Becoming A Father For The First Time #DadsUnplugged

'Giving birth completes a woman' - that's a long-lived belief in society, especially in the Indian society. Yes, motherhood adds a new meaning to the life of a woman, but actually there is lesser conversation around the man who is equally involved. When I heard these gentlemen opening up and getting candid with their experiences of being a father in #dadsunplugged film by Himalaya Baby Care, it simply triggered me to document my journey how I felt when this moment came to my life. 

This series beautifully captures fathers expressing their emotion of joy, fear, apprehensions, and confusion that they encountered in the process to create a new identity while exploring the world of fatherhood. I'm sure most fathers would relate to the anecdotes of these dads like I did...

The news of my wife expecting a baby gave me a sense of fulfilment as a man. My chest was swollen with pride. After a few days, the panic popped up that I'll be now be responsible for another human being forever. For the next few days, it was a weird mix of feelings that left me emotionally drained and I couldn't dare to share with my wife what sort of state my mind was in. I would daydream to be ready for rushing to the hospital at a moment’s notice and people congratulating me on being a father. The entire concept of fatherhood seemed utterly alien to which I was unable to comprehend.

It took me really good time for sufficient mental preparation, but those anxiety pangs somehow switched to more of responsible moves one fine day, when looking at my wife I realised it is her first time too and she needs a stronger, supportive and more patient version of her husband now. Needless to say, the idealistic vision of the moment was a game changer and I started counting back to figure out when would I hold the tiny bundle of joy in my arms.

The birth of my child was terrifying but miraculous. The condition, in which my wife was rushed to emergency much earlier than the EDD, left me panicking that she won't survive this life-threatening phase. For a moment, I even regretted our decision of planning a baby. After a five hours long C-section, the skin and bone being was presented to me in a human form. The dull screams of my son announced its arrival to our world. 

Today on the occasion of #FathersDay, I look back on that day thankful and would just say "Dear son! I confess I didn't come programmed with great parenting skills, but your love has made me learn at every step along the way. Life now feels enriched with you around and all my worries melt away when I see you smile. No hurdle seems too difficult for a reward so big that is 'You'."

Happy Father's Day to all the dads and dads-to-be!

As expressed by-

-Amit-