Calm, cool, and collected

December 25th, 2013, 6:40am – I was woken up by my wife’s sudden movement in bed followed by an agonizing groan. It was her first contraction. I grabbed my cell phone and started the timer. We’re supposed to time how far apart they are, and when they’re close we go to the hospital

She had to go to the bathroom, which could be a sign her water is about to break (numerous stories from friends/family who said they thought they were just wanting to go to the bathroom when it was actually their water breaking).

When she went to the bathroom, I quickly threw some clothes on. I plugged my phone in to make sure it’s as charged up as possible. I go outside to grab my hospital bag and bring it in the house. (Hers is already in her car, mine is with me wherever I go. So it was in my car because I was at work the previous day)

Then I brushed my teeth and waited for my wife to tell me her water broke. But it didn’t. And she didn’t have another contraction for 12 hours and 3 minutes. It could be days from the first contraction to when you go into labor and have the baby

So it’s not like the movies or tv where instantaneously you must run to the doc or the baby will be here, haha. It’s not a panicked situation like everyone tries to make it out to be. And believe me, everyone tries to make it out to be!

It’s like childhood again, and you get a note to the principal’s office and the rest of the kids go, "Oooh!". Or you have to get a shot and your siblings tease you about how bad it’s going to hurt. Or how painful losing a tooth would be. Pretty much similar to this case

Friends and family are always asking us, "Are you ready for the baby to get here?". Specifically asking me, "Are you going to be ready when her water breaks?"

Yes, the answer is always yes. I’ve never overreacted to situations. Especially when it comes to my son being born. This is not a surprise, it’s not an unexpected situation. She’s 9 months pregnant, the next logical step is she goes into labor, haha. Then I take her to the hospital, then the baby is born and we go home. It’s not like we didn’t know she was pregnant, and all of a sudden she noticed she’s in labor. Yes in that situation, I would be perplexed as to what the hell is going on! 😛

I was awoken at 6:40am (on my morning off, damnit! He’s so grounded when he’s born…) by my wife having her first contraction and thinking her water is about to break. And I got everything ready in a matter of minutes. Calmly I must add

Now my calm demeanor can be a curse too. I don’t think my thought process is ideal in a dangerous situation, like say an armed robbery. I’m not going to be the dad from those "Taken" movies who could calmly disarm and fight numerous armed thugs like it’s an everyday occurrence

I’d probably be standing still calculating what possible action has the highest chance of success. "Should I fight him, should I give him my wallet, should I tell him I’m reaching for my wallet before I actually do…". In that time he may just have already become annoyed with me and pulled the trigger, haha

moral of the story: For thousands of years now, female humans have been giving birth to other humans. Unless there’s some drastic new phenomenon, like the baby comes out of her nose when she sneezes, I’m not going to be surprised when it happens 😛

Have a Nice Day!