It all starts when the certainty of a pregnancy arrives. Sometimes some symptoms and surprises at the doctor, sometimes a test with 2 red scratches.
In my case 2 were very red scratches. I think there was no doubt that the thing really was done. The reaction? At first, and until the first appointment I was a bit apathetic. As if you needed medical validation for what was happening. After that was the beginning of a whole search not as easy as it should be.
There is no manual for parenting. Some will say that discovery is part of learning. Others will say that things are not meant to be easy. I decided to research, find out everything, and share.
It started with health and the associated costs. Having a child is neither cheap nor easy from a health standpoint. Or is it? After all, it is a living being that is being begotten, and the first months are the hardest for the mother and the baby. Body changes, nausea, anxiety about knowing sex, seeing it live. A little of everything.
We also need to know the right time to tell those around us. Parents, family, friends, coworkers. In my case it was a tough wait. Wait for the first consultation to confirm that everything was on the right track. Even seeing body changes happening, and seasickness existing. Then the test was positive in November. Which made us decide to tell at Christmas. Imagine the wait and loneliness I felt until the day they would bombard me with information, alerts, support, etc.
The truth is that somehow this time has given for self research. Sometimes focused on one subject, and sometimes completely bewildered by so much varied information that I didn't know where to turn.
I think somehow this period has served us as a couple to get used to the idea. Those speechless looks in the middle of a series. The caresses and warmths. Changing attitudes to help her overcome sickness and bad moods. The spoon in the bed.
The truth is that 2 red dashes mean entering a whole new world. As if, out of the blue, we needed to learn a whole new culture from a country we didn't know existed. Where is it? How do you get there? How do you work? How do you eat? How do you have fun? How do you learn? How do you survive? And learn all the signs of a language we never hear.
Welcome to Fatherhood.
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