In addition to my role as the
managing editor at the
Centurion, I am also the editor
of the Pennington Post
and the Doylestown Patriot.
It was in my role as the editor
of the Patriot that I
received a press kit for a new
book, “It Gets Easier…and
other lies we tell new mothers,”
by Claudine Wolk.
Since Wolk grew up in my
coverage area, I decided to go
ahead and read her book.
I am currently at about the
mid-way point and I have to
say, man is it funny.
She seems to hit the nail
right on the head with how
your family and close friends
react to your pregnancy.
If you are expecting your
first child, I would definitely
recommend this book, but
that is not really my point.
My point is that I have read
a lot about pregnancy and
child birth over the last few
months, and almost all of the
books and articles that I have
read talk about preparing
your husband/significant
other for the days and weeks
after child birth.
The books go on and on
about explaining to your husband
that you will not be able
to do all the household chores
for a while.
Some of them even suggest
having a nurse talk to your
husband about your restrictions.
I, for one, am flabbergasted
by this. Apparently, it is hard
for many women’s other
halves to understand that
they have just experienced a
major medical event requiring
hospitalization and that
they will need some down
time for healing.
If this is the case for you, I
think the question needs to be
asked, what type of man have
you gotten yourself wrapped
up with?
If, after 40 weeks of pregnancy
and who knows how
many hours of labor, your
husband still has not gotten a
pretty good grasp on the fact
that your body is going
through a serious event, then
perhaps your husband needs
a good swift kick in the rear,
or worse.
Pregnancy is not something
that any man, or woman for
that matter, should take lightly.
A woman’s body is forever
changed after carrying a
baby.
The trauma of even a normal
labor and delivery can
take a woman weeks to
recover from.
Not to mention how much
longer recovery can take
when there are complications
or if a cesarean is performed.
I guess I should count
myself as one of the lucky
ones because my husband has
been to every doctor’s
appointment and read every
article right along with me.
Steven has a good understanding
of what to expect
when I get home from the
hospital.
He is prepared to help me
in any and every way that he
can.
Sometimes, I think that he
even over estimates how
much help I will need from
him, but I don’t correct him
on that.