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Dads of the WC, how involved were you in the birth?

LittleMissKnight

LittleMissKnight

Bronze Knight
Dec 17, 2011
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Just curious as to what is commonly practiced with this group.
Were you waiting in the lobby with cigars like an extra on Mad Men or were you overly involved where you caught the baby, cut the cord and licked your newborn clean?
Also, any delivery-day advice for Dingy or me? Aside from telling Dingy to not actually try and watch the destruction down south. Anyone had a baby at Winnie Palmer?
 
I mean other than conception, I was as involved as I could be. My wife had 2 c-sections. I was in the operating room for both though I never looked past the curtain. I was good not seeing my wife's insides.

3 tips
1) Get the epidural before you really need it because then they will say it is too late and you are stuck.

2) If you need a c-section, get a c-section. Don't be one of these women who thinks a c-section is failing as a woman. The docs are pretty smart and if they say you need something, you probably do. In our case, both kids were tangled in the cord and would have been full term still births if we didn't do the c-sections.

3) If your kid wont' latch on to your boob for milk, don't stress it. Don't let the nipple nazi's make you feel like shit. There are pumps to get the milk out just don't let Dingy use it on himself.

One last thing. This is your kid. Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't be afraid to follow your gut.
 
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I was VERY involved. Went with my wife to all the classes. Was there in the delivery room. I cut the cord. As the nurse was washing my son off, I held his hand and spoke to him. He immediately stopped crying and was moving his head in response to my voice. The nurse said, "he knows that voice." I spoke and sang to my son in my wife's belly every night for the last 2 months of the pregnancy. He began to move and kick in my wife's tummy every time I sang to him. He did the same when I sang to him right after he was born. Hands down, best day of my life ....
 
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same as GDS. 2 c sections and stayed above the curtains both times.

My advice as the father, follow the nurses with your baby and remember what he/she looks like. With all the baby swap nonsense going around, identify yours. The doctors will take care of the baby mama.
 
Just had my second a few weeks ago at Winnie. I was very involved for both and agree with what has already been said.

couple extra tips:
  1. Bring an extra pillow/comforter for dingy. The pillows and blankets they provide suck and its normally freezing.
  2. Bring some cash. For you food is free, for dingy its $5 each.
  3. At night, let them take the baby and get some sleep.
  4. Its ok to tell friends and family to not come and see you at the hospital.
  5. Make sure your phone/camera are charged and take lots of pictures and video. You will forget just how small they were.
Congrats to you both. It will be the best day of your life. And good luck, you will need it.
 
I went to the classes and during delivery, I took photos while eating a slice of pizza. I refused to cut the umbilical cord.

We reserved the VIP suite at the hospital so we had a queen sized bed to sleep in with plenty of room...if you can, reserve that thing. It was worth the extra $100 it cost.
 
cnsaguy said:
same as GDS. 2 c sections and stayed above the curtains both times.

My advice as the father, follow the nurses with your baby and remember what he/she looks like. With all the baby swap nonsense going around, identify yours. The doctors will take care of the baby mama.
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I'm curious as to what percentage of babies you think are swapped. It has to be an extraordinarily rare event. They put bands on the babies and mothers as soon as that thing pops out. Swapping a baby would be difficult to do.
 
Wow, thanks guys, this is awesome advice!!

I think Dingy would faint if he had to cut the cord, but I didn't know he could be with the baby while they washed him/her off! And I'll tell him to make sure we get the same baby soulless ginger given back to us that came out of me.

Fortunately my doc is a no-nonsense lady and she said she won't push a c-section but if she says I need one, don't bother arguing. I'm going to just go with the flow and just hope I don't poop the bed.
 
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I was there the whole time. Watched the doctor do unspeakable things to my wife's hoo-ha to get the baby out (epiziotomies are not fun to watch, nor the stitching, but the second one healed up the problems from the first one) for both boys. Definitely recommend the epidural and get it early. My wife was singing and laughing the whole time after it was in. I cut the cord on both boys. Watched the circumcision, too. If you're squeamish, I wouldn't recommend. We had to go the formula route, so I actually got to feed both boys first.

Best piece of advice I could give to you is to do what you want to do. There's a ton of advice out there and everyone (it seems) is an expert. Yet no two babies are the same. What works for you may not work for another child, so you have to pick and choose those pieces of advice you get as to what you think works, because frankly not all of it does. We really had a ton of success with the methods described in the Happiest Baby on the Block videos/course. They really helped get our boys to sleep and calm down.

And get used to getting up several times per night for a while.
 
CommuterBob said:
I was there the whole time. Watched the doctor do unspeakable things to my wife's hoo-ha to get the baby out (epiziotomies are not fun to watch, nor the stitching, but the second one healed up the problems from the first one) for both boys. Definitely recommend the epidural and get it early. My wife was singing and laughing the whole time after it was in. I cut the cord on both boys. Watched the circumcision, too. If you're squeamish, I wouldn't recommend. We had to go the formula route, so I actually got to feed both boys first.

