(Note: I took notes on my feelings starting from the moment my wife went into labor. But given the realities of parenthood, I obviously waited until I had a semblance of sanity to push through my thoughts and publish them.)
Baby-to-be. TMLFYI (Today My Love for you Is)…best delivered indirectly. Since Thursday evening at 7pm ET your mom has been in labor. What does that mean? It means cramps at such an incredible frequency, consistency, and duration, that there’s nothing a partner like me can do but feel hopeless and inspired. You see, your mom is something special. There are horror stories out there for how women react when they get into this situation.
What I know, is that she experienced all of the pain I was told to expect. Debilitating pain. She couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t sit. She couldn’t stand. Even the things she does involuntarily — like breathe — she had to be deliberate about. Everything we did (conversations, watching tv, going up stairs, walking to the car) had a commercial break (somewhere in 4-20 minute intervals.) Except instead of commercials about wireless provider dominance, your mom experienced pain that was borderline incomparable.
She did this from 7pm ET on Thursday January 9th, to 9:45am on Sunday January 12th. 62 hours. Sixty-two hours.
And not once did she lose her poise. She cradled you in her arms through her belly to make sure you were ok each and every time. It was beautiful. She delayed all pain saving measures until medically necessary. And she looked more stunning and beautiful than she did the day I met her, the day I proposed to her (though honestly, she had kind of let herself go the night I proposed — that’s a hysterical and different story), and the day we got married.
So Sunshine, today my love for you is best delivered indirectly… because I’m channeling all of my energy to your mom, who’s doing such a ridiculously good job loving you like nobody else can.
Suneet Bhatt 