PART THREE
Welcome again to The Daddy Diaries! I hope you’re finding value in my journey, and I’d love to hear your feedback or questions—it’s always great to connect with you .In this edition, I’ll take you into the delivery and labour room... yes, the labour room episode. Now, why do they call it the labour room? Why not the delivery room, or even the favors room? Well, I guess you have the right to call it whatever you choose. One thing that’s common with all three of my children is that they were all born in America. But unlike the first two, I was physically present in the delivery room with my wife for the birth of our last child. It was, however, a close shave .As a global minister and businessman who travels almost every week, I had to fly to and from America three times within three months. It was exhausting both financially and physically, but it was a necessary sacrifice for the sake of family .I had major global events lined up that were already fixed even before we got pregnant. One of them was a four-city tour of the United Kingdom, which I had committed to a management company, signed contracts for, and spent a significant amount on. But because of the family situation, I couldn’t monitor or follow up as planned. This gave the agent room to mess things up, which led to a major loss and the cancellation of two out of the four city stops—even after funds had been committed to several non-refundable expenses. The Expected Due Date (EDD) for the baby was the third week of March, but there was no way I could be there. My last global engagement in South Africa was set to end on the 29th of March, and I still had to travel back to Nigeria before heading to America. But somehow, the baby waited for me—supernaturally! I arrived in the U.S. on the evening of April 1st, and just a few hours later, our baby was born—just after 11 p.m. Whoa... what a close one. The delivery room experience was my first, and it was truly an adventure. I witnessed my wife go through the delivery process and the intense pain. Thank God for technology, the medical professionals, and the advancements in American healthcare. We had amazing doctors, nurses, and specialists all on hand to ensure a safe delivery .Because of the Beloxxi and malt ministry (as I mentioned in a previous edition), my wife was quite big, and so was the baby. The doctors advised a caesarean section, which we agreed to. The baby weighed 10.10 pounds—almost 5kg. You can imagine trying to push that out! The procedure was so smooth—they used lasers to open her up, brought the baby out, and stitched her back—all within 60 minutes. Americans sha... These guys have really gone far. May God help our country too. When the baby came out, I was in awe. Whoa... this God is amazing! A whole human being coming out of another one! They asked me to cut the umbilical cord, and I was like, Lai lai! Not me o! I couldn’t even imagine putting a knife near my child. I felt like cutting the cord was cutting a part of the baby. So, the nurses did it and cleaned him up. The delivery room experience is one I will never forge.t Should every man be in the labour/delivery room with his wife during childbirth? My answer: IT DEPENDS.
Because:
I remember a couples' summit I hosted years ago on sexual intimacy in marriage. A man shared that since he witnessed his wife’s childbirth, their sex life had suffered. Years later, he was still experiencing psychological trauma that affected his erection and desire. Another major issue affecting many couples during childbirth is the natural birth vs. caesarean birth debate. I’ll start with that in the next edition. So, join me in the next edition as we continue The Daddy Diaries. Keep your dream alive.— Olumide Emmanuel