Matt Child Birth, Dad Stuff

BIRTH: PART TWO (Her Side of the Story)

The Universe was ready for me to go into labor that day. Despite of leaving right before rush hour and driving through a usually very congested freeway on our way to the Greenhouse Birth Center, not only was the weather relatively comfortable and clear(in the middle of a Michigan January), but so were the roads. I always wondered about freaking out dads-to-be driving like maniacs as their laboring wives thrashed and moaned in the passenger’s seat on their way to the hospital. If they were driving really crazy and got pulled over, if the cop realized they were a couple about to have a baby would he/she drop the ticket and lead the way for them? Well, we didn’t need an escort for our 90 mile journey. Matt was a fantastic driver. Driving one handed, while having his other hand in a death grip by me the entire way. I couldn’t handle any bumpiness so he was steady, calm, and reassuring. 90 miles is a long way to keep composure when you have a woman in labor sitting next to you.

Continue reading “BIRTH: PART TWO (Her Side of the Story)” →

Matt Child Birth, Dad Stuff

BIRTH: PART TWO (My Side of the Story)

As soon as we got in the car the contractions jumped to four minutes apart. It was so precise, I could have set my watch to them. It was actually really amazing. The car ride was very quiet. We had some mellow zone out music on and neither of us spoke. Every four minutes she would squeeze my hand until it turned blue, and then she’d relax.  This was the pattern for the next hour and a half until we arrived at the birth center. Continue reading “BIRTH: PART TWO (My Side of the Story)” →

Matt Child Birth, Dad Stuff, Family

BIRTH: PART ONE (Her Side of the Story)

*DISCLAIMER: The irony of this is that despite of both Matt and I wanting an intimate birth experience with just the two of us, we are putting our birth story on the world wide web. Well, it’s so other ‘moms and dads to be’ who are in the dark can hear a real story. Something we hadn’t heard much before we had Ellie. The stuff “The Baby Story” didn’t show. Not the “so and so went into labor” followed by a “baby was born”. Well, what happened in between?! So I thought about holding back some details, but decided not to. Because labor was painful, uncomfortable, frustrating, annoying, and definitely not pretty, but also loving, validating, beautiful, peaceful, at times even funny, and most of all, EMPOWERING and REAL. It’s not all trauma freak-show, and there’s nothing hush-hush about it either.

I started off being terrified of labor. Absolutely fascinated, but terrified. Maybe I watched too much “The Baby Story” on TLC in college, or all those movies featuring screaming and cussing women in labor in war-zone like chaos. I had this preconceived notion that labor was going to be traumatic, chaotic, pain like you’ve never felt pain before, and having absolutely no control. Why do you always hear the traumatic stories? Why does no one talk about the positive ones? I even remember a particular episode of “The Baby Story” where the woman was literally about to push the baby out, screaming in pain and the OB shushed her and told her “no screaming”. WHAT?! And her idiot poor husband was totally disengaged, just repeating to her what the OB was saying. You better believe I’m going to scream if I want to when I’m in labor, and my husband BETTER be feeling the pain that I am in too! Is what I remember thinking. I’m squeezing a miniature human being out of a hole. IT’S A BIG DEAL. Continue reading “BIRTH: PART ONE (Her Side of the Story)” →

Matt Child Birth, Dad Stuff, Family

BIRTH: PART ONE (My Side of the Story)

*Aya and I each wrote our own version of Ellie’s birth story. “My Side of the Story” and “Her Side of the Story.” I figured if you only you heard my side of the story it might be a little slanted, a little one-sided. We both experienced the same big event, but from very difference perspectives, in more ways than one. So read my story, or hers.  Or read them both, and compare and contrast.  Laugh, cry, smile, or say “ouch!”  Either way, I hope you enjoy the series. This is my version, to read Her Side of the Story, click here.

The most I knew about child birth before we got pregnant was what I learned from watching The Cosby Show.  You know, hearing Dr. Huxtable say things like, “How far apart are they,” or “PUSH!” So when we started reading and researching about birth and where Aya was going to give birth, I was really starting as a total ignoramus. Aya really wanted to do a natural child birth and have a midwife or a doula. A what? I had no idea what these were and the thought of it really freaked me out. And on top of that she mentioned water birth. Are you serious? We literally live down the street from a hospital so that’s where I always thought she’d give birth. Plus, I was born at that hospital, too! But we decided to have a water birth at the Greenhouse Birth Center… an hour and a half away… in the middle of winter.  Continue reading “BIRTH: PART ONE (My Side of the Story)” →

Matt Child Birth, Dad Stuff

HE SAID/SHE SAID

Ellie’s one year birthday is coming up this Saturday.  And in preparation for that, I’ve found myself reminiscing through the events of the past year.  Specifically, when she was born.  And with that, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell Ellie’sBirth Story. Continue reading “HE SAID/SHE SAID” →