Kiddipedia
By Danny Williams – The Osteopath
“Being pregnant is an occupational hazard of being a wife.” Queen Victoria
As a dad and husband, I was really looking forward to having children. I thought it would be a lot of fun. Well, the first period of pregnancy or should I say pre-pregnancy, is a lot of fun. Especially when it’s your first. Sex, legs in the air, whenever you want. Fun times. Plus, if you are that inclined an alkaline diet, is the cherry on the top, making sure everything is perfect. Then, that’s it isn’t it. Baby making done. Well, that’s the dad’s part over. Or is it?
When my wife got pregnant it was great. We were happy, everyone around us was happy and congratulated us. Life carried on with the wonderful feeling that one day I would be a father and we would be parents. Not that we knew what it meant yet. Only 9 months to go and then “just add kid”. How exciting! From a dad’s perspective, the first three months is nothing special. You are just so nervous that your partner is okay that you check in too much; is she eating and is she eating enough, how’s her morning sickness and letting her sleep as much as she needs. But apart from that, nothing really happens. In fact, dare I say, it’s possibly a little boring for a husband, and hard to relate until you see the bump forming and that special day you feel the first kick.
The second trimester my wife was still exercising and working a full-time job. She still believed she could do everything. And in many ways, she could! She was still running and swimming. And that was great, because it’s a great idea to maintain fitness through pregnancy (if able to) as the body gets heavier and during labour you will need your stamina. She was however starting to get tired and as an Osteopath, I told her on more than one occasion ‘your body is changing, you need to rest, there is something growing inside you’. Did she listen, well not until the third trimester when the baby got too big and started to grow outside the pelvis finding the space it needed. This is when it gets harder for the dad. Not that carrying a child isn’t hard and places a lot of stress and strain on the body. However, from a dad’s perspective there’s a lot more to do. ‘Will you get me this, get me that’. Getting disturbed in the night when your partner needs to pee. ‘Please can I have a hand up from the chairs?’. What do you expect? Your partner is now two people! So, my best advice is to love her even more as fuses can get short and activities become slower.
Next comes the waiting, feeling as though the due date will never arrive, and then when it does, watching it disappear into the past as you continue waiting. You start counting, days, then hours, then minutes – much longer will it be! As your partner becomes more uncomfortable you really need to step up and help more. If it’s your first child, you are both super excited and hopeful it will be a quick natural delivery just like in the movies. You have your birth plan and know exactly what to do at which point. If it’s a complicated pregnancy you may have your date booked for a C section and that brings equal amounts of nerves and anticipation.
Talking about birthing plans, it’s rarely all ‘namaste’ and the dream birth that’s planned. For most, it doesn’t really work like that. Nature doesn’t plan time, place, or circumstance. For a natural birth the baby will come when it’s ready. And if baby is late to the party, I highly recommend spicy curry, pineapple, long walks, and sex to help induce labour.
Osteopathically, I knew the bio physiology of pregnancy, labour, and birth and how to help my wife get through those difficult times. Let’s not forget the fourth trimester which I haven’t even gone into – after baby arrives! In terms of the third however, I have been taught how to help manage labour, for example by pushing on the sacrum in a rotating manner to help reduce labour pains. However, birth is a different thing entirely. There can be a tendency to want to run back into the fifties with the ‘birth is women’s business’ approach, with the men waiting and smoking cigars whilst the women do the pushing! However, before we take that drastic turn backwards, we must remember birth is completely natural and every human on the planet must go through it to be here and exist! You must believe in the process whichever way it comes, be that a natural delivery or C-section. If feeling nervous, I have this to share – witnessing the first breath of your child is the most amazing experience. I watched my wife deliver our 2 beautiful daughters and it was an incredibly, humbling moment in my life.
The more you know and experience the better you are, the first pregnancy and birth is a mystery so read about it and try and enjoy the journey no matter what state you might be in because at the end you have a beautiful child who you love and don’t want to let go of. Ever.
Expat Brit, Curious by Nature founder, Super Soups Author, Media Spokesperson for health and wellbeing related to osteopathy.
Visit https://www.southyarraosteopathy.com.au.com
Danny is represented by Little Train Creative and is available as a keynote speaker and consultant in Osteopathy.
For all media enquiries contact Bronny Lane, Publicist, bronwen@littletrain.com.au / 0413 221 252
