Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010
The waning weeks of pregnancy
John Beaudoin, Journal Publisher
Print
E-Mail
OK, for the record, I am not nervous about the impending birth of my child.
Now that the “what are you having?” questions have faded away, this seems to be the most popular query that I get asked.
Nervous isn’t really the word I would use. Excited, yes. Maybe even scared a little since this, after all, is my first kid, but nervous? No.
Nerves should be saved for that big meeting with the boss or asking a girl out for the first time.
The arrival of a child, in my book, spans the range of emotions – from exhilarating to terrified beyond reason.
Over the last few weeks, the wife and I have avoided some major meltdowns by one of two proven methods – walking away or, trying, to laugh off the issue. This usually happens when I want to watch yet another rerun of Seinfeld or Scrubs.
Do I have to relinquish control of the TV? Maybe.
Of course, with her, the laughing turns hysterical and leads to some crying, this then turns to laughing again. I have yet to read about this issue in any of the baby books.
Last weekend, we went to tour the birthing area and maternity ward of the hospital we (hope) to deliver in. We arrived early and were later joined by five or six different couples, all differing in age and stage of pregnancy.
There was a distinct difference in the look on the faces of those that were on their second or third kid and those of us doing this for the first time.
I tried to mask my uncertainty and fear with humor. It mostly worked.
I think when the hospital does these tours, they need to take a page from the old “Scared Straight” episodes and really sock it to us guys. Let us watch an actual birth or something.
Showing us an empty, clean maternity room with nice, white linens and everything in its place isn’t the jolt of reality we needed.
Perhaps, though, we aren’t supposed to get that jolt until the day arrives.
After we arrived home from the hospital tour, the wife headed upstairs for some work on the baby’s room and I decided to see what mind-numbing programming could be found on TV at noon on a Saturday.
As I flipped through the on-screen guide, I spotted a show about women stealing babies in New York City.
For once, my good reasoning kicked in and I immediately changed the channel.
Something just told me I would be worse off indulging in this scary Discovery Channel program than if I just opted for another Scrubs marathon on Comedy Central.
Pick your battles, John.
John Beaudoin, a Lee’s Summit resident, is publisher of the Lee’s Summit Journal. To respond to today’s commentary, call 816-282-7001 or e-mail jbeaudoin@lsjournal.com.
