You might not understand what you're doing right now.  You may only see the "burden" or the responsibility of fatherhood - or maybe you're like my dad, bursting with joy and hope for the future.  Either way, the mother of your child needs your support.  She may not be able to say what she needs, but she needs you to communicate to her that she's not only loved and wanted but that this new experience of birth is going to be built with a solid rock of a man who will not shift on her or shut down when things get intense.  You're going to be stretched and grown in ways you're possibly not ready for.  Be prepared for the unexpected and the wildness of a new world.  

The picture above is of my dad.  He took the Bradley Method - Husband Coached Childbirth classes and did his best to support  my mom in labor and birth with all 4 of "us".  His courage and unshakable devotion to doing what was best for his family is an inspiration to me and it is my prayer that you'll be just as actively loving - even vulnerable in the strength God has given you.  Because you're needed.  You matter to her.  You matter to your child.  This is not meant to be a crushing load for you to shoulder, it is a call to rise up and stand strong so your wife and child will have a firm anchor to hold them fast when things feel unsteady.  Not just in birth but in life.  You were meant for greatness and that can mean all kinds of different things in a family setting.  At the time when I and my siblings were born the hospital practices were archaic, dangerous and extremely traumatic - so all four of us were born at home and it was my dad who went out of his way to explain to us what the reasoning was and why this choice mattered so much.  It was his devotion to doing what was best without regard to the pressure of society, that began in me a deep love for birth and sovereign choices in birth.  Meaning absolute autonomy for the birthing mother.  

I have no desire to diminish what my mother did.  Birthing 4 kids at home at a time when it wasn't even technically legal - that was brave and courageous and meaningful too.  But I'm addressing men here, because what you enthusiastically support will set you apart and either build up or tear down the family you hope to have to some extent.  You don't have to fix anything in labor, just be there with love in your heart and courage too.  Perhaps you were born for such a time as this?