Best piece of advice I could give to you is to do what you want to do. There's a ton of advice out there and everyone (it seems) is an expert. Yet no two babies are the same. What works for you may not work for another child, so you have to pick and choose those pieces of advice you get as to what you think works, because frankly not all of it does. We really had a ton of success with the methods described in the Happiest Baby on the Block videos/course. They really helped get our boys to sleep and calm down.

And get used to getting up several times per night for a while.
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If you remember nothing, remember the part I bolded. Opinions are like assholes, yours is the only one you should pay attention to.
 
Went to my wife to one class - we botht hought it was eff'ing retarded and stuff we already knew.

In the end, she had signs of pre-eclampsia and the Dr scheduled c-section at 37 weeks for kid 1 (turns out it wasn't preeclampsia, just high blood pressure at 37-week appointment)

She had gestational diabetes for kid #2 controlled it well (almost no "high glucose" tests) but ended up with another CSection as Dr wouldn't go a day past 40-weeks.

I peeked over the curtain when they let m in the room for kid #1 - when they told me to look to see them pull put the kid - big mistake. I don't like guts. I cut the chord and did all that stuff.
 
CommuterBob said:
I was there the whole time. Watched the doctor do unspeakable things to my wife's hoo-ha to get the baby out (epiziotomies are not fun to watch, nor the stitching, but the second one healed up the problems from the first one) for both boys. Definitely recommend the epidural and get it early. My wife was singing and laughing the whole time after it was in. I cut the cord on both boys. Watched the circumcision, too. If you're squeamish, I wouldn't recommend. We had to go the formula route, so I actually got to feed both boys first.

Best piece of advice I could give to you is to do what you want to do. There's a ton of advice out there and everyone (it seems) is an expert. Yet no two babies are the same. What works for you may not work for another child, so you have to pick and choose those pieces of advice you get as to what you think works, because frankly not all of it does. We really had a ton of success with the methods described in the Happiest Baby on the Block videos/course. They really helped get our boys to sleep and calm down.

And get used to getting up several times per night for a while.
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I already can't sleep more than a few hours anyway because of this "tiny" (yeah right) creature dancing on my bladder.

And you're the third person to recommend the Happiest Baby on the Block videos so I will definitely check those out!
 
Your husband will likely end up doing more than you expect/plan...Nurses do all the real work and doctor just catches the thing or calls it for C section time.....First one was 12 hours labor then emergency C section...I was right with wife whole time...Don't look over the curtain...nothing good going on down there...stay up top and keep wife calm....
Allow the kid to go to nursery at night and be brought back for feeding....last sleep you will ever get....tell family to all come at once so they aren't there all the time so you can sleep....
Take enough stuff to last three days because if C section you will be staying that long...snacks for dad as they feed mom great but dad don't mean jack squat to them......take a full pack of diapers each time and ask for more....once you get the bill, it helps you feel better to have swiped as much as possible
 
Oh, and before I forget, those pull-out couches that some hospitals use for the dad's bed are horribly uncomfortable. Bring your own pillow too.
 
You're all talking about having babies and stuff and I'm here all like...

when-asked-by-my-dad-if-i-had-any-concerns-about-my-future-22886.jpg




... btw, I'm being sarcastic... mostly...
 
Like many other WC dad's in this thread, both of ours were cesarean deliveries. First was emergency, second the doc wasn't playing games with trying a VBAC. I was in the room both times though internal medicine is not my thing, at all. Didn't cut the cord, but was taking photos of them getting weighed and measured, as well as meeting their mom for the first time.

There are only three pieces of advice I would give to him. First, be ready to be a fierce advocate for you and your little one. While I'm hoping your birthing experience is snag-free, they don't always go as planned, thus you might not be fully-engaged in healthcare decisions during recovery. In my case, I had to throw a nurse out of our room because she was one of the "No Flu" morons that refused to get a flu vaccination. No way I was going to let a medical "professional" who doesn't believe in one of the tenants of modern medicine lay a hand on my wife or daughter. Families can often be a problem, so he needs to know when enough is enough and you and the baby need some rest.

Second, if he's never changed a diaper, start practicing now. I hadn't prior to my son and was woefully unprepared for the horrors that awaited me.

Finally, Target has some of the best UCF baby gear, so stock up in multiple sizes.

Good luck and Congratulations!
 
Oh yeah, the first few days of poop are far worse than the Exxon Valdez spill mixed with the tar pits...It is normal and it will end
 
BillUCF97 said:
Oh yeah, the first few days of poop are far worse than the Exxon Valdez spill mixed with the tar pits...It is normal and it will end
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That's what I hear and everyone has told me to take advantage of the nurses who are willing to be on poop duty while I'm in the hospital. No tar-diapers for us.
 
