“Babe, I am pregnant.”
I assume you are familiar with how the fathers in Nollywood movies respond to this.
Something like,
“Wow, this calls for celebration. Let me get us a bottle of champagne.”
Well, mine wasn’t like that.
She had been feeling funny. Weakness. A bit of headache here and there. We thought it was malaria and were going to treat malaria.
But first, she complained to a pharmacist friend of ours. He immediately suggested she did a pregnancy test before recommending any drug. Why would he suggest that? Na so people dey get belle? It was only two months after marriage and the sexual party should just be starting. Baby should chill abeg.
Lo and behold, our pharmacist friend was right. Babe is pregnant. How many weeks? We don't know.
But that was a reset button. Call it a time bomb. A baby is on the way. We better start getting prepared.
In hindsight, I am grateful to God for helping us conceive that early. Its wisdom to give thanks to God knowing that a man can receive nothing except what God gives.
Pregnancy changes a lot.
The first trimester comes with loads of baggage. General body weakness. Vomiting. Cravings. Loss of appetite and many more. For some, the first trimester can be hell and even threaten the loss of the baby. Oh, first trimester. You showed us thy powers. lol.
Since we live alone, it means my wife was not going to be able to do some chores. Dear young father, you will need to step in or get a maid if you can afford one.
If you are the one who likes food, it means at some point, you may have to help yourself. In plain terms, you will do the cooking.
On the sex part, you may have to tame your libido... at least until she gets her rhythm. This is usually not long assuming neither of the partners is selfish and wants to punish the other. In some cases, it can be longer than expected, I hear some women get irritated, cranky and have a low sexual drive throughout pregnancy.
In addition, if your wife is the one whose craving is heightened, you will spend money. Otherwise, go on your knees and beg God to help you regulate her cravings. Lol. By, the way, some of their cravings won’t require money, it’ll just be weird.
Irritation.
Vomiting alone is another course.
I can only speak for my wife. You would literally pity her during those episodes. It hits differently for each woman and yours might be milder or worse. Most importantly, be prepared to deal with surprises, the kind caused by biological and hormonal changes.
But I get easily irritated….
Dear brother, you have met your match. This is the part where you must learn to come down from your high horse and help your wife.
By the way, we survived the first three months and then another three months. And then another three months. You will survive too.
“Babe, I am pregnant....”
This statement right here is good news. But the phase can affect things negatively if you don't manage it properly.
I almost forgot, you will need health professionals who you can call for counsel. In our case, we had a doctor and a nurse who helped us understand those rough episodes.
My wife almost got a degree in embryology. Always reading about everything that happens in each phase.
Dear brother, there'll be scares and scary moments but this is when you need to be strong. I suppose that you already know God. You will need to talk to him a lot during this time. Carrying a baby for 9months and delivering safely is no small task.
Ire o.
Glory to God for a successful journey.
I heave a sigh Sir, it's a serious journey. Thank you Sir.