First if all, congratulation, you are going to be a father, and if it for the first time you are probably scared, feeling unprepared, and don’t worry, it is so normal, just like having a baby, so normal. However, don’t worry, your parents had you, and your grandparents had your parents, so raising a child can’t be so difficult, if it was, we would not have made it so much time on mother earth.
Still, you can never be too prepared, so any help is welcomed, and take it, read as much as you can, talk to every father you know, and take all the information you can, and use the ones you think suits you best. The list below shows only the guides you’ll need to go through your partners pregnancy in a way it will be more pleasant for the both of you, and no, you cannot know what your partner is going thru, at least not with today’s medicine and technology. In the future who knows, maybe men will be able to carry children, who knows?
Few simple guidelines to make it easier on you new-dads:
- Support – your partner is probably going through a tough period, with all the hormones going ballistic you will need to prepare yourself. Remember, in their eyes you are the one who is guilty, because you made it, and so it is to you to take the punches. And it is true, be the boxing bag, take all the punches, and don’t cry over it, be a man, step up, your partner will appreciate it. You will be the guilty one, the responsible one, and be prepared to see a side of your partner you did not know exists. Support your partner, and don’t argue, hormones can be scary, and because you as a man cannot live thru it, you can at least support, and do all that is asked of you. And this is only for the first nine months, afterwards is another whole different story, but will come back to that later.
- Help around the house – if you did not already, now is the time to step up again. Cleaning, preparing food, buying groceries, carrying heavy objects (light object also), that is all now your obligation. Your partner needs all the rest she can get, and you are probably the only person that can help, so do it. Using chemicals for cleaning can be harmful to your baby, especially toilet cleaners and similar, and preparing food can also be tricky, because your partner will have sickness from almost everything, so prepare a lot, different types of meals with different ingredients, and find out what best suits your partner’s needs. This will be much appreciated, believe it! Plus when the baby comes, it won’t be such a shock for you, you have time to learn how to clean and cook, you have nine months to learn it!
- Time – as time for your friends, time for sleeping, time for yourself, prepare yourself, you will have much less time for all of the above in near future. Spend time with your friends, and if there are dads among your friends, all the better. They will give you all the info you’ll need, and more of it, they will guide you how to go thru during pregnancy, and afterwards. Their insights are priceless, be sure to get as much as you can. Having a good night sleep with a new born baby is a myth, there is no such thing, so spend as much as time as you can sleeping before your baby arrives. Sleeping with your partner can also be very bonding; even short naps will bring you closer, and do make a lot of them. Honestly, you will miss sleeping, a lot.
- Intimacy – sex during pregnancy is encouraged by many doctors, because it can ease the labor, giving your partner a more pleasant birth giving. Not saying this just so you can have more sex, this is a proven fact. And have a lot of sex, because after your baby comes there are slim chances you’ll have any, at least in the first year. Sure, you can have sex while your precious baby sleeps, but as you’ll soon see, you’ll both spend that time sleeping also (read the lines above again)! And of course, don’t forget to consult your doctor before you have any sex!!!
- Prepare a dad bag – during the final week you have to make a check list, be available all the time (always have your phone on, with full battery), make the fastest route to your hospital, and practice it once or twice. And maybe most important, prepare a dad bag. Yes, a bag with all the necessary item you and your partner will need in the hospital. Giving birth can take up to 72 hours, when the baby will come depends from the baby, when he/she will decide to come out, so have your phone and charger ready, bring magazines, have change for the wending machine. Also take a pillow, and some small blanket, you might need it. And don’t n any mix your partners bag with yours, hers is much much much more important, and don’t try to pack it for her; you are a man, you are most certain to forget something (nothing personal here). Everybody prepares a bag for himself / herself!
This small list is maybe the most important thing you have to remember, and of course there are a lot other things that should be included, so sit down and make a list of your own. Life is never going to be the same again, you won’t get much sleep, and your finances will maybe be more difficult to settle, and you won’t have as much as time for yourself as you’d want to. But life with your child will be irreplaceable, full of joy and most precious moments, and in a blink of an eye you will forget about your past life and cherish this new one. A life with your child, and a life for your child!
References:
- http://www.dadsadventure.com/dadsblog/checklist-to-prepare-for-becoming-a-dad/#sthash.kfKmkqKD.dpbs
- http://www.vagabondfamily.org/blog/travel-tips/tips-for-stressed-parents-simplifying-your-morning-routine/
- https://foodnhealth.org/naturally-alleviate-5-common-post-pregnancy-issues/
- https://www.parents.com/parenting/dads/101/ultimate-dad-to-be-checklist/
- https://www.primermagazine.com/2010/field-manual/five-things-to-prepare-for-before-you-become-a-father
- https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1046757/what-i-wish-id-known-about-becoming-a-dad
- http://www.dadislife.com/better-dads/becoming-a-first-time-dad-start-preparing-now/
- https://www.babygaga.com/10-things-every-dad-to-be-must-do-to-prepare-for-fatherhood/
