There are plenty of places I’ve never visited with my wife. The nail salon. The waxing studio. And the ever-mysterious gynecologist’s office. There is a first time for everything though, and since my lady is carrying my baby — our first child — I recently made my first trip to the ob-gyn’s office.
We walked into the office, and the lobby was full of people in various stages of their nine-month journey. Lots of ladies were sitting with different size baby bumps, and plenty of dudes were standing while they shuffled around on their phones. Men don’t get to sit in a lobby full of pregnant ladies.
When they called my wife’s name, there was a moment of “Should I stay or should I go?” After an awkward pause the nurse told me she just needed Chelsea first to do a few quick measurements and get some samples. We were told that on every visit, my wife should go straight to the back and leave a urine sample before seeing the doctor. Good thing a pregnant bladder can pee on command. After we waited a bit more, it was time for both of us to meet with the doctor.
We were ushered into the nice part of the office, with a leather couch and walls full of degrees. As we were greeted by our baby’s new best friend, I felt relieved. He was the friendliest, funniest old Irish man I had ever met — and he was easy to talk to. (I was especially thrilled by the serendipitous coincidence that we were married by an Irishman too!) We got through all the necessary info and questions about our family history and what we could expect over the next few months.
Then we were moved into the examination room. I’m not sure which seat was less comfortable: the table with stirrups or the tiny stool in the corner that I was relegated to. I was confused by everything in the room. What were those pointy cotton swabs for? Why were there so many bottles of lube? How old was that ultrasound machine? Then before I knew it, there were two more people in this room built for two and all of a sudden I was staring at a lima bean on a computer screen.
All in all, it was pretty weird sitting next to my wife while someone I had just met had his hands up in her business. Luckily the room was situated so that I was safely tucked away from the action, which was exactly where my wife wanted me to be. It was nice to be able to hold her hand and offer support in a new way. All weirdness aside, being there and hearing our baby’s heart beat made me dizzy with joy. I can’t wait to go back and see that little lima bean again.
