When my wife was pregnant with our second child, we both hoped for a girl. We wanted to give our son a little sister and make our family feel “complete” in that old-fashioned, one-boy-one-girl way.
Almost everyone who saw my wife’s belly insisted it had to be a boy. They were so certain that we decided to keep our curiosity under control and not find out the sex before birth. We told ourselves it didn’t matter. Boy or girl, the baby would be our treasure. Still, deep down, we were hoping for a daughter.
On September 21, the surprise finally arrived: a girl. Our son got his little sister, and my wife and I could hardly contain ourselves.
Our household has gone from one plus one equals two, to two plus one equals three, and now three plus one equals four. Four of us, and plenty of noise.
I’ve been on paternity leave these past few days, looking after our daughter and my wife. We have a postpartum nanny staying with us, but I still need to help out. Groceries, diaper changes, mixing formula, laundry, mopping—none of it gets skipped.
Men and women carry different kinds of hardship.
A woman spends ten months pregnant and then gives birth, and going through childbirth is almost like walking through the gates of hell. It is genuinely hard.
My wife had mentioned that the new provincial hospital campus offered a birth companion service. I had always refused, thinking I couldn’t handle being in the room. But while she was in labor, the pain became unbearable. At one point she asked for a C-section and demanded that I come in to be with her.
So when it mattered most, I went in. Honestly, only after being there for the birth did I truly feel how great a mother’s love is and how difficult delivery can be. I had to keep encouraging her, cheering her on, while also fighting my own fear. By the time it was over, my legs were weak.
Luckily, everything went smoothly. Our daughter was born at 40 weeks and 3 days, a little over three days past her due date. Her appetite is bigger than most newborns: just days old, she was already drinking 70 ml of formula. What she gets from Mom barely counts as a meal.
She is a good baby, too. Apart from needing a diaper change after a wet or dirty diaper, and asking for formula, she mostly sleeps. Very well-behaved.
I hope she grows up healthy and stays happy for the rest of her life.
All right, I need to go take care of my daughter now.
As for the next stage of life, my goal is simple: earn well, save well, and buy a six-seat SUV. That Li Auto I9 looks pretty good…
