Hi!
I once said that the tattoo on the back of my arm was the male version of childbirth in terms of pain and endurance. Now that we’ve experienced childbirth, I would like to personally apologize to every female on the planet for underestimating this miracle.
Dahlia Jean is here! After 10 hours of labor when my wife was induced on August 10, our baby was born at 5:41 PM Eastern at a weight of 7lbs 14 ounces. She is a beautiful, healthy, and vivacious baby girl. Megan and I are in love. I think she has my eyes and my hair. Fortunately, she gets everything else from her gorgeous mom. I suspect that everything in my life prior to August 10 (pre-DJ) will no longer be as memorable as all the events that occur after.
Right now, our lives revolve around Dahlia’s needs. We use an app called Baby Tracker to record her every action – you’d be surprised at how much hard work that is even for a newborn that can only eat, sleep, and poop at this point – and it might as well account for all of our activities too. Even when I’m away from the little one, I can’t stop thinking about her. Physically, getting enough sleep is a huge struggle!
Megan has many additional challenges to deal with. Her body went through tremendous changes during pregnancy and childbirth takes a huge toll on the body. I’m glad I can be here to help during the minimum recovery time of six weeks while we learn how to take care of our precious new DJ.
I’m taking one month off from work for “baby bonding time” using FMLA (America’s 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act); it will only scratch the surface of how much time we truly need for a good foundation for Dahlia’s care. Reading about all the companies and countries that are doubling their current alottments (Netflix has switched to an unlimited allowed leave), I’m glad that there are changes coming when it comes to parental leave. There are tremendous benefits to being able to safely transition into the immense challenges of raising a child. No one should have to do it alone and unsupported.
Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes 10,000 hours to become world class at a skill. If this first week is any measuring stick, Megan and I will soon become masters of the swaddle, breastfeeding, and diapers. . Having friends visit during this time is awesome. Special thanks to Kris and Kim for helping out! We’re looking forward to getting help from our families as well.
Enjoy our photos from these first few days! A photographer took professional photos of us while we were in the hospital; I will upload them as soon as possible.
