It’s All Worth It – Being a Parent

I am excited to be working with Linqia and Gerber to share my Being a Parent #GrowingUpGerber story. Gerber brand baby food is the most trusted brand of baby food on the market and for parents looking for quality ingredients and no additives, Gerber is the way to go. My wife and I make the baby aisle the destination of choice to pick up our Gerber baby food. Joeli’s favorite flavor was pear.

My #GrowingUpGerber My Story – Being a Parent

Learning that my wife was pregnant for the seventh time was met by each of us with trepidation and nerves. Two previous miscarriages had robbed us of the ability to feel any joy about her pregnancy. The entire nine months was filled feeling great anxiety before every doctor’s appointment, every time the baby went to sleep and didn’t move for a couple hours, every time my wife felt a twinge that didn’t feel right. When Joeli was born, I felt all the relief and joy that had been missing throughout my wife’s pregnancy. Seeing that full head of dark hair and hearing her cry for the first time was nothing short of miraculous to me, and after 14 hours of labor, my wife too!

Caring for a newborn was more work than I’d ever expected. My wife and I shared (with all the kids) the night duties, diaper changing, bouncing a screaming, newborn around the house. We gladly accepted all of the food our wonderful friends brought for us. For me, however, a crying baby is like nails on a chalkboard. My wife was much better at dealing with a fussy baby. The newborn stage was extremely trying for me. My Its All Worth It moment didn’t come until later, when Joeli was crawling and met me at the baby gate to the kitchen when I got home from work. She pulled herself up and cried, “Dada!” grinning like a loon. I picked her up and snuggled her while she squealed with glee at simply seeing me when I returned home from work. That was the moment I realized, It’s All Worth It.

Parents and Gerber brand enthusiasts, share your #GrowingUpGerber story! What was your moment that makes it all worth it? Was it when you first held your baby? Or did it come later, when your baby was older? Let us know!