Once the women have their baby showers, the end is in sight. We men often times start thinking, "I'm about to get my wife back!" However, hold on--the end is not here yet. The last few weeks of pregnancy present new experiences, challenges, and excitement that the rest of the pregnancy does not present.
Everyone experiences those last few weeks in different ways, but here's a look at our experience.
Isaiah, almost 5 - I was going through all the whirlwind of emotions of having our first child, but that wasn't the only thing I was experiencing. At the time I owned a truck with a V8 engine. It wasn't a huge truck, but it had great power and showed my manhood. Well, there was one problem: no carseat could fit in it and my wife drove a 2-door Civic, so we had to make a choice. Good-bye truck! Good-bye manhood! At the time my younger brother was working at my Dad's Dodge dealership in Colorado Springs, and he thought it would be convenient to take time off work to drive a vehicle to us, all the way here in North Carolina. Well, Isaiah was due a the end of September, so my brother landed with my new Rolls Royce just two-and-a-half weeks before the due date. Ok, so maybe it was a minivan! Did I mention my manhood was gone? After staying a couple of days, my brother left and just two days later, two weeks ahead of schedule, Isaiah was born. I'll save the details for final pre-birth hours in the next post...probably titled, "What Not to Say to Your Wife When She's in Labor!"
Alexis, 3 - Well, this was one experience I'll never forget. Where Isaiah came two weeks early with few complications, Alexis was a different story. As a teacher, pregnancy presents some extra challenges as we must leave lesson plans for subs. Since there's not definite birth date, the timing of everything can be difficult. Therefore, when Alexis was to be born a few days before Spring Break, my wife and I were excited because I would be home longer. Ha, was that ever a fairy tale thought. Faith started feeling contractions more often in the pregnancy than with Isaiah. Well, as they progressed, one morning she woke me at 2:00 a.m. and said she was in pain and was timing her contractions. As the morning progressed, she continued to be in pain and the contractions were close. I called in and took school off, and we were ready to go. Faith called her parents, and they, along with her sister, jumped in the car and headed here from Ohio. Off we went to the doctor since her water hadn't broken, and by the time we got there, the best thing happened! The contractions stopped! The nurse could hardly even get the baby to move. What! This really happens? I thought false labor was a joke and couldn't happen to my level-headed wife. Ha, was I wrong. I really felt stupid when I went track practice that afternoon, and all the athletes were questioning what was going on. Well, I don't want to belabor the point, so I'll just add that it was two more weeks before the Alexis came. Where Isaiah was two weeks early, Alexis was one week late. Oh yeah, remember my in-laws and sister-in-law were on there way from Ohio? Well, welcome to two weeks of great family bonding! My sister-in-law left after a few days to go back to work, and I love my in-laws, but we have a small house...and my wife was pregnant and had a false labor. Men, I was a mere speck of dust for the next two weeks!
Audrey, 1 - Well, by the third time, we had this thing down. In the first pregnancy, Faith's water broke two weeks early, and we were one week late with Alexis , coming right in the middle of Spring Break. What else could happen but to have a baby on her due date, and that's what happened. Well, this came after another false labor, but I wasn't about to go to the hospital until that baby was coming. Faith wasn't near as sick, I was in much better spirits (I knew you would be concerned about me) and Alexis and Isaiah were excited to meet their new baby sister. No crazy fanfare this time. Faith was in major pain early in the morning, so we woke our neighbor up at in the wee hours of the morning; she came and stayed with the kids and we headed for the hospital, not to come home until we had new child.
There is no way to predict what those last few weeks will be like, but any extra complications (in-laws in house for two weeks-I thought my mother-in-law was going to kill me) can bring extra stress on all parties involved. Just remember, that it's all worth it once God allows that beautiful being to be born.
Financial Tip of the Day:
Look at how much you pay on going out for food. It's hard to not go out, but it can save hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars a year. Plus, you might see your waist-line decrease in size.
Questions:
1)How many women have had false labor?
2) Any fun in-law stories? Don't say anything to get you into trouble!
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