Isn't it odd that humans still must be taught to not shit in their own pants? I would have thought that evolution would have solved this for us by now.
 
If you have normal delivery, you will be out of there so quick you will have the luxury of a few days of tar diaper...So, I guess, shoot for the C section
 
LittleMissKnight said:
That's what I hear and everyone has told me to take advantage of the nurses who are willing to be on poop duty while I'm in the hospital. No tar-diapers for us.
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The tar diapers are the easiest. No smell, it is a small amount, and they aren't flailing about trying to stick their hands or feet in it while you try to keep your hands clean. Oh and LMK, you probably won't be doing diapers, that is for dingy when your vag is so beat up you can hardly stand to get to the bathroom. Though you may be used to this.

It is when they start eating actual human food that changing diapers becomes stomach churning. A 1 year old who just ate his fill of hotdogs and mac n cheese can make the most rancid smell. It only gets worse as they get older.

The best decision effer and I made was telling all of our friends and family that we will let them know when they can visit and we will give periodic updates of the progress. That way the phone isn't buzzing off the hook, I wasn't running around chaperoning people while I should have been paying attention to my wife, and I didn't have to be hospitable to my family. These are the last "sane" moments of your life.

Oh and if a mom or a friend (note the singularity) offers to help when you get home, take it. If nothing else, you may be able to get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep or run out to get something to eat with your baby-daddy. Since about day 5 or so cabin fever sets in.
 
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I watched the whole kit and caboodle. It was weird watching my soon to be ex's snatch turn into some sort of cow vagina pushing out what looked to be an alien. Very weird... But the rest of the birthing process was awesome, I just couldn't help myself in looking down there when she asked what was happening out of concern.

I don't recommend it for what it's worth.
 
Pfff the first few days of diaper duty are the easiest. Idk why someone would complain about that. It gets far worse later on when they eat food and it starts to stink.
 
UCFWayne said:
Pfff the first few days of diaper duty are the easiest. Idk why someone would complain about that. It gets far worse later on when they eat food and it starts to stink.
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The green stuff that comes from the veggie baby food and having all over their legs and back and while you are cleaning it, the snoopy sno cone machine starts brewing up another batch of pudding for you.

Forget water boarding, that would get anybody to talk just to leave the room.
 
KnightedIbis said:
I watched the whole kit and caboodle. It was weird watching my soon to be ex's snatch turn into some sort of cow vagina pushing out what looked to be an alien. Very weird... But the rest of the birthing process was awesome, I just couldn't help myself in looking down there when she asked what was happening out of concern.

I don't recommend it for what it's worth.
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You should start another thread to give us advice on what to look out for in a wife. What happened to the marriage and how old are the kid(s)? Did she got bat-chit crazy but was totally normal before getting married?
 
knight_poster_15 said:
You should start another thread to give us advice on what to look out for in a wife. What happened to the marriage and how old are the kid(s)? Did she got bat-chit crazy but was totally normal before getting married?
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Ha, not really worthy of a whole new thread. I saw the warning signs early on, but she was really hot and I chose to ignore/excuse it. All in all, while I don't really believe it to be the case, it could just be an oil/water thing of us not mixing. She's the mother of my one child, so I definitely wish her nothing but happiness and health in her future.
 
UCFWayne said:
Pfff the first few days of diaper duty are the easiest. Idk why someone would complain about that. It gets far worse later on when they eat food and it starts to stink.
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...and they don't move around on their own at the beginning. Later on, they don't want to be there anymore than you do and you are wrestling with limbs more than anything else.

One piece of advice. When you're up at night to take care of the baby, NEVER look at a clock.
 
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get used to watching some weird ass shows...that time of night you get some odd shows in syndication.....For some reason, I remember Three's company being on a lot...and not caring as I was in zombie world
 
We had our son at Winnie Palmer. The nurses there are great, especially in the NICU. A few words of advice

1. Bring a small lamp. Some nurses demand that a light be left on all night. A small desk lamp gives them light to do their job and then you can shut off the overhead fluorescent light.

2. Get that epidural as soon as you can. My wife was induced and labor wasn't bad until they broke the bag. That's when labor got real and it took 2 to 3 hours before the epidural was done. That was some serious pain those hours in between.

3 Don't be afraid of a C section. Get that baby out healthy, the C section prep and procedure is a well oiled machine at Winnie Palmer. My wife recovered very quickly.

4. If you get the Asian woman pediatrician attendee just know that she is a bitch with no bedside manor. Don't let her perform a circumcision she botched my nephews. She sent us to the NICU over a very common blood sugar condition and didn't tell us anything other than "your baby needs to go to the NICU we can't help him"

5. That meconium stuff is nasty

6. Don't stress the breast feeding. It's easier to monitor their intake if you pump anyway
 
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