freak out, originally uploaded by bunchofpants
Before my daughter was born, I would have said that I felt pretty sanguine and peaceful about the whole deal. As it turned out, there must have been some internal physiological terror that I wasn't aware of, because I had a minor panic attack a few days before labor began.
I was just sitting and watching TV. All of a sudden, my chest felt very tight, and I couldn't breathe for a second. Then I caught my breath, and the constriction gradually faded away.
My wife told me that I had scared her, and warned me not to have another incident during her labor. Out of respect for her, I refrained from having any more involuntary freakouts ever since.