Diary of UK parenthood from a father's perspective
Monday, December 05, 2005
New Arrival
Well.
That's a strange thing.
Never have I experienced such a mixed bag of emotions.
Birth is a deeply odd time, a curious mixture of boredom, sadness and joy. But despite that, the boy has arrived! Little Tobin James Hawcroft was born at 7:16 in the evening on 1st December. that makes him a Sagittarian Rooster with his moon in Capricorn for all you astrologically minded folk out there.
He really is the most beautiful thing in the world.
I can't believe what women go through in order to produce these little people. My wife has an incredibly high threshold for pain, I mean, she'll break her leg and walk to the doctor to get it fixed - no joke - So when I heard her shouting in pain, I KNOW that that's gotta hurt like nothing on this Earth.
I was by her side throughout the process, which was both harrowing and joyous - It was an overwhelmingly beautiful experience, but at the same time noone wants to see their loved ones in so much pain - I have to admit, I shed a few tears. But it was all worth it (easy for me to say!).
It's been a few days now and the routine, though monotonous is still something of a novelty and I actually enjoy the nappy changes and baths. I promised myself I wouldn't be one of these parents who gets excited about shit and piss but the fact is, you can't help it - what you're never told is that you can gauge the baby's health by the colour, consistency and frequency of his bodily functions, and to know that your baby is healthy and perfect is a true joy.So the last few mornings, as winter's brush renders the trees in rich ochres, reds and the colours of christmas near, the morning birdsong drifts through the window on a delicate cool breeze, bringing the crisp smells of fresh rain and a new day. And I lie in bed covered in sick and bright yellow baby crap, trying to avoid the steaming jet of urine that inevitably follows the removal of my son's nappy.
Joy.
posted by josus at 2:08 PM
