Adam’s Story
“It’s time to push,” the midwife said, her voice calm but firm. The room buzzed with urgency and anticipation. The air was thick with emotion - a mix of hope, anxiety, and the electric energy that accompanies life-altering moments. Adam felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, his heart pounding so loudly he wondered if everyone else could hear it.
Adam worked in real estate, a profession that thrived on his sharp wit and natural ability to connect with people. Always ready with a clever line, he was the guy who could close a deal with nothing but charm and a handshake. But in this moment, words failed him. Standing in the delivery room, handheld video camera in one trembling hand and Sarah’s fingers crushing the other, he felt a surge of awe and vulnerability unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Witnessing the birth of his child, he realised the stakes were infinitely higher than any deal he’d ever negotiated.
Earlier, he and Sarah had decided they wanted to capture the magic of the day, from the first contraction to the first cuddle. The camera was meant to be a silent observer of their little miracle, but Adam quickly learned that recording the moment didn’t make him an impartial bystander. It was impossible not to be swept away by the magnitude of it all.
Sarah let out a deep, primal groan, her flushed face reflecting the sheer intensity of the moment. Her grip on Adam’s hand was unrelenting, leaving him wincing but determined to hold on. Beads of sweat rolled down her temple, her focus unwavering despite the obvious strain. Adam’s gaze wandered briefly to the midwife, who calmly arranged an array of gleaming instruments on a tray that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a hardware store. “Is she about to rewire a fuse box or deliver a baby?” Adam thought to himself.
As the midwife offered encouraging words to Sarah, Adam reflexively pointed the camera at her face, her strength practically radiating through the lens. He had no words—dry throat, spinning mind—but he tightened his grip on her hand, hoping the gesture spoke the volumes he couldn’t articulate.
Time seemed to stretch and compress in bizarre ways. Seconds felt like hours as Sarah pushed through each contraction, her body working tirelessly to bring their child into the world. Adam fumbled with the camera as a wave of raw emotion overtook him. He wasn’t just documenting this; he was living it, heart and soul.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the midwife’s voice broke through the tension. “One more push, Sarah. You’re almost there.”
Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, Sarah bore down one last time. Adam held his breath, his entire body taut with anticipation. Then, in an instant, a sound filled the room—the unmistakable, piercing cry of a newborn. Their baby girl had arrived.
Adam stared in disbelief as the midwife gently placed the tiny, squirming bundle into Sarah’s arms, resting on her bare chest. Tears blurred his vision, and for a moment, the chaos of the room faded into the background. This was it. The moment they had waited for. The moment he had simultaneously been anxious about and longed for.
Through the lens of the camera, Adam could see Sarah’s tear-streaked smile as she cradled their daughter. The pressure to say something profound weighed heavily on him. He opened his mouth, hoping to summon the perfect words, something poetic or deeply meaningful. But his brain, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions and shock betrayed him.
“Babe,” he blurted out, his voice cracking, “your box is fucked!”
The room fell into an awkward silence as both Sarah and the midwife stared at Adam in disbelief. He froze, realising the comment had been captured in full HD. Just as the tension threatened to linger, the sharp cry of their wee baby girl filled the air, breaking the silence and saving Adam from further embarrassment.
As the nurse wrapped their newborn in a soft blanket and handed her to Adam, he put the camera down for the first time. Feeling the weight of his daughter in his arms, her tiny fingers curling instinctively around his, nothing else mattered. Not his blunder, not the chaos - just the overwhelming love and gratitude for the little life that had just entered the world.
Adam’s words, while hilariously inappropriate, were a raw expression of the shock and awe of the moment. The camera might have recorded every cringe-worthy detail, but the memory of that day would be etched in their hearts forever. His blunder became the perfect encapsulation of fatherhood: messy, imperfect, but full of love.
Fatherhood wasn’t something Adam - or many men for that matter, felt completely prepared for. Even with his charm and confidence honed from years in sales, Adam was caught off guard by the whirlwind of emotions that came with impending parenthood: excitement, fear, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. His delivery room experience, from fumbling through moments of humor to being struck speechless by the enormity of it all, mirrored the messy yet beautiful journey so many dads face.
When I first found out we were expecting, I had my own share of doubts and questions. Googling everything under the sun left me drowning in advice that felt either too clinical or unrelatable and often feeling like it was an after thought. I wanted something real - a guide that didn’t sugarcoat the challenges but also celebrated the humour and heart of becoming a dad.
This guide was born out of that frustration and a desire to fill the gap for dads-to-be. It’s a resource that’s practical, honest, and yes, sometimes funny. It’s a collection of stories, insights, and tips from my own experiences and from other dads, designed to help you feel more confident, more connected to your partner, and ready to embrace the chaos and joy of the adventure ahead.
