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Staying calm in order to help your partner to stay calm seems logical enough but when Rodney’s wife’s water broke they were so relaxed that even the doctors were making a fuss. When they finally made it to the hospital they faced 30 hours of labour and a birthing experience that wasn’t quite to expectation.
Best husband ever!
As the weeks rolled by Rodney was becoming more and more excited about becoming a new dad. He felt he was really embracing the role of the doting husband and made sure his wife had everything she needed
“As she got bigger throughout the third trimester she found it difficult to get comfortable on the bed so I would help her out a lot by adjusting her pillows or rubbing her back,” he said.
“I would also make sure I was there to help with things like shopping to make sure she didn’t lift anything too heavy.
While continuing his role as supportive husband, Rodney was also taking time to bond with the baby while it was still in the womb.
“It was very exciting to feel my wife’s tummy as the baby grew and you could feel it kick and move around,” he said.
“I remember when my wife was pregnant with my daughter I was speaking right above her belly and she kicked right at my chin.
“I think every parent says their child is going to play soccer or something with all that kicking they do in there.
All stations go!…eventually
When a woman’s waters break on the TV or in a movie it is usually followed by the cliché ‘panic stations’ response as everyone rushes to get her to the hospital. Clearly, Rodney and his wife hadn’t seen that show so when her waters broke there was a much more subdued scene.
“My wife’s waters broke in the morning and she already had a doctor appointment for that day so we just went into his surgery,” he said.
We waited in the waiting room for a long while not really knowing what was going on.
“For us there only a little bit of water which just added to our confusion about what to do.
“It didn’t seem to be ‘bad’ enough to worry too much about it.
“I realise now that we may have underestimated the situation somewhat because when we told the doctor what was going on he told us we needed to go straight over to the hospital.
“Being our first child we didn’t realise that once your waters broke you need to go straight in so I ducked home and quickly picked up everything we had prepared for hospital and raced back to my wife.
From there Rodney and his wife endured over 30 hours of labour.
“My wife was only dilated to 7cm and wouldn’t go any further,” said Rodney.
“I actually fell asleep for a short time while my wife was still in labour because we had been up for so long.”
After the 30 hour mark the midwives and doctors told Rodney and his wife that there was be a risk of the baby becoming stressed.
“They said they would like to do an emergency C-section,” said Rodney.
“That was a bit of a shock because a caesarean was not something my wife and I had really discussed.
“The process was unknown to us so we were completely reliant on the doctors and nurses telling us what to do.
“As the father you feel a little bit helpless but you just have to trust the practitioners and because the level of quality in the health care system in this country is very high I felt fairly relaxed that my wife was in good hands.
Proud as punch
“Not long after, I entered the theatre to be with my wife, the doctors held up our baby for us to see and she started crying straight away which is a really nice memory.
“I got to cut the umbilical cord once they had pulled bubs from my wife and then I got to hold her and take her over to be with my wife which was a really special time.
“After about three days we were able to go home and I remember making sure the car seat was extra secure, I definitely triple checked that car seat before we drove her home!”
Click here to read Rodney’s experiences during the 1st trimester.
Click here to read Rodney’s experiences as a new dad.
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Read about other fathers to be and their experiences during the third trimester. |
