The First 24 Hours of Parenthood
August 5, 2008 by Geoff Manning · Leave a Comment
The first 24 hours of parenthood is the most incredible experience I have ever been through due to the raw emotions involved. Pure bliss, extreme exhaustion, skepticism and pride to name a few. It is the day you give up your selfish behaviors and you truly grow as a person.
Our first full day of parenthood began when the doctor asked: “Dad, would you like to call the sex of the baby?”. To which I responded with a little hesitation “It’s a girl!”. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% certain (maybe 95%), so I had to double-check!
You see, this was a big thing for us since we had decided at the very beginning to find out the sex of the baby. During the ultrasound, however, baby-to-be was less than cooperative. We were left with a 50/50 chance that it would be a girl/boy…gee thanks doc! Given that situation, we decided we would wait to find out. So, with this in mind I wanted to be sure I called it right.
Pure Bliss
The first few hours were the most surreal moments in my life. My wife and I had been building up to this moment for the past 9 months. I read the books, I went to birthing class, I should know what to expect right? Wrong! Nothing, absolutely nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had the first time I held my daughter. Remember this feeling. In the “difficult times” ahead (like 2am crying fits with no apparent end in site!) it will help you remember what it is all about.
Extreme Exhaustion
After a while, the fact that we hadn’t slept in 24 hours started to kick in. We arrived at the hospital at 10:00 am on Wednesday and our daughter was born at 5:00 am Thursday. We’d pulled all-nighters before but this was different. We were running on fumes. The adrenaline pushed us for the past few hours and we were starting to crash. After we were moved to the postpartum room, which would be our home for the next few days, our daughter was brought to the nursery to be cleaned. Given all that had happened the last few hours I wondered if I would be able to sleep, well I did, and we slept well!
Skepticism
Some time around the middle of the day, I had a feeling that I wasn’t prepared. This, I understand, is as natural as taking your next breath. It’s foolish to think that you have all the answers and could ever be fully prepared at this moment. But with every passing minute, and every breath I took as a new dad, this feeling subsided
Pride
Throughout the entire day I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. I was proud of my wife for all she went through, I was proud of myself for being her support and I was proud of us for what we had created. All the proud moments in my life (awards, accolades, accomplishments) paled in comparison to this new feeling of pride. We had created someone (a child) and something (a family) that we would give up our own lives to protect. That’s the kind of feeling I am talking about.
If I Only Knew
There is a great article over at Dad or Bust that discusses the advice that you would give yourself if you could go back and visit with your “rookie, first-week-of-parenting” self. There is some great advice that I wish I had before the big day, go have a look. If you are a rookie dad or a seasoned veteran, what advice would you give? Feel free to leave your comments on this post or over at Dad or Bust!
Photo Credit: Freakazoid!
Weekly Link Roundup: 8/1/2008
August 1, 2008 by Geoff Manning · Leave a Comment
Here is this weeks links for August 1st, 2008. This weeks Link Roundup contains info about living cheap, baby-proofing, and your child’s weight and health. Enjoy!
- How Do You Live Cheap in the Summer?
- Babyproof a hearth with a pool noodle
- Survey: Obesity Top Kids’ Health Issue
- Sweetener May Cut Cavities in Kids
How to Sing to your Child (and Not Sound Like an Idiot)
July 28, 2008 by Geoff Manning · 2 Comments
For the first month of my daughter’s life, I pretty much fudged the words to every song I sang to her. Each one was sung with ‘monkey-butt’ or ‘little bear’ (our nickname for her) substituted as I had no clue what the real words were. Who does, the last time we heard those songs we were two!
Well it’s time to admit defeat and do a little research! Google is always a great place to start to research anything. Here is a good link to begin your search for nursery rhymes and also lullabies. The selection of sites is pretty scarce, but I am using Zelo.com for my nursery rhyme song lyrics info.
Here is a list of our favorites:
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!…
History: This song/chant was popular during the Civil War and is sung to the tune “When Johnny comes Marching Home.”
One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian boys.
This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack with his thumb,
With a Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.…
I think these songs are really soothing for her because they are very rhythmic, repetitive and without a lot of highs and lows. These reasons also allow you to sing your child to sleep without sounding like an idiot!
Photo Credit: hyperbolic pants explosion
Weekly Link Roundup: 7/25/2008
July 25, 2008 by Geoff Manning · Leave a Comment
Here are some helpful links for today, July 25th 2008. This weeks Link Roundup contains info on your gadgets, your child’s attention span, your swimmers and your love life! Enjoy!
- Build an iPhone stand out of K’nex
- Does Background TV Make Kids Lose Focus?
- Dad’s Age Plays Role in Fertility
- Viagra for Her
Now it Feels Real!
May 7, 2008 by Geoff Manning · 1 Comment
If the last 9 months and my wife’s large belly wasn’t real enough, we just completed our birthing classes at the hospital (MGH). Now it has really hit home…we’re having a baby! We are now certified to give birth! Well, not really certified but they did hand out certificates to those who wanted them. I should have taken one and hung it next to my college diploma!
Reading the “What to Expect” type books are helpful but nothing was more real than sitting in a room with 6 other pregnant couples learning about the birthing process. The instructor was great and the material was informative but hearing the stories and questions from the other couples was the most important thing.
Following along the “Now it Feels Real” theme, after the class was complete we came home to wash all the baby’s new clothes. If we didn’t get the picture yet about how close we are to being parents, trying to figure out how to fold those tiny little clothes was pretty interesting!
It’s almost baby time, stay tuned!
Photo Credit: dizznbonn
