I'm a Dad!

Contributed by Mike, 30 years old
 
I would like to announce that 7 April is my daughters Birthday which means. Im now a Dad! My wife and I werent expecting her for another three weeks, so you could say we werent quite prepared when Ginas waters broke in the early hours of the morning that Friday. Actually, "werent prepared" doesnt quite describe the state we were in. After all, we still had one more prenatal class to go for (you know the one where they teach you how to push the baby out) and we were only going to buy the babys cot that weekend! Fortunately, my wife had already packed her overnight hospital bag and put it in our car the week before.
 
Anyway, 16 hours later and with some last minute coaching from our doctor when he found out that we hadnt attended the "how-to-push-baby-out" class, our daughter, Katharina, came into this world, exercising her lungs at full volume. All I could think was `shes so tiny and so beautiful and look at all that hair!' I even cut her umbilical cord.
 
Well, now that were all home, I can say its been a month of joy and confusion for me as a new dad. I took leave for the first fortnight so that Gina and I could really get to know our little one. I never knew a baby could sleep so much and yet wake up that often all day and all night! As Gina expresses her milk into bottles, Ive enjoyed the privilege of feeding Katharina. And I must say Ive become quite an expert at burping the baby, too. Boy, does it take skill to carefully cover your shoulder with enough bib so that the split-up doesnt mess up your clothes or the chair youre sitting in. Ive also learnt to hold her firmly as I bathe her, dress her by gently yet quickly pulling the neck-hole of her romper over her head, and to change soiled diapers while holding my breath.
 
There are times when Katharina starts to cry and we just dont know why. We check her diaper, give her milk, sing to her (my wife says she thinks its my singing!) and try all sorts of rocking motion to ease the baby. My wife and I believe in picking up and holding our baby close to us whenever she cries. After all, she is so small now and although an aunt warned us that we may spoil her by picking her up so often, we refuse to believe it. for now.
 
The best thing for me is when Katharina wakes up just before I leave for work- she always wakes up with a big grin on her face. I really cant wait to get home every evening to carry Katharina and to see the photos or video my wife takes each day. While I am amazed at the amount of energy and effort it takes to care for this little one, Katharina is really the one who is amazing us each day as she grows!