At The Forefront Of My Mind
My wife started experiencing contractions in the middle of the night before she had our first two children. Perhaps it is for this reason that I expect the contractions to start at the same time for baby number three, who is due any day now.
Lately, thoughts about when my wife is going to go into labor have been at the forefront of my mind. While I am at work it has been hard to concentrate; I am on edge every time the phone rings. I estimate how long it will take me to travel 22.2 miles to get home if I got the call at my desk.
Each night before I go to sleep, I wonder whether I will be woken up by my wife at 1:00 or 2:00 am, telling me that she has been experiencing contractions for the past few hours. I realize, however, that the baby will be born when it is time; something I have no control over.
Many months ago, the Melitzer Rebbe advised me, "Know that Hashem decides everything, and we decide nothing."
Given this tzaddik's advice about the futility about making detailed plans for the future, every morning before I leave for work I now daven, "Ribonno shel Olam, please let me be with my wife when she goes into labor so I can help her get to the hospital in time."
12 Comments:
May we hear good news!
(When both my daughter's were born I missed the entire thing:
When my first daughter was born I was on my way to work - my wife went into labor, and she went with her mother & sister to the Hospital. My the time I knew about it, the baby was born.
My second daughter was born on Shabbos. I went to shul in the morning, and when i came home after davening, I was told that my wife had a baby girl...)
Thanks for the well wishes and sharing your experiences :)
While I agree Hashem decides everything, I encourage you to question your doctor's constantly. I am an attorney and I recently became involved in litigation relating to a OBGYN that had another doctor cover his patients while he was away. The patient/mother, was not properly diagnosed, and blessed is the truthful judge, the child was miscairried. The doctors do not have insurance and the victim/patient is an observant jewish woman. Accept nothing at face value from your doctors. Question them all the way through. They are amatuers compared to Hashem. I wish you a safe and healthy delivery for your wife and I hope you will be vigilant in making sure the doctors do the very best they can.
Anonymous: Thank you for your words of caution and well wishes.
how you can talk whit the melitzer rebbe? :|
ASJ, we hope your davening is heard. May we hear good things...
I want to become an honorary, long-distance "Tante Pearl"! ;)
Ilan: I had Rabbi Brody approach him for me.
Tante Pearl: I think you will get that title! ;)
Enjoy this for these moments are all too short.
As someone who had recently earned his college degree in accounting, and was preparing for the American CPA exams, I was "somewhat anxious" when I found out, for each of our two children, that my wife was due in MAY, yes...the month of the CPA exams! How was I gonna manage that???
Of course, Hashem was kind to us and my daughter was born on Shavuos night, and my son on Shabbos, Erev Shavuos two years later! These experiences also brought me closer to Modzitz, but that's another story!
Anyway, besides being Uncle Yitz to my numerous nephews & nieces in New Jersey & Beit Shemesh, I hope you will accord me the same "honorary, long-distance" title [of Uncle of course, not Tante :)) ] as you do to Pearl.
B'sh'ah tova!!!
Jack: I certainly will.
Uncle Yitz: Of course you get that title! ;)
I had my four children each with c-sections. Except for the first one (which was an emergency), all were planned. I always felt I missed out on the urgency and excitement and anxiousness of going into labor and getting to the hospital. I must sound like a nut, but it's something I won't experience. I look forward to hearing about the health of your new baby and the story of how he/she came into this world.
wow - four c-sections!
Thanks for your kind words, Yetta.
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