Diman coach Luke Bahry just started his most important job — and we don't mean football

Diman head coach Luke Bahry’s most important job started a couple weeks ago.

And no, we're not talking about football.

For two straight days at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, the Bengals head coach was doing a different kind of coaching. He was helping his wife, Sam (Silvia) Bahry, with the delivery of their firstborn child.

And on Aug. 26 at 12:10 p.m., the couple welcomed into the world Jack Michael Bahry, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

"Friday night would have been cool," said Bahry, whose Bengals opened the season on the road at Joseph Case last Friday. "They induced her on Wednesday. So it was a lot of waiting for two days. You know how things are supposed to go well, but then there's that small chance things don't go right."

So how was Bahry in the labor room while his wife was giving birth?

"There wasn't much I could say because I'm a dude," he said. "I did not want to say too much. There's a fine line between me helping her out or me annoying her. I tried to help her finish the pushing.

"It wasn't me performing, it was all [Sam]. All I could do was hold her leg and support her. I have the toughest wife on the planet."

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Bahry said his wife came up with the name.

"After seeing her push for an hour, I said to name him whatever you want," he said. "We were thinking Benjamin, but after watching, I said name him whatever you want. She liked the name. Michael is my dad's name. It's like a timeless name so I was for it."

Days after the birth, Jack's grandmother, Missy Bahry presented her grandson with a Bengals toddler outfit so he can root for his dad in the stands.

Bahry said his wife's strength and perseverance were something to behold.

"She was incredible ... I mean she was unbelievable," he said. "They were counting to 10 as she was pushing. They got to seven and eight and you could tell she got tired. But she fought through it.

"Sam was a really good athlete. She was an All-Conference soccer player at UMass Dartmouth. You could see that in her. Once she started pushing, it was just seeing her toughness."

Sam is also a registered nurse at Miriam Hospital in Providence.

Relating the childbirth experience to his team

Bahry said he talked to his team on Monday and spoke about his wife's experience.

"I told the team about how toughness is mental and fighting through things," he said.

Before Sam gave birth to Jack, the team sent the Bahrys a special message via a Twitter video. "Good luck, Mrs. Bahry," the team said in unison, from the school's auditorium.

"It was tough missing time, but I saw the message of just how much they were thinking about us and wishing my wife good luck," Bahry said. "It was awesome. She appreciated it. It was big for her, too."

Bengals assistant coach Kevin Mahoney bought the Bahry family a stuffed animal and candle. Even former Diman players from last year — quarterback Jacob Furtado and running back Jayden Massey — got into the act.

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"They gave us each a $50 gift card," Bahry said. "Massey and Furtado, they are just such good guys. They came back that following Monday and helped us coach out there. Everyone is so good and the coaches stepped up. All the kids came up to me, texting, and said, 'Congratulations, the kid is going to be a beast.'"

Adjusting to life as a dad

Once the baby was born, Bahry found some time to watch some film, FaceTime guys after a scrimmage, and chat with coaches. But most of his time was spent with Sam and Jack.

So how much rest is Bahry getting these days?

"So far it hasn't been too bad," he said. "Like one night, he only woke up once. It is tough now because I'm working. I was taking naps when I was home but I can't do that now."

Bahry said once he got back to school and on the practice field, he told his team to thank each of their mothers.

"Sam is already an amazing mother," he said. "She wakes up at night and she is happy when she is feeding him."

Bahry's son's birth was a moment he'll never forget. He said he and his wife didn't know beforehand if they were having a boy or a girl.

"I was teary-eyed when I knew it was a boy," he said. "Once he was born and they put him on a table, he was squeezing my finger. One of the greatest moments of my life. The whole experience was unbelievable."

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Diman Vocational head football coach Luke Bahry welcomes first baby