Unless you are going to be birthing at home (which is an option if you plan ahead and do your homework on the subject), the more traditional route is to go to the hospital around the time Baby is about to make his or her
GRAND ENTRANCE
and then wait for Baby to arrive. Usually, Baby's arrival won't include the speeding taxi cab with mom (to-be) yelling and screaming for everyone to hurry up because that baby ain't waiting!!
As such, talk to your doctor as scheduled, and then call if you have any concerns. Find out when you need to be at the hospital, and also listen to their wisdom on the matter. They have done this
WAY MORE
than you and me. They are the professional(s). If you can swing it, try to take a couple vacation days from your employer and plan on being there for the birth. Sometimes the birthing process can happen super fast. If you're like my friend, they were sent home a couple times because their little one just wasn't ready to come yet.
You being in attendance for the birth will not only will you be a great morale boost for your partner, but you'll also get to share in all the wonders and joys of welcoming the little one into the world. Now I didn't do any research on the matter beyond what "The Expectant Father" provided, so when the time came, I was out of my element.
Wisdom would say to attend classes with your partner to learn about what you'll experience during labor, and what the birthing event will be like. We kinda just went with the flow. My wife is a medical professional, so she had a little more background knowledge than I did.
Maybe you're thinking you have the hospital visit scheduled, and you as a dad-to-be think you are all good to go. You'll show up at the scheduled time, the doctors will take your partner to the back, and in 5 minutes, they'll return with a beautiful sleeping child with a blue or pink outfit on...wishful thinking!
The moments leading up to birth can feel a lot like a battle, and that's why it's recommended that you be there. She'll need your support, even if it's just holding your hand (or trying to break your hand off!). I'll go into more details in a future post about what we chose to do and why, as well as some items you may want to bring with you to the hospital to make things a little more comfortable.
Until next time,
-Another Dad
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