Lesson 23: Witnessing the Miracle
Some people think the birthing of a child is the most beautiful experience one can have. In fact, I remember seeing a movie in high school entitled The Miracle of Birth. Despite the buzz around a birth, I have never been excited to be there for this event. The smell, the sounds, the blood and guts are just too much for me. Although I wasn’t too thrilled to witness the birth of our first child, someone else was.
Lesson 23: Don’t invite your mom into the delivery room without your wife’s permission
When my wife was in labor with our first son, we were sitting in the delivery room waiting for things to progress. My mother called and asked if she could come by. She was excited since this was her first grandchild, so I agreed. Once at the hospital, she asked if she could come into the delivery room. I again agreed and she entered the room to chat with my wife. My sister also entered the room as the labor continued. Once it came time to push, my mom and sister still stayed to watch. We spent time talking and making plans–my brother happened to be flying into town that day, so my mom and I were trying to figure out who would go to the airport and at what time.
After some period of time (which I can’t remember) the baby started to pop out. As I struggled to hold my wife’s legs up, one of the nurses invited my mom to actually go down and see the baby’s head. My wife shot me a look, but I didn’t know what to do. I decided to keep my mouth shut as my mom scurried over to watch the baby’s head poking out. My mother then enjoyed watching the delivery while my wife was in certainly one of the most vulnerable positions ever imagined. With each push I could read my wife’s mind, “Why is your mother watching me deliver a baby?” Luckily things ended positively - a baby was born - and my wife didn’t mention the situation again until we got home.
My suggestion: Don’t invite anyone into the delivery room. This will only lead to additional problems that you hadn’t anticipated. Instead, get a video camera and show the delivery during the next reunion.

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