pregnancy testTake out the box of tissues. You're going to need them.

A daddy-to-be was driving down the highway with his pregnant wife in the passenger seat when an out-of-control car came barrelling at them.

So Brian Wood did what any protective papa would do.

He yanked the wheel to the right, so he would take the brunt of the impact and a very pregnant Erin Wood would be OK.

Brian Wood died in that accident.

And Erin is set to deliver their baby in November without a hitch.

Crying yet?

How about this piece of the puzzle? Erin told the media that police said their review of the accident scene showed she would have died as well if they'd been hit head on.

The story hit home for me because I was in a car accident when I was pregnant with my daughter. By the luck of the draw, my husband took the impact of the accident, and he ended up having to go to the doctor for back pain.

I wish he'd never had to be in pain, but he said repeatedly that he was glad it happened the way it did -- because he was worried about what would have happened to me and to the baby.

As a pregnant woman, I always resisted being considered frail and delicate simply because I was pregnant. Hello, I was still me!

But it can be hard to convey to your baby's Dad how suddenly you feel like you have to be extra careful with your body because you're no longer walking around just being you. I've heard some fathers say they felt a huge load settle on them when their child was born.

They weren't bemoaning the burden, but they simply didn't feel it until the baby was physically in their arms. Others begin to feel it the second they see the two pink lines.

Apparently Brian Wood was one of the latter.

 

Image via pink moose/Flickr