Greetings, friends!
You have made it to my personal blog chronicling the adventures of a first-time dad. There just aren't enough blogs out there from the dad's point of view. I have seen some, and if I run across more I will surely link to them for you! If I can, I will post pictures, tell anecdotes, and reveal secrets into the art of fatherhood.
Let me tell you a little about myself.
I am almost 30 years old and have been married for almost 3 years. I have a degree in Nonfiction Writing and Editing, but cannot find work, so I have returned to school to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am a self-taught guitarist and have been playing for about 5 years now. However, I will never give up my first love: writing. There is a good chance that I will, however, end up as a stay-at-home dad, at least for a time. It would give me a chance to do some writing, I hope, but my wife would definitely be jealous that I'd get to spend more time with the kids. If you want to see my other blog, check it out here.
My wife, Amy, and I discovered we were pregnant 9 months ago. As of today, my wife is 40 weeks pregnant. She could pop at any minute! Now, the average first pregnancy actually lasts 41 weeks and 1 day, so there's a chance that she will not be giving birth for a little while now. Her mom is here with us now, and her dad will be joining us soon. We do not live close to our parents, so this will be a good chance for them to get to meet their first ever grandchild. The same is true for my side of the family. They will be joining us a week or so after the birth.
Although I do have friends who have kids, I don't live near them any longer. So we'll be learning on the fly!
We have decided on a home birth, using a midwife and Hypnobabies. Now, don't think I'm a crazy person or that we're all crunchy granola (ok, we're a little crunchy granola...). We've done a lot of research into this. First of all, approximately 33% of all births in America are performed via Caesarean Section - a major surgical procedure that has a long list of possible side effects (including paralysis, permanent damage, and death - for both mother and child). This has risen in the past few years. C-Sections also deprive mothers and babies of bonding time and may be a cause of parents who do not bond well with their children. Over in Europe, midwives are common and the C-Section rate is about 8% - the level it should be at. There are many other things we want to avoid, so we decided a hospital is not the place for us. Granted, if a C-section becomes necessary, then we will not hesitate. We just want to eliminate any unnecessary procedures.
As for hypnosis, this isn't some "cluck like a chicken" crap. The idea is simple: make yourself calm. Hypnosis does work, but only if you allow it to. Here, you are allowing yourself to believe that you will not feel pain, that you will have a fast, easy birth (the scripts I have to read to my wife need an editor, however). Surprisingly, it works. Most mothers who use Hypnobabies experience no or little discomfort. By convincing yourself that there will be no pain, you don't fear giving birth, you don't tense up, you remain in a nice, relaxed state, and you let your body get to work. By not using Pitocin but instead by stimulating oxytocin, you let your body push naturally (gentle waves of pressure aren't as painful as the sharp ones Pitocin produces). Because you don't tense up, have no drugs, and know what are the best positions and techniques for giving birth, the level of pain drops dramatically. Some women even orgasm during childbirth!
So, all that aside, we're ready to give birth any day now! I'm excited and nervous. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. In fact, we've been asked this question so many times, I decided to make a shirt for all you pregnant ladies out there!
http://www.cafepress.com/BriefcaseandBoogers
Just get a felt-tip permanent marker and fill in the blanks!
Now, as time is going to be in short supply in my life, this blog may not be updated as often as I would like. Or, the updates may be short and sweet. Forgive me - I am a new father, after all!
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