The first person my daughter looked at, was her father. The doctor performed a C-Section on me, took her out, cleaned her and placed her in her father's arms. The memory of our baby opening her eyes and looking directly at him still brings tears in her dad's eyes.

I have myself grown up in a typical environment where Dad was the bread earner and Mom the home-maker. My husband showed all the signs of the same ideology when he wouldn't lend a hand in household chores in spite of both of us working. Not only could he not cook, he wouldn't fetch a glass of water for himself if somebody else was around to give it to him.

Modest changes came about when I was pregnant, but nothing mind blowing. The day our daughter was born, something happened to him. It looked like he just fit into the role of a father effortlessly. He took a leave for a fortnight and stayed with us at my parents' place, something a man is not always comfortable doing, just to be with out newborn. While I recovered from surgery, he helped my mother take care of the baby in every way he could. He changed her diapers, took her on his shoulders waiting for a burp after every feed, stayed awake half the night when she wouldn't sleep and even composed and sang lullaby to calm her down. Those days when I was weak and tired and scared to death of the responsibility that had come into our lives, I wonder if I could have done without him. He also assumed the role of the baby's protector too seriously. He kept a strict vigil on anybody who came from outside and wanted to hold the baby and nobody could get past him to see the baby if the baby was sleeping or being fed. And with every other person telling him, the baby looked like him, his smile grew wider and wider.

My baby, the sweetest little thing on this earth was nothing short of a nightmare till she was six months old. She would sleep all day and stay up all night. I have lost count of the number of times when I went to bed exhausted after being up all night,. Not knowing and not bothered what became of the baby. Those were times when he would call office and request work from home. He would keep a watch while we slept and just knowing that he was there to take care of our daughter, gave me a sound sleep. Till date he has never missed out on the doctor's appointment and all his spare time is for our daughter. Not surprisingly my baby's first words were "pa", I suspect he invested a lot of time teaching her that in my absence.

It is said a couple's relationship changes when they become parents. The new addition to our family changed everything in our life and with each other. But we were not complaining. There was no "us "time now, only time with the baby. It really was the happiest day in my life when my husband gifted me a pair of diamond earrings for bringing into this world the real love of his life, his daughter (he can keep the daughter, I loved my diamonds!).

When I look at this man now, I see tenderness in his eyes like never before; I also feel a constant sense of worry for the child and a love which only a father can feel. Who said nobody can love a child like its mother, my husband, the father loves our baby more than me and nothing would make me prouder.

Learn more about this author, full circle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: My husband is a father?
We want to hear your view. Write now!