took on a lead role in parenting our baby, being hands-on with feeding, diapers and everything else that comes along with having a new baby.
Our daughter is so lucky to have such a supportive, thoughtful and kind father, who works incredibly hard, sacrifices a lot for our little family, and holds us together during stressful, sleep-deprived and trying times. We both appreciate everything you do for us so, so much!
Hey everyone, today I'm writing a post all about Father's Day. It's my husbands first Father's Day, and for the 3 months he's been a Dad he's been wonderful, and I am so thankful I had him with me throughout my pregnancy, delivery and particularly through the first really difficult weeks of being a mother. This post really isn't meant to be helpful, or to make my life/marriage etc. seem perfect, and I can completely sympathize to those who don't have a father in their child's life, or any other number of reasons that Father's Day may not be important to you. So, if it isn't- feel free to ignore and skip over this post, and if it is, enjoy! Sorry it's quite a personal one!
PREGNANCY
My very patient and supportive husband did a lot of things while I was pregnant that made my life so much easier. This picture is just one example- painting my nails because I couldn't reach. He also put my shoes on or tied laces for me a lot toward the end. He avoided foods I couldn't stand in the first trimester. When I thought I felt like pasta (twice...) on our honeymoon in Hawaii and then when it arrived I didn't want anything less, he ate it for me, offered to switch meals or buy a pack of salt and vinegar chips after we'd left the restaurant. In the second trimester when I was determined to paint the nursery even though it was early, he helped me move the furniture and painted all the bits I couldn't reach. He finished an entire second coat of paint while I napped one day, despite me never asking. The third trimester he was a real hero though. He took me swimming on several occasions because feeling weightless was amazing, and he'd hold me up so I could float while we discussed baby names. We were also lucky enough that he could accompany me for many of my appointments, and never complained once. And phew, the hormones and bad moods he dealt with. When I had to stay for a week in the antenatal unit he arranged to stay with me the entire time. He actually had to go home one night and came back because I was sobbing at the thought of him leaving. There were many times where I'd whine and complain and say "but I'm pregnaaaaant", and he really never complained once, although he occasionally reminded me if I was being ridiculous.
My husband was such an amazing support during labour and delivery. He was there for the induction process (spread over three days thanks to steroid injections, foley catheters and pitocin IV's), 12 long hours of labour and the emergency c-section delivery neither of us were prepared for. Some key moments where I really appreciated him were during painful contractions- he knew I didn't want to be talked to or touched or praised or encouraged. He just let me do my thing and breathe through it without bugging me, but never left my side. For the epidural he held my hands so that I didn't move as it was administered. And on the way to the operating theatre he said a confident goodbye as I was wheeled in and we were separated, which made me feel a lot better going into it (good acting considering he told me afterward he was worried I might die). During the surgery I was feeling quite a lot of pain, but instead of accepting the Fentanyl I just asked him to talk to me and distract me. He chatted to me about how excited he was to meet our baby and brushed my hair with his hands as I tried to focus on the outcome of the surgery instead of how uncomfortable I was.
SHARING THE LOAD
When she was born, my husband had to wear scrubs, a cap and mask for the sterile environment. He knew I really wanted to do skin-to-skin after the baby was born, but that it now wasn't an option for me in surgery, so he wore his gown backwards so that she could be held against his chest and have that immediate bonding. As soon as she was born he went over to see how she was and carried her back while I got stitched up, and he did his best to hold her so that I could see her. He announced her sex to our parents in the waiting room, helped me when I was really struggling during recovery and made every minute of post-surgery easier. He helped me out of bed, get to the bathroom and even get showered and dressed. Sure, he bumped into things occasionally as he navigated me in a wheelchair which hurt like a B, and made me laugh so much that I was begging him to stop because it hurt, but he also got me food whenever I wanted it, took me to the NICU at 1am because I wanted to see our baby (even though I was in so much pain we had to turn around and go back the the room) and he immediately took on a lead role in parenting our baby, being hands-on with feeding, diapers and everything else that comes along with having a new baby.
Comments
Post a Comment