You always hear that the experience of having your first child is unlike any other, and with all of the different emotions associated, that it is really hard to describe or explain any of it! Well I will definitely concur that it was unlike anything I have ever experienced and I am going to try to do my best to give you all my perspective of the incredible miracle of the birth of our baby boy Roman Finley Arant.
I think in the back of both of our minds there was always a little bit of nervousness associated with being in a new country and the level of healthcare we would receive specifically surrounding the birthing process. I would say of the two of us that I tend to be a little more positive and optimistic about unknown situations, so I definitely took it upon myself to be just that, positive!
Romans due date quickly came and was gone, and we were left with an induction date that seemed like an eternity away. Since we slowed down with a lot of other responsibilities the days seemed to drag on longer than normal as we, probably to a fault, wished he would just come already! I attempted as best as I could during that time to be an encourager to Dani, remembering that God is sovereign and knew exactly the date of Romans arrival even though we didn't.
With a little bit of discouragement, we finally reached the date of our induction with no signs that Roman was going to make an appearance. So we went to the hospital, got all checked in and then just sat and waited, and waited, and waited a little more. Finally Dani was given her first dose of the induction pill, and then you'll never guess what happened next. Yep, we waited, and waited again! We played some games had some chats, shot the breeze, you know...all that good stuff. Until visiting hours came to and end and I had to leave. It was a rather weird sensation knowing I had to leave, wanting to stay, but knowing sleep would be good. So I got picked up and went home. I was super antsy when I got home and I wasn't able to sleep for the longest time. Finally I laid down and tried to fall asleep around 1:30am, and shortly after Dani called me and said, I'm in a lot of pain you should come in. At that point I thought to myself, well...she's been saying that she's been in a lot of pain for the last 3 months, is this any different? Great husband, I know. At any rate, I of course agreed to come back in so I called some friends from church who graciously picked me up and brought me back into the hospital.
Not long after I arrived the contractions were in full swing. I really could have missed the whole thing, so God was definitely gracious to me. From this point on, of all the emotions I was feeling, I think the overwhelming one for the majority of the process was seeing Dani in that much pain, making that much noise. That was tough!
3 hours into the contractions the pushing began. The whole thing was just incredible. Dani was absolutely amazing and she just blew my mind. I didn't think at any point I would cry, and if there was going to be one point, it would be when Roman was born and I got to hold him. However, that wasn't the case. There was a moment in between Dani's pushing where she said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13) Roman appeared after the NEXT push! Tears.
The next events happened so quickly that it was hard to even comprehend what was going on. Roman was born, placed on mommy's chest, I cut the umbilical chord, and then the midwife realized how much blood Dani was actually losing. about 10 nurses and doctors came in sort of in a frantic. Meanwhile, they handed me the baby and I just watched. I didn't know what was going on and I had a brand new, bloody baby in my arms! Finally one of the midwives came over and gave me an idea of what was going on and took the baby to get him all checked out and cleaned up.
Dani went into surgery as Roman and I waited patiently in the recovery room. After a few hours of waiting they finally came in, explained everything that had happened and what kind of surgery Dani had needed. We then proceeded to go to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) where we stayed for the next few days so that Dani could fully recover.
Through those few days God taught me a lot about what it means to be a husband and a father. He also taught me that I need to fully put my trust in him especially when I have no control over a situation, this being one of those situations. I learned more about what it means to be selfless, caring, compassionate, and more about how to role up my sleeves even when I am tired. Dani is completely worth it and Roman is completely worth it because God himself gives them worth and value. A new life is such a miracle and I am so blessed to have the privilege of saying that I am a father and husband!
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