226 Days In…

Well what can I say, the last 226 days have been filled with joy and laughter, tiredness and tears, and not to forget frustration and impatience. Yes, I’m talking about K.

(To all the partners reading this: If you’re just embarking on this joy ride, keep in mind that you are going to have to put up with a lot of emotions. Think of that singular week every month you have to put up with, and times it by 10 (million)).

In all seriousness, it really isn’t just an emotional journey for your wife, it’s an emotional journey for you, whether male or female. It’s one that I would recommend, if you have the opportunity, to prepare yourself for in advance – don’t just hope that it’ll be okay. In most cases it will be, but there will be times where you will want to throttle your partner for driving you up the wall for no reason. I know I have.

Sometimes you’ll get the message, plain and clear (pregnant women aren’t afraid to be blunt). Other times, it’s like trying to get a message out of lassie. Sure, she’s mean and may be snapping at you for not doing something you weren’t aware you had to do, but what she may not be telling you is that she’s in a lot of pain and may not want to tell you (K seems to think this is a sign of weakness), so is snapping at you instead out of frustration.

With just over seven weeks until this bomb hits, the full realisation of what awaits has started to set in. You’ll have to ask K about how she thinks I’ve coped with the impending doom of sleepless nights, and endless dirty nappies. Watch out for the photographic evidence that my life has turned to s***.

I’ve done my best to stand by K and help her through whatever emotions she has felt, it hasn’t always been easy, and yes there has been times when her requests have felt like they were just plain pushing her luck, and some of her outbursts have pushed me closer and closer to the edge, but I honestly wouldn’t change the last 32 weeks for anything.

K is currently putting her body through so much stress to create a family for us, and that is really important to remember as the partner. Although it was a joint decision to start this process, I’ve got the easy job.

So, if you’ve just got in from work and sat down to relax from the long day, any request that your partner has – just do it!!! It’s not exactly a hardship, unless she wants you to redecorate the house… now. Whether it’s offering to make her lunch for the following day (especially if it means she can then get up a few minutes later), getting her a glass of water, or turning your house upside down because she can’t remember where she left something – it’s the least you can do. It’s worth it, just to keep her relaxed, and when she’s relaxed, baby is relaxed.

Sx