27 Seconds

My adorable friend Tracy was blogging a few days ago about what an AWESOME labor coach her husband Tanner is going to be... and after meeting him and hearing stories about his preparations for fatherhood, I have to agree. He is going to do GREAT! Her cute stories about his excitement are the kind that make my heart smile. ***On a side note, my friends always make fun of me for saying "make my heart smile", but when I say that, I mean it is one of those things that just lights up your whole heart... makes you smile from the inside out.*** Anyways, so her faith in her husband's ability to coach got me thinking about our labor experience all over again... and shortly afterwards I realized something... I got gypped.

Stephen had been saying from the first moment he knew we were pregnant that he was NOT going to cut the cord, he was NOT going to look at anything other than my face, and he didn't want to see Baby Garvin coming out. When we went to our birthing classes, he learned how to push, I watched a real birth on video while he covered his eyes, we did breathing exercises so that he could help me through breathing during labor, talked about the bodily fluids that come out during labor, we watched an episiotomy video (again while he covered his eyes), we talked about all of the other disgusting parts of the labor process... and the whole time, Stephen was COMPLETELY disinterested because he KNEW he wouldn't be taking part in ANY of the gross stuff. His parents were even preparing me for the worst: Needing a backup coach because they were SURE he would pass out.

All that said... if you read the story about the delivery itself, you know that after nine months of saying he would have no part in the process, he DID look and he DID cut the cord. BUT because I only pushed two times after Dr. Parker scrubbed in, he didn't HAVE to help me breathe. He didn't have to hold my hand. He didn't have to feed me ice chips. None of that. Nada. Zilch. Which is why next time (yes, me... the girl who doesn't like babies or small children... just admitted that I wouldn't mind a NEXT time) I want to be in labor for a little more than 27 seconds so I can have the full labor experience... Labor Coach and all.