| Its all so new and there is no manual, why did one not | | | | to be a long one or a short wait, there was no set |
| come with the baby, am i supposed to immediately get | | | | timeframe. Five hours later it was time to go, the |
| it! It's like plunging in to the sea not knowing the | | | | contractions had increased as Liz expected them to |
| temperature of the water before you hit it ... you have | | | | and the next stage was imminent. |
| to get used to the new environment fast or perish. It's | | | | The bag was packed for ages and had all the baby |
| all a great new adventure and you really have no idea | | | | products were in it ? baby nappies, baby vests and all |
| whats in store from one day to the next, | | | | the various ointments that I would become overly |
| For me the first urgent situation was the drive into the | | | | familiar with over the next few months. As we sat into |
| hospital. Liz and I had discussed it at length. We live | | | | the car I asked ?are you ok? to which I got a strained |
| about thirty miles from the city, so a fifty minute drive | | | | glance. Our now long in the distant detailed discussions |
| was estimated with normal traffic and of course | | | | had specifically required for me to drive carefully, |
| keeping to the speed limits. As soon as Liz became | | | | stopping at all the traffic lights and obeying the rules of |
| aware that baby was on the way I was to get a call | | | | the road. This I did as a duty filled expecting father until |
| on the mobile. I wanted to be organised and have my | | | | we got half way to the city where my calm ?co |
| wife in good hands as early as possible, as I was not | | | | driver!!? let out a high pitched command that I speed up |
| all too good on the medical side of things and I would | | | | and get to the hospital NOW. |
| feel far but feel much better if I could be sure that | | | | This is every guys dream, at the wheel of the car with |
| there was a mid wife in the room!! | | | | an expecting mother beside him being commanded to |
| So when the call came I finished up my work and left | | | | hurry up. With the smell of burning rubber from the |
| the office to head home. I was greeted at the door by | | | | tyres I did just that and if stopped by the police I had |
| Liz's Dad. He too liked to be organised and had | | | | the perfect get out of jail card! So we did speed up to |
| carefully documented the time between contractions. | | | | the point that we got to the hospital in a record |
| Both mother and father in law dutifully handed over | | | | breaking 30 minutes with no interruptions from the |
| their daughter for me to finish what I had started! As I | | | | Law. I whisked Liz into the maternity ward and handed |
| walked into the house I was unsure of what to expect | | | | her over to the medical staff, where after another |
| but Liz took it in her stride. She was calm and in total | | | | eight hours delivered Zac. Our lives had now changed. |
| control. She said we still had a wait before we headed | | | | Little did I realise that the trip into the hospital would be |
| for the hospital. I as usual was unsure if the wait was | | | | the last time there would be two people in our family. |