Breathe

Anticipating a baby is fun, but it's not always easy. There's a lot to worry about. Is he safe? Is he breech? And so on. Wife and I have been locked in a state of suspense for a while. Whenever he would move around, she would say,"I just want to see him with his chest going up and down and breathing," to make sure he's healthy. 

We got our wish a few days ago.

We met our son for the first time late this past Friday night after a long time of Wife being in labor. 


The delivery of our son is one of those events that will remain etched into the fabric of my memory for a long time. With my adrenaline spiked (I couldn't imagine what my wife's was like), I can remember how each of my senses perceived the experience. 


In all the hustle of doctors, nurses, and resident doctors, I remember my first actions. I checked on Wife. She assured me she was fine. Then I checked on our baby boy. I watched as the resident doctor cleaned him up, and I remembered what Wife said about wanting to see his chest going up and down to assure us he was breathing. 


He was breathing great. I watched as his lungs expand and then exhale his first breaths of air. He threw in a couple of whimpers for a last convincing measure. His steady breathing helped me breathe easy enough to release all that suspense about his health. 


That night and the following days, we both enjoy watching him sleep. As he rests, his chest rhythmically rises and falls letting us know that he's healthy. We also get to see his lungs in action when he belts out loud cries during his diaper changes. Sometimes he struggles to catch his breath after he spits up or is coming of a crying binge. 


Now I think about how else we'll be able to watch his breathing develops as he grows older. We'll get to see his lungs work up the effort it takes to exhale his first words. We'll watch him try to catch his breath as he races around the house during a rousing game of chase. We'll have to right him when he breathes out his first bad word. We may watch as his lungs put forth the effort to play an instrument for the first time. If he decides to sing, we'll get to watch the effort he breathes into every note. We may or may not look forward to the day he musters up the courage to introduce us to his first girlfriend. We'll may watch as he makes a commencement speech, or says "I do." 


We'll watch his lungs throughout his life as they do all the talking, singing, laughing, and breathing for a long time.


In any future situation, we are just glad to see his lungs inhale and exhale over and over right now. It reminds us that he's healthy. It's his way of saying I'm finally here.