The Trials and Tribulations of a first time Father!

Part 1:- Pre Baby

OK well I am here to try and write some advice down for some of you first time fathers out there. I will be as gentle as possible and try not to scare you too much. Do you remember the line from Spiderman that says “With great power comes great responsibility” ? Well, you know what? That applies to us Dads too but maybe if I rephrase that line to say “with small bundles of joy comes much happiness and responsibility.” Yes, I know, it’s a scary few months isn’t it? Your partner has changed physically, the mood swings are kicking in, the hormones are raging….face it pal, that’s pregnancy for you, and get used to it until junior is born. Try not to treat her with kid gloves, even when carrying a child, women like to be very independent and do things on their own, obviously if they are trying to lift the refrigerator out of the way to find something that got lost down there years ago but she has only just remembered ( and trust me, they never forget these things! ), then step in and lend a hand. Time is ticking the time is drawing near, how you feeling? Nervous? Anxious? Nails been bitten down to the skin of your fingers? STOP! breathe…things really are not going to be that bad. Be supportive, if your partner feels the little one kick, get over there and have a feel, what a great experience placing your hand on “bump” only to have it kicked away by invisible hands and feet. Talk to it, yes I know, your thinking “Talk to it?? Are you insane?”. No seriously, talk to bump, sing to it, baby can hear you and will know who you are when he/she finally makes the grand entrance. Watch “bump” too, great to sit and watch this smooth belly suddenly ripple with life as baby rolls over or just stretches, don’t be shy, give it a try! Finally my advice is…Pack that over night bag well in advance, you may be caught off guard, and when baby wants to make that transition from Bump to being, there will be no stopping it.

Part 2:- The Main Event

So you are rushing around, partner in hospital ready to have the wee bundle of joy you will come to call Daughter or Son. Friends and family bustling around, offering you all kinds of advice, saying how it was when they had theirs. Moms in particular will want to offer you all the advice in the world. My advice is, listen but do things the way you want to do them when baby is born. Be there as much as you can through the whole thing, even if it takes 48 hours, be there for as much of that as you can. Obviously you need to sleep and eat, so take those things, but this is a time for you to be by your partner, and you don’t want to miss a thing. I would advise to find out what she wants you to do as far as leaving the hospital and the such. Don’t worry gents, they aren’t all fire breathing demons of hell when they are in labor. Ok pressures on, baby wants out and wants out NOW! Be supportive, it’s hard sometimes, but don’t let your partner give in, baby needs help to come into the world, and if mommy gives in…baby’s chances are reduced, so as I did, “come on sweetie, baby can’t do this alone”, amazing how words of encouragement can help the situation. Then, when baby arrives, don’t be shocked by the colour of baby’s skin, they look blue, and wrinkled, that’s normal, I promise! After baby has been looked at by doctors, break the news to friends and family, but it’s up to you to decide who to allow to see your new addition. Too many people will invade your bonding time, plenty of time for people to visit when you get the tiny bundle home. Hold baby, let him/her be close to you, they like the sound of heart beats, let them get your scent..and by that I don’t mean your body odour, babys can smell you, and get to identify mummy and daddy through that. That’s all for this guide, I will write a follow up article in the near future. I hope this has been helpful for you guys, but it’s all done from my own personal point of view. Yours may and will be different, but you will at least identify from this.

Thank You for reminding me that I have a great husband who went through "thick and thin" with me throughout the whole pregnancy and labour... 😘

Poor him, got to go through that with me twice! 😀

Mind if I keep that for the next nine months, cool advice Rich i will try and keep it in mind with Hayls.

More than welcome 🙂 glad you find it helpfull

Thats some great advice, thanks for that 😀

Glad to be of some help 🙂