Wear short, prepared to be bored and expect the unexpected when it comes to giving birth, says dad blogger The Honest Dad.
I’ll be the first to admit that until week 38 of the pregnancy, I hadn’t actually considered the implications of a human baby coming out of my wife.
I think it was partially the excitement and anticipation and partly the sheer fear that made my mind somehow blot it out. I thought back to the classes and mainly clung on to the facts and stories we had been told by the smiling faces of people who’d been there. But I feel like maybe they missed a few things out.
Here are a few things nobody told me about childbirth:
You’re in it for the ride
Not matter what anybody tells you, the baby is in charge. At all points, their movement, behaviour and actions decide what’s happening. It turns out our baby didn’t read our birth plan. So he decided to do the absolute opposite of what we had hoped. No idea where he’s got that from…
Hospitals are hot
This seems like such a minor thing. But after a prolonged exposure to the somewhat jungle-esque conditions of the maternity ward, you quickly realise shorts would have been a good shout. Everyone forgets to mention that in their birth story.
Dads don’t get anything
Literally nothing. I got one cup of tea and a baby. Shocking cup of tea, great kid. I totally get it that he woman is the priority. But after three days I could have done with some sustenance without having to remortgage the house because of the fraudsters at the coffee shop.
