Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Coping with stress from baby and life

Recently my wife and I learned that we are expecting another addition to our family.  This did come as a shock since we had taken the necessary precautions on all but three occasions.  Then again, once is all it takes right?  Our due date for our new addition fell somewhere from beginning to middle August of 2014.  After the initial shock of the news I grew anxious with anticipation.  I started thinking about names and what they might look like and how they would grow up and what kind of person they would become.  You know the typical fatherly stuff we don't usually admit to thinking about?  Sadly though, 16 weeks into the pregnancy, my wife woke early in the morning (you can follow her blog and progress at countinglittleblessings.blogspot.com) with pain and cramping in her lower regions.  After a visit to nearby Boise, my wife learned that her water had broken and the risk for losing our baby had dramatically increased.  So, for the time being, fingers crossed and prayers fervent, she is on bed rest with the hopes of delaying labor until 24 weeks when she can go into the hospital for the remaining duration of the pregnancy.  The difficult part for me is that my responsibilities at home have increased two fold.  With my wife on bed rest, all of her responsibilities now fall to me.  These include but are certainly not limited to EVERYTHING.  Yes, it is possible to do more than everything.  It's called going above and beyond the call of duty.  Translation, being a parent.  Since last Wednesday, my wife has spent two days in the hospital away from the comforts of home and family.  Those two days will pale in comparison, in regard to stress and frustration, to what I'll go through in the coming months.  Reality check now.  There is a very supreme chance that we will lose this baby.  The doctor says there is a less than 1% chance of survivability.  Not good odds right?  I know and I agree.  However, I'm a firm believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason.  If this baby is not meant to make it in this world then it was for a reason.  What that reason is though, I may never know and it may not be for me to know.  So the frustration for me here is that I'm totally and completely helpless when it comes to helping the baby along.  All I can do for my wife is help her feel comfortable and at ease during this time.  I hope I can do that, manage my kids, juggle my life responsibilities, combat my stress, work at my job, and still find time to live my life.  As always, I'm just going to take it day by day.

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