T
he last anecdotal incident took place at our last class , in which we learned about childbirth itself . The nurse showed us diagrams of the baby coming through the birth canal and videos of women howling on pain during delivery . Childbirth is not a pleasant experience for either the mom or the baby . The dad or partner ' s role is to do whatever the mom asks him to do . Fetch ice cubes ! You got it . I can ' t feel my legs because of the epidural – massage them ! Yes , ma ' am . The nurse then said that it is a myth that women who are lactating don ' t get pregnant . Women can get pregnant right away – that ' s when a young dad – probably a Millennial – perked up and asked how fast can he and his partner can have the next baby after the current bun comes out of the oven ? This guy was hot-to-trot . God bless him . This time my wife and I shared a smile , not mockingly as before , but I think because we both loved this kid ' s enthusiasm . I don ' t know if you , dear reader , will think these incidences were as droll as my wife and I thought they were or if I should file them under the " You had to be there " category . Being the a new dad is exhausting as it is rewarding . As I tell my non-parent friends , my baby ' s moods are like being on a Pacific island . When she ' s not happy ( e . g . diaper full , hungry , gassy , sleepy , etc .), it ' s like I ' m on the island during a tempest . When she is happy ( e . g . the opposite of any of the unhappiness triggers I just listed ), it ' s like I ' m sitting on the island ' s beach , with a nice gentle sea current with not a cloud in the sky . And to get through it all you just have to find moments to have a laugh . And maybe have a cry , too .
57 THE CONE - ISSUE # 11 - 2017