Even though Cat will be solely responsible for “holding the baby” we are going to try and share as much of the baby experience as we can. I want to be involved right from the start, so neither of us has to go through anything alone, and neither do I want to miss any of the many joys along the way. We are both nervous first timers so I think we have many feelings and emotions we can share.
I have to be honest and say that the thought of having a baby scared me at first. I guess I still don’t see myself as very old, but I’m at at age where many people have already have 4 or 5 children! The real problem comes from having never truly understood how to take care of a new born. Sure, once they reach a certain age, I am OK with children, but at first I’d be clueless.
However I’ve come to realise a few things. Firstly is that everyone is in much the same boat, and everyone has to start somewhere. In fact I am very fortunate in that there is a wealth of knowledge freely available – something my parents never had. The other thing is that people have been having babies for millions of years, even before the internet!! So this is really nothing new in the grand scheme of things. And finally I realised like every other experience, I’ll learn it, and so I should not be afraid and hold off until it is too late!
The other problem to face is the cost. Everyone knows babies cost money, and with the wedding still to come, things could get difficult. But as my friend Adam T always says “You’ll find the money”. And it’s true. We’ll find a way no matter what else life throws at us.
Today was proof to me, that my nerves and worries will dissipate with the acquisition of knowledge. Vicky, the midwife we saw today, was absolutely lovely and answered all of our questions, and took us through much of the process we have to look forward to. I feel a lot better already, and we are barely 2 months in!
I don’t think I’ll truly be anything less than petrified, but more than anything, I’m looking forward to holding little baby Aloysius in my arms for the first time