Spouse Support During Labor
When I was in labor with DD1, husband was with me throughout the 12 hours of laboring. He was the one who fed me ice chips and offered his hands to let me hold when a contraction came on.
With DD2, I did not want to see him at all.
In fact, I told him to leave the room.
Maybe it was because I had my doula and Nurse Yvonne with me, so I didn't need husband to be around. Maybe because the contractions made me so tired and hurt that I didn't want the person who impregnated me to be around. Maybe I wanted to spare him the agony of seeing me in pain and there was nothing he could do about it.
Nurse Lochia who has a blog, 10 Centimeters and Beyond, put it exactly how I think husband felt when I was in labor:
'Dad was scared, worried and felt helpless. He wanted to do what a lot of dads want to do: make the pain go away and didn't quite know what to do to help.'
Throughout the labor, I thought that he had waited outside the room or left the hospital to take care of DD1. Then my doula told me that he had been waiting by the door all day long. I didn't mean to chase husband away, but I was glad that he stayed.
Eventually when I decided to have the epidural, he was there to hear it from me. When I was advised to have a C-section, he was there to discuss it with me and gave his support for this procedure. All I said to him was that I love him and asked him to pray for the baby and me, which he acknowledged with a nod and a kiss on my forehead.
When DD2 was delivered in the Operating Room via C-section, he was there to take video of DD2's birth and recited the call to prayer in her ears.
I thank Allah SWT for my husband's patience and his support for me during these most difficult hours.
With DD2, I did not want to see him at all.
In fact, I told him to leave the room.
Maybe it was because I had my doula and Nurse Yvonne with me, so I didn't need husband to be around. Maybe because the contractions made me so tired and hurt that I didn't want the person who impregnated me to be around. Maybe I wanted to spare him the agony of seeing me in pain and there was nothing he could do about it.
Nurse Lochia who has a blog, 10 Centimeters and Beyond, put it exactly how I think husband felt when I was in labor:
'Dad was scared, worried and felt helpless. He wanted to do what a lot of dads want to do: make the pain go away and didn't quite know what to do to help.'
Throughout the labor, I thought that he had waited outside the room or left the hospital to take care of DD1. Then my doula told me that he had been waiting by the door all day long. I didn't mean to chase husband away, but I was glad that he stayed.
Eventually when I decided to have the epidural, he was there to hear it from me. When I was advised to have a C-section, he was there to discuss it with me and gave his support for this procedure. All I said to him was that I love him and asked him to pray for the baby and me, which he acknowledged with a nod and a kiss on my forehead.
When DD2 was delivered in the Operating Room via C-section, he was there to take video of DD2's birth and recited the call to prayer in her ears.
I thank Allah SWT for my husband's patience and his support for me during these most difficult hours.
Labels: personal
posted by Jiru at
12:02 PM
