Nick Lachey Opens up About the ‘Fear’ He Felt When His Son Was Born 10-Weeks Prematurely

Singer Nick Lachey got real about how he was feeling the day his youngest son Phoenix was born in 2016.

On Instagram, Lachey shared one of his “unspoken stories” on Instagram in honor of Father’s Day. He spoke about the “fear” he felt when Phoenix was born 10-weeks prematurely on Christmas Eve.

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Thank you for the perfect day, but most of all for making me a daddy. I promise I’ll always be there to catch you when you fall… even if it’s because I’m dropping you. #FathersDay2019

A post shared by Nick Lachey (@nicklachey) on Jun 17, 2019 at 4:50pm PDT

The father of three began:

Fatherhood is the greatest job in the world, but it isn’t the easiest. This #FathersDay, we want to hear your #UnspokenStories. Here is mine…..As I tell my kids every day, my number one job is to protect them.

However, Lachey admitted that he never felt “more helpless” than when Phoenix was born:

He came to us on Christmas Eve, the very definition of a gift from God. The only problem was that the gift came 10 weeks early. My wife Vanessa wasn’t allowed to even hold him yet, so there I sat in the NICU, holding his little 3 lb body close to mine…..hoping that his daddy’s skin would provide some comfort to a little baby brought into the world just a bit too soon.

Lachey shared a photo of that moment:

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Fatherhood is the greatest job in the world, but it isn’t the easiest. This #FathersDay, we want to hear your #UnspokenStories. Here is mine…..As I tell my kids everyday, my number one job is to protect them. Never did I feel more helpless and unable to do my job than when my son Phoenix was born. He came to us on Christmas Eve, the very definition of a gift from God. The only problem was that the gift came 10 weeks early. My wife Vanessa wasn’t allowed to even hold him yet, so there I sat in the NICU, holding his little 3 lb body close to mine…..hoping that his daddy’s skin would provide some comfort to a little baby brought into the world just a bit too soon. I felt a vulnerability I had never known before and a fear I wasn’t familiar with. I can only imagine how many fathers out there felt the same way I did in that moment. The next 6 weeks in the hospital were the toughest and yet most wonderful weeks of my life. Now, 2 and a half years later, those weeks seem like an eternity ago as I watch my happy, healthy toddler run and climb and play. As Dads, I think we often feel a pressure to be this impenetrable pillar of strength. Phoenix reminded me that the ultimate show of strength is love. The world needs more of it and Dads…..we can give it. Help me celebrate every dad and let him know that the @marchofdimes community is here for him.

A post shared by Nick Lachey (@nicklachey) on Jun 14, 2019 at 2:18pm PDT

He then continued:

I felt a vulnerability I had never known before and a fear I wasn’t familiar with. I can only imagine how many fathers out there felt the same way I did in that moment. The next 6 weeks in the hospital were the toughest and yet most wonderful weeks of my life. Now, 2 and a half years later, those weeks seem like an eternity ago as I watch my happy, healthy toddler run and climb and play.

As Dads, I think we often feel a pressure to be this impenetrable pillar of strength. Phoenix reminded me that the ultimate show of strength is love. The world needs more of it and Dads…..we can give it.

Lachey went on to say that the March of Dimes community, which supports families who experience premature births, is there for the dads who feel the same way he did.