It’s been 11 days since I became someone’s dad. There have been a lot of things in my life that have changed. And of all of things that have changed one sticks out above all the rest, my demotion. For the first 26 years of my life I have been number one on the depth chart. The person I did 95% of my daily activities for. If I ate, it was for me. If I brushed my teeth, worked a job, wrote a paper, it was all for me. Then I got married. For the next year I was working and living for not only myself but also for my wife. And she was doing the same thing for me.

So fast forward back to today. I am the father of an eleven day old beautiful baby girl. And now I am officially not the most important person in my world. And not only have I been knocked off my own personal pedestal but I have been knocked down to number three. I am responsible for not only Grace but also her mother. So what does all of this mean? It’s actually pretty simple.

From the moment I wake up in the morning until the time I put my head on my pillow at night I need to do things differently from this point forward. I need to be more careful. When driving on the highway I need to go 65 mph instead of 80. I have a wife and a baby girl who need me! They need my love and support, both financially and emotionally. I also need to watch what I do and say. When I act inappropriately I need to remember that someone might be watching who looks up to me. While that is a mildly scary proposition, it’s scarier to think of what will happen if I set a bad example. But ultimately I just need to think before I do anything. There are no more childish decisions that can be made because my actions affect two more important people then me, my dependants.

By: Marc J. Marseglia

In the preceding months before Grace was born I would wonder to myself how it would all go down. How the whole event pattern for my impending big day would play itself out. I would wonder what day it would happen on, where I would be when it the moment came when we had to go to the hospital, etc.. So now that it’s all in the books I thought I would put it all down on paper (or computer screen) so there are never any future mistakes when telling our baby girl how she came into this world. So here goes.

To get a full feel for the day our Gracie was born I really need to start with the day before. Saturday June 10th started out like any other Saturday. We woke up, relaxed a little, went up to Kate’s deceased Aunt’s house to help clean it out, then we came home and just tried to take it east since it was only two days before the due date. Around 5 o’clock my brother Shaun called our house to see if we were coming to the family graduation party taking place at my Aunt Chris and Uncle Jim’s house. The party had actually slipped both of our minds. So we quickly got showered and headed up there. We hung out there until around 10 o’clock or so. Let’s just say that I drove there and Kate had to drive back. I had mildly indulged in the beverages that were on hand. When we got home I went almost right to bed while Kate stayed up a little longer to watch TV. The last memory I had before I fell asleep (passed out) was laying in my bed wondering when I was going to become a dad….

….MARC!!!...was the next thing that went through my head. Kate screamed my name after she flicked on the bedroom light all while she was high tailing it out of our bedroom holding herself in the area where babies come from. Slightly dazed with my head mildly pounding I jumped out of bed and scurried after my wife. By the time I got to her she was sitting safely in our bathroom. My attention then was turned to my feet where a warm substance had found itself under where I was standing. And at that moment I realized that it was “Go time”. Kate’s water had absolutely broken. It wasn’t leaking, it was even debatable. It was time!

I quickly ran over to the microwave to check the time. I didn’t have my glasses on and I wasn’t wearing my contacts so I had to get about 6 inches away to see the time, it was 2:50am. After the time was noted I retrieved the phone for Kate who paged the doctor. I quickly called both of our mothers to let them know to get ready. The doctor called back a little groggy and told us to go right to the hospital. The next 15 minutes went fairly quickly. We both go dressed, Kate made the bed, and I let the dogs out. Before we knew it we were off to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital we got situated and everything really started to slow down. The mom’s arrived around 4 with coffee. Kate slowly started to get contractions. Basically we waited though. By 11 o’clock they began giving Kate pitocin. Pitocin moves the labor process along. Around 1pm the nurse came in and checked Kate out and she was a little over 3cm dilated. Enough dilation for them to provide the epidural. That really helped Kate in the pain department. But I should take this moment to say Kate was incredible before the epidural. The contractions were 2 minutes apart and she handled them like a pro. She never even made a sound or shed a tear. She really just held it together and gave it hell.

3 o’clock rolled around and the nurse came in again to check how far Kate was progressing. And to our surprise she was a full 10cm! After the shock that she was ready to begin pushing wore off we realized it was time. Kate pushed like a champ for 45 minutes and the baby’s position didn’t change. At this point the nurse said we were going to take a break for a while with the hopes that the baby would drop a little more on her own.

