Preparing for Fatherhood: Essential Tips and Advice for Expectant Dads
Being a father for the very first time can be overwhelming. It doesn’t matter if the news got you by surprise or if you have been waiting for this moment for a long time. It is an incredible experience but can become a little scary sometimes. Being a parent will change you as well as your life in many ways.
It is usual and logical to feel a bit lost or insecure as you try to figure out and adjust to the new role as well as take care of the little one. So it is better if you start preparing before the baby arrives for your new role. Don’t stress out, as every father you know was once in your position, and they figured it out as well.
Here are a few things you can start preparing before you start your big journey.
Start with the basic research.
Starting with the basic research will make you feel more involved in the process. You are not the one who is physically carrying the baby, but you are as much a part of the mother. The same thing applies if you are adopting or using a surrogate.
Read a lot of books about pregnancy, and join online groups where they discuss the process before and after the delivery. Look up for symptoms that your partner is showing, like heartburn or morning sickness; if you are understanding how they are feeling or what they are going through will help you give them better support.
If you know what to do when your partner goes into labor or how to take care of the newborn, it will make the process a lot smoother.
Get healthy
Focus on your health before the baby arrives. Try changing a few habits if needed. If you smoke, try to quit, as research has shown that babies who are exposed to smoke during pregnancy develop congenital heart disease.
Develop healthy eating habits as it will be needed when the baby comes during the long nights. This will help you to be more active. Exercise regularly before the baby comes because after that, taking care of the baby will make you tired, and your physical fitness will take the back seat.
It will be difficult for you and your partner to get the required hours of sleep once the baby comes, so this is the time to take good care of yourself so you can stay healthy when the little one needs all the attention.
Talk to your partner about parenting.
This is the ideal time to decide what kind of parents you want to be. There are many questions that you need to solve together, like if you are going to breastfeed the baby, if you are okay with the baby sleeping in a crib, when you will be going back to work, and many others.
Keep in mind that you are just planning these things, and it might become an entirely different experience when the baby arrives. Change your decisions accordingly.
Play as one team
It is very important that you are on the same page with your partner on parenting. You will be a team forever now, even if your relationship with the co-parent degrades with time.it is better to see things from that perspective and understand each other’s views.
Be there when they are feeling low or getting morning sickness. Help them with the household work, get them their favorite food, and keep an eye on them if they are uneasy about something.
Acknowledge the change in your sex life.
It is quite obvious that after becoming a parent, your sex life is going to change. From the moment you find out you are expecting, things will start changing, so it is better to communicate about these things.
Craving for physical intimacy but fearing that anything unwanted happens to the baby is very normal, and discussing these things with your partner will help you figure things out.
Be sensitive to the changes that you both will be going through. Having a newborn will impact your life in many ways, and it can be overcome with communication only. Discuss your physical needs as well.
Sense of humor
Parenting is a difficult task, and it might get exhausting sometimes. Having a sense of humor can be rewarding when things start to get intense. It is needed when things start to mess up, as you lack hours of sleep, pour the breast milk into the coffee, and mess up the piles of clean and dirty diapers.
Sharing responsibilities
This is a very important task that comes even before the birth of the baby. Share the baby’s duties among yourself, if you are up one night taking care of the baby, your co-parent should take the other night. Read to your baby, and spend time together to establish a strong bond with your baby. Also, share responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, and everything in between.
Baby-proofing the house
Time will go by in a flash, and your baby will start crawling. It is important to prepare ahead of time and baby-proof the house. This can mean changing the whole interior, from installing locks on stairs to locking cupboards and drawers. It needs a lot of effort to keep those little angels from hurting themselves.
Plan your finances accordingly.
Having a child can shake things up financially. So take your time and prepare a budget before the baby arrives, which will help you figure out your expenses. Make the necessary changes if you need to curb your household budget, and then add the new things you need and plan your savings for the future of your baby.
Having a baby for the first time is exciting, but you are not always sure what to expect. Emotions will take a toll, and you will feel mixed emotions all the time and itis better if you have things planned before the arrival of the baby. It is always okay to be prepared. If needed, get things done before so that when the baby comes, you can focus on your little love ball for the moment.
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