It would be impossible to do birth justice by trying to explain how incredible it is. I must admit that the idea of the birth process scared me half to death. I did a great job of focusing on work, chores, and my wife instead of what would happen in the birth room. I was afraid of the pain my wife would experience, whether I would be strong enough to stand beside her, and whether my boy would be okay or not. The unknown is what I feared most and there was plenty of it. The unknown is what I have always feared.
Well Tuesday night began my walk into the unknown. She began light contractions Tuesday night and I tried my best to get some decent sleep, knowing that he could come at any time. Naturally, I struggled with sleep for those first few hours. At about three in the morning, I laid all my fears down at Jesus' feet. I talked to Him about my need for sleep and my desire for Him to take away my fears. I believe Wednesday morning was the first time I had truly laid all my fears down in my life. For the rest of the night, I slept in peace till my wife woke me up at 7:30 and said it seemed like it was time to go.
When we arrived at the hospital, Mel and I were taken to a testing room to see if she would be admitted or not. The nurse and doctor was sufficiently pleased with her contractions and progress and she was admitted. Once in the room, we began what I can best describe as a 15 hour marathon. Though the husband does not experience the physical pain the mom experiences, I would testify that the husband does go through a marathon of emotional struggle. It is not easy to see your wife in such pain, especially when she chooses to go natural.
The birth went great and my wife was truly a champion! She did wonderfully and handled every part of the birth process so well. My respect and love for my wife was increased so much by the way she handled such a grueling and painful process. Much of the last part of the birthing process was spent praying that the Lord would end it soon. The Lord's grace washed completely over my wife as she was able to focus on each contraction while allowing time to become a blur. I, on the other hand, was acutely aware of how long the process was taking and wanted her pain to end soon and wanted so much to meet this little boy who had been squirming in my wife's belly for the last 9 months.
When it came to the end and the final pushing, I was in awe. I felt no fear. I felt no timidity. I felt nothing but love for my wife, great expectation at my son's entrance, and desire for my wife to experience relief. On that final push when he made his entrance into the world, I felt nothing but wonderment, peace, and praise. The birth of a baby is a miracle. Anyone who can question the existence of God at the moment of birth is beyond my comprehension.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
Blessings,
Greg