Finally around 5:15pm we started pushing again. Two whole hours later we were still pushing. After the doctor investigated the situation it was determined that the best course of action would be to go in and get the girl. A c-section was quickly planned and Kate was taken into the operating room. After all the prepping was complete I was called into the room and was given a seat right next to my brave and beautiful wife. And finally at 8:03pm Grace Elizabeth Marseglia entered the world. She let out a little screech and a faint cry to let her parents on the other side of the curtain know she was indeed here. While accounts of that glorious day my become hazy in my already deteriorating mind, that moment will live in my mind and heart forever. It’s just something you never forget. You really need to experience it to fully understanding the magnitude of the moment. It was amazing!

A few minutes passed before I was able to be by my baby girls side and that was another incredible moment. She actually responded to hearing my voice. A strange moisture formed around my eyes that I’m only admitting to right now. After she was cleaned up and her measurements were taken we were able to take her to the nursery. But between the nursery and the operating room was the family lounge. A place where many family members had spent the day. When we went through the double doors outside the maternity ward it was like the press. Flash bulbs from cameras and camera phones were thrust into my newest mad creation’s face. She handled it with grace and she did so with wide eyes. It was amazing how wide open she had her baby blues. It looked like she was soaking it all in.

After Kate was literally put back together and stitched up she was moved into recovery for two hours. She did great! Around 10pm after Grace was run through all of the newborn tests (everything was perfect) and given a bath, the three of us were re-united in the recovery room for some family time. We even got our first family picture taken.

So after all of the anticipation leading up to the big day I wasn’t remotely disappointed. It was everything I thought it would be and more. And looking back it couldn’t have gone any better. Mom and baby are healthy and happy and I was able to be with Kate from beginning to end. And what made this even better was the fact that it all happened a week before Father’s Day. I am truly the luckiest proud papa on earth!

I'm not one for big, public displays of emotion, but last night I found myself bursting into tears in the middle of a sushi restaurant when Eric called to let us know that Kate's water had broken and she and Marc were at the hospital. I can't believe this day is here, and I am so incredibly thrilled and happy and excited to meet the newest little Marseglia.

The last update from Marc, delivered to us via cell phone around 7:30 this morning (that's 1:30 PM Philadelphia time), is that Kate is 3 cm dilated, she had been given pitocin, and was about to get her epidural.

More updates to come!

Yesterday during our weekly visit the Doctor determined that Kate’s blood pressure was a little too high. He sent us straight to the hospital to run some tests. Naturally with less then a week left we both kind of wondered if this was indeed the big moment in the making. But by the time we got to the Hospital her blood pressure was back down to an acceptable range. And all tests revealed that, in the words of the Doctor, “the baby is textbook healthy”. She did order Kate to cease work. Which wasn’t a big deal considering today was supposed to be her last day anyway.

Also, while we were at our appointment yesterday the Doctor said Kate is a cm dilated and 80% effaced (whatever that means). And the Doctor stripped her membranes which apparently accelerates the process. And when we were leaving the Hospital the nurse and the Doctor both seamed to think we were going to back within the next day or so. They were telling us who was on call and on staff in the following 24 hours. And as we were leaving they gave us the “see you soon” with a giggle.

Basically after the past 24 hours I’m confident she’s going to have the baby before the weekend is over. So stay tuned!

How your baby's growing: Your baby's ready to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently — even in the womb. This developmental information is designed to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing.
How your life's changing: At each visit, your midwife or doctor will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether you've started effacing (when the cervix thins out) or dilating (when the cervix opens). If the week passes and your baby stays put, don't panic. Only 5 percent of babies are born on their scheduled due date. And your baby can't make you wait indefinitely for his arrival. If you go past your due date, your provider will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue.Pregnant women on television sitcoms always have their water break dramatically — in the middle of a crowded room, of course — just before going into labor. Don't worry about a similar scenario happening to you. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in less than 15 percent of pregnancies, and it's not normally an enormous gush — usually a small gush or a slow leak. In any case, if your water does break (or you even suspect you might have a leak), call your doctor or midwife right away, but stay calm — it may be hours before your first contraction. (If you're a GBS carrier, you'll be asked to go to the hospital so you can start getting IV antibiotics and will likely be induced at the same time if you don't start contracting on your own.) Also call your practitioner right away if you notice that your baby's movements have slowed, whether or not you're leaking fluid.
Pregnancy Tip: A presidential welcome "Need the address to get congrats from the White House? Send your baby's name, address, and birth date to the White House Greetings Office, Room 39, Washington, D.C., 20500." — Georgeanne