A Father's Point Of View
by Anthony Wilson
© 1999 Midwifery Today, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
[Editor's note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today Issue 51, Autumn 1999.]
The day my wife gave birth to our firstborn was the end and the beginning
of something beautiful. The culmination of nine months of physical, emotional
and spiritual preparation for the birth of our baby, it was also the beginning
of our life with children. The birth itself was a transition from one
stage of our life together to another. I saw my wife in a whole new way
that day.
There was never any doubt that I would attend our births, we just did
not know the details of how. Lois and I have always done everything together.
After attending childbirth classes I felt more prepared, but I was still
scared at the thought of holding a new baby. Then came "the day."
I look back and see my wife as an incredibly focused and powerful woman.The
power of a woman giving birth amazed me. Labor, such an intense time of
hard work, impressed on me that there is no greater work than that of
bringing a new life into the world. Any man who has not seen his wife
give birth has an incomplete view of what it means to be a mother. He
underappreciates mother-hood.
My fears of holding my baby melted into joy at the touch of new skin,
skin that had never before been "outside." We experienced the
joy together, Lois and I, and it has only strengthened the bond of our
marriage. It has been my privilege to attend and support my wife, the
mother of my children, through each of our births in turn. Each one was
different, as each of our five children is different.
Every birth is unique, and each is a life experience, one that should
be shared by husband and wife, mother and father, as they grow not only
a baby, but also a family. After almost twenty years of marriage, some
of my best memories are the births of our children, and seeing my wife
give in to this powerful maternal act called childbirth.
Tony Wilson is the father of five children and the husband of Lois
Wilson, CPM. Together they live in Philadelphia, where he works for the Philadelphia
school district as a teacher.
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