[First Childbirth Report] A Record of the 16 Hours My Husband Spent by My Side
My son has turned 3, and in these 3 years, he has grown rapidly from 50cm to 95cm in height and from 3kg to 15kg in weight.
I want to leave my childbirth report from 3 years ago on note so I don't forget my initial mindset.
Please understand that this is just one sample, and that it is poorly written due to the state of excitement I was in at the time.🙇
Prerequisites: First birth, natural delivery
~Announcement~
Thanks to my wife's hard work, 10 days before the due date, at 6:11 PM on Friday, a healthy baby boy weighing 2682g was born!
It is quite realistic and raw, but I am leaving this chronological record from labor to birth in the hope that it might be helpful to someone someday.
I'll show this to my son when he hits his rebellious phase. lol
(Actually, I secretly read through childbirth reports from senior moms I'm connected with on social media, which helped me prepare mentally and gave me great ideas on what a husband should do!)
In conclusion, I recommend that all husbands be present for the birth.
(I was also grateful for the understanding from my workplace.)
▼ Thursday
From 1:00 AM: Labor begins. There was pain at about 10-minute intervals, and my wife couldn't sleep.
7:00 AM: We contacted the maternity clinic once and were told to come in for a check.
Since my husband had work, we left the house together.
2:00 PM: I have many senior moms as colleagues, and they pushed me, saying, "Go home early, it won't be born that soon!" even though I had been restless since the morning.
I was allowed to leave work early and headed to the clinic.
I was so nervous, thinking, "Is it finally time?"
The examination result was that she was still at 2 centimeters, so we were sent home.
"You've got to be kidding me. I can't stand watching my wife in that much pain at home."
6:00 PM: We ate a proper dinner together at home.
Menu: Cold noodles, hamburger steak (not that it matters lol)
7:00 PM: We both took a bath early.
→ I feel like this was quite important. It seems better to get refreshed while you can still move around.
From 8:00 PM: Labor continues. I remember the intervals were a little under 10 minutes.
She looked like she was in a lot of pain.
▼ Friday
2:00 AM: The pain intensified to 5-minute intervals, and since I was worried, I called the clinic.
However, since we had been told to call when the intervals reached 3 minutes, they were a bit reluctant for us to come, but we called a labor taxi immediately and arrived together.
It looked quite painful in the taxi as well.
We brought our hospital bag and labor bag.
From here, a grueling 16 hours began.
2:00 AM - 7:00 AM: Labor at 5-minute intervals.
The husband keeps rubbing her lower back (this is about all I could do).
I tried various things like using a tennis ball or my hands on her lower back, hips, and tailbone to see what would make her feel more comfortable.
There might be individual differences, but the key points are:
Syncing your breathing with hers as she exhales.
Don't talk about unnecessary things, and offer positive words without being annoying.
Hydration (a straw with a cap is essential), and nutritional replenishment with Weider in Jelly.
7:00 AM: The midwife suggested, "It's still 3 centimeters, so would you like to go home for a while?"
I almost let out a thought, "No way, that's impossible."
(Big premise: The midwife was very helpful. It's an amazing job.)
My wife ate a light breakfast.
9:00 AM: The clinic director came and suggested, "Going back and forth is hard, so shall we proceed with labor-inducing drugs? 1 in 5 people use them." We received a simple explanation of the risks, and I immediately answered, "Yes, please."
Being told it would be born today gave me a sense of relief, mixed with the feeling of how much longer this would last.
9:30 AM: Since I had come in sandals yesterday (what an idiot), I went home once, took a shower, ate a banana, and psyched myself up again. The banana at this time was so black and ripe it looked like a chocolate banana, but I couldn't taste any sweetness at all.
10:00 AM: "It's going to be born! I have to go quickly!" I thought, and joined my wife.
The administration of the drip-type inducing drug had begun.
There were strength levels for the inducing drug, and I remember it was around 30 at the time. Labor intervals were about 4 minutes.
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Inducing drug levels 43-74.
She was getting more and more painful, and they kept increasing the level. But still, only 4 centimeters.
The midwife gave us the brutal news that we were finally at the halfway point, so it would really start to take effect by the evening.
However, the midwife also said that the intervals getting shorter and the pain getting stronger were signs that the birth was approaching, which made me feel a little more positive.
4:00 PM: Inducing drug level 84. 7 centimeters.
This might have been the toughest part.
Her water wouldn't break, and labor intervals were 2 minutes.
My wife said she couldn't take it anymore, and I think I pressed the nurse call button 2 or 3 times.
5:00 PM: Inducing drug level 90. 9 centimeters.
Labor intervals were 1 minute.
I'm sorry, but this part was so grueling that I don't have much memory of it.
Water still hadn't broken. She looked even more distressed wearing an oxygen mask.
5:30 PM: Inducing drug level 94.
Labor intervals were 30 seconds.
"We'll be going to the delivery room soon," they said, and I finally saw a glimmer of light.
However, her water still hadn't broken.
5:50 PM: Finally, she walked with a staggering gait to the delivery room about 5 meters away.
Not in a wheelchair, she walked.
"Since the labor interval is 30 seconds, I have to be at this point in 10 seconds, and at the entrance door in 20 seconds!"
I felt my own growth in being able to look at things from a slightly detached perspective.
5:55 PM: Labor intervals of 10-20 seconds.
Finally, her water broke.
From here on, I had no choice but to leave it to the midwife.
I'm bad with blood, so I was truly useless here. I am very sorry.
6:11 PM: Birth.
6:20 PM: My wife was as cheerful as if nothing had happened. She's strong.
Starting from morning sickness, it was always my wife who had it tough.
I can't sleep with my back turned to her.
9:00 PM: Chinese noodles I ate on the way home.
The soup soaked through my entire body.
Along with a sense of accomplishment and the sobering thought that I was going to be a parent, a wave of sleepiness hit me all at once.
When I got home, half of the black banana was left. I guess she couldn't get it down. lol
The end