From Dude to Dad by Chris Pegula

Author:Chris Pegula
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2014-05-05T16:00:00+00:00

DID YOU KNOW?

Once she reaches thirty-seven weeks, she is considered to be at full term of her pregnancy, though delivery may not actually happen for a few more weeks.

There will be a lot of waiting around during the next day or so. Patience is your best friend during this phase, and distraction will be the necessary tool that saves you from getting into trouble. It would be smart to discuss ahead of time with your partner some ways to pass the time while she is in labor. Consider a favorite movie you guys can watch in your room or visits from close friends to help distract you both. Whatever you decide, it’s good to have a plan.

One thing’s for certain: during your partner’s labor, you’ll be shouldering a big load of responsibility, and if you are smart, you will graciously accept help from extras. Your better half will probably want some extra crew on board for support too. After all, she will be doing all the heavy lifting, so to speak, so give her whatever she needs to be comfortable.

For our first child’s birth it was almost like a party. Meredith has a pretty tight-knit group of gals who were all over at our place enjoying dinner and watching some mindless TV. When her contractions got way out of hand we all hightailed it to the hospital convoy-style. Her friends turned out to be a reliable distraction from the increasing pain she was in as her contractions began to go crazy, keeping her attention on silly childhood stories, walks down the halls, and bathroom trips. Yes, even then they went together. Her mom was part of the posse that participated in calming her nerves and reminding her how to breathe and relax. I was thrilled to have the assistance.

Delivery is an exhausting experience. Trust me, there were numerous times when Meredith was getting annoyed with me. That was my cue to hang back and let her gals take over. Don’t take it personally, as your partner is being flooded with all sorts of feelings and emotions. In fact, she may say some things to you that she will regret. One friend told me his wife cried out during delivery that she hated him for getting her pregnant. Now that’s a pretty strong statement. She didn’t even remember saying that to him when he brought it up afterward.

But what if the pain is too much for her, you wonder? Well, they have some remedies for that, and the most popular one is epidural anesthesia. An epidural is local anesthesia that blocks pain in a specific area of the body. The goal is to provide regional pain relief, as opposed to straight-up anesthesia, which leads to total lack of feeling. Epidurals block the nerve impulses from the lower spinal segments, resulting in reduced sensation in the lower half of the body.

When is the best time to get an epidural? You want her to be in active labor before starting the process,

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