With every great exit, there is always a great entrance. And none is truer than with the recent events of the labour and birth of our daughter Emilia Krystyna Rodseth.
Born at 3 am on Sunday 29th of May 2011 and weighing in at 4 kgs, here are some insights into child birth and new parenting.
The labour process is long. It’s a slow builder; and not in a good way. From when my wife tapped me on my shoulders at 4 am and told me ‘it’s starting’ to the final push - I experienced 24 hours of escalating intensity and a crescendo of knee curdling, scalp fizzing adrenaline and emotion. She experienced white, all consuming pain, exhaustion and incredible resolve.
John Lee Hooker was played throughout the labour process. Some people like Enya. My wife loves the blues.
Dads are pretty helpless beings. Saying that, we do have a few tools in our arsenal and these include:
- words of empathetic comfort (carefully placed so as not to be misconstrued as condescension or dismissal of your dear wife’s mighty ordeal).
- massage skills – although bear in mind that rubbing frequently and fast does create friction
- stress ball – make sure your hands are gripped by the palm and not by the fingers
- cheerleading – summon more will than a crowd at a world cup final cheer her on. It helps.
Some things dads shouldn’t do
- make jokes to lighten the mood
- remove the tens machine (at full capacity) before turning it off. (a colleagues advice wisely heeded)
- stop cheering
- fall over
- have too much ‘gas and air’ as this can lead to the above
Post labour, dads are ghostly beings floating around the hospital. We are not fully registered by midwives, nurses or other hospital staff. We are a dazed species like we’ve just emerged from a bunker after a nuclear war and are surveying a changed world. Possibly not the best analogy as the mix of adrenaline and euphoria – and a few sneaky hits of the gas and air – is one of most exhilarating experiences of your life.
I don’t smoke any more but when I got home, I did.
To quote the great John Lee Hooker who played his soul out all night:
My baby got somethin’
My baby got somethin’
My baby got somethin’
Man, that I sure do love
John Lee Hooker, My Baby’s got somethin
