The night my daughter was born is one I always want to remember, so I want to write it down here. It was August 2015. My wife and I had a super relaxing day together, going out to brunch and a movie. She went into labor about 10 p.m. that night and was up all night and into the next day with contractions. We went to the hospital around 1 p.m. in the afternoon, and little Madeline finally came out just before midnight.
Madeline's first hello
It was challenging seeing my wife in so much pain for so long. And then the first amazing thing happened in the birth: as soon as Madeline's head popped out, she went "meep." The midwife said she'd never heard that before, and it was funny. Madeline couldn't wait to get out and say hi to the world.
I cut the umbilical cord, and I held a leg and saw the birth. It was a pretty amazing experience, watching the baby come out and cutting the umbilical cord.
The love that grew instead of arriving all at once
I remember feeling that I thought there should be some more emotion when I first held Madeline, that I should feel this instantaneous, massive love and joy. Really, it felt more like meeting somebody you've just met before, like, hey, I don't even know you, and I'd like to get to know you, but we don't even know each other yet. Let's not take things too fast.
So I've continued to deepen it. I've continued to grow the relationship over the years. And I hope if you have your baby and you don't instantly feel like the biggest, most massive joy in the world, just wait, and it will often continue to develop for you over time. Especially the more I held her as a dad, the more that love then did develop.
So I'm grateful she's eight years old now, and grateful for the chance to remember this. If you enjoy these personal stories, you can watch more of them in my Life playlist — and if birth fascinates you the way it does me, here's me remembering the day I was born and choosing my parents.