My Fatherhood Begins in the Womb

(Source: Parenthub)

I am learning a lot of things during the first weeks of Lei’s pregnancy. Of the lessons that I learned, the most important is that fatherhood begins the in the womb.

Life of a human being begins at conception, particularly at the moment when the sperm meets the egg. Consequently, husbands and wives instantly become fathers and mothers at that moment even without their knowledge.

This fact demands that I should act as a father even though I am not able to see or touch my child. And as a father, I should be more conscious to welfare of Lei and our child. I should provide not only their material needs but also their need for a good father (and husband) in our little home.

I know that the demands are high and this is so new to me. I will be taking baby steps to fatherhood even before my child has to take his/her baby steps. I must have temperance, fortitude, faith and all the virtues needed to become a good dad and husband.

I turn to God and pray that He gives me the strength to become a good father to our child. I also turn to St. Joseph, the great model of good fathers and husband.
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Day 7: Attack of Nausea

Past 12 midnight - Lei woke up with a jolt. I realized immediately that she had another spell of sickness and was about to throw up. For an hour, I held onto a small basin while she spewed her dinner.

Our ob/gyne and Internet articles said that morning sickness is normal during the early period of pregnancy. According to them, the pregnant woman’s body is changing because of the hormones being produced for the development of the fetus. I even read that nausea is a sign that the pregnancy is going well.

After an hour of vomiting, Lei asked for a ripe mango, maybe to remove the bad taste in her mouth.

I know that there are many changes happening inside Lei’s body. It is not obvious right now because she’s at the early weeks of pregnancy. Some things that I did notice are the following:

1. Bouts of nausea, that don’t only occur during the morning but the whole day. What’s worse is that it attacks around midnight, when we are about to cross over to Dreamland.

2. Stronger sense of smell. Some Internet articles said that it might be the result of hormonal changes.

3. Get irritated very easily, which I have to react by increasing my patience and understanding.

Our ob/gyne said that nausea and vomiting will be gone after the first trimester of Lei’s pregnancy. Well, until then we have to face the attack of nausea every midnight.

Day 6: A Visit to the Doc

My Beloved Wife is not feeling well today. She's experiencing nausea and vomited twice today. “It's cold in my tummy,” she said. The worried me don't know what to do.

“I want to see a doctor,” she told me.

I was hesitant to go to an ob/gyne because (1) I don't know where to go, and (2) I don't if I need to set an appointment before we can see a doctor. However, thanks to the power of the Internet and the insistence of My Beloved Wife (it is hard to refuse a lady who is naglilihi) off to the nearest hospital we go.

The obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyne) said that nausea and vomiting are normal in the first weeks of pregnancy. The doctor said that hormonal changes are happening inside My Beloved Wife's body and she's not accustomed to that yet.

The doctor told My Beloved Wife to take folic acid (5 mg capsule) daily for one month. This medicine is important to prevent neural tube defects and other defects to our baby. The doctor also prescribed Vitamin B Complex (1,000 mg capsule) per day to reduce nausea and vomiting.

We left the doctor with a better knowledge of what to do for our baby. And hey, we’re received some freebies.

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The Beginning