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Are you an expecting dad? Then from one Dad to another, please, read this!!! It might save your life during this critical period of pregnancy!
I’m being sarcastic, of course. Kind of.
Pregnant women get inundated with information throughout their pregnancy. The expecting dad needs some information too. Now that your wife is pregnant, these 1o tips are for you:
Be in protector mode. Learn the risks of driving during pregnancy and how to mitigate the risks.
1. Her mood
Your wife might seem a tad moody, possibly to the extent of INSANE. Remain calm. And don’t tell her she’s being insane!!
Of course, she could remain pleasant throughout. You just never know how she’ll react with all those hormones.
Remember, this is temporary. The closest we can come to understanding this state is when we are “hangry.” So take a breath and be ready.
2. Her hunger
When your wife says she’s hungry, go get food IMMEDIATELY! Consequences have been known to include a seething wife and broken dishes. This takes hangry to a whole new level.
And just to note, throwing the broken dishes reminder in her face years later will only get you a, “well, if you had gone to get food when I first asked it wouldn’t have happened, so really it was your fault.”
3. Her cravings
She may crave some WEIRD things, maybe even some unhealthy things. Try to appease these pregnancy cravings as healthfully as you can. They won’t go away. Or maybe they will because it becomes something even weirder.
My wife craved a Coke, which she never drinks otherwise — she actually avoids caffeine as much as possible – during one pregnancy. A few sips once a week while she was working at the hospital installing car seats for other new parents seemed to satisfy the craving.
4. Her safety
She is busy growing a person so you can take charge of keeping your wife and that little one SAFE. During her first trimester buy her a Tummy Shield to keep her and baby safer in the car during the pregnancy.
During her third trimester buy and install the infant car seat. I don’t care how smart you think you are, after you install it, take it to have it checked by a Child Passenger Safety Technician. The statistics say 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly and specifically newborn car seats have even higher rate of incorrect use.
5. Your baby bond
You can BOND with your baby too. Be ready to feel kicks and go to as many doctor appointments as you can, especially any ultrasounds.
6. Pregnancy pictures
Mom-to-be may not want to (or she may already have it planned) but convince her to have PICTURES taken during pregnancy. Make the appointment if you need to and go with her. She’ll love them afterward. My wife recommends taking them in the first month or so of the third trimester. At this time, the pregnancy will definitely look like a pregnancy and mom-to-be will still feel mostly mobile.
7. Compliment her
Tell her she’s BEAUTIFUL, no matter how big she gets. And tell her often! It may not seem like much and she may not believe you anyway but you’ll still get bonus points!
8. Secret birthing note
She might POOP during delivery. It happens. It’s normal. Do NOT EVER mention it again! Not even jokingly.
9. Sex
Yes, you will have SEX again after the baby is born. It may take awhile (and after you witness #7 you may be OK with that).
It is recommended to wait about 6 weeks after birth before commencing your sex life. Besides you’ll probably be so tired, you won’t miss it… much.
10. Family time
Take time to spend those first precious weeks ALONE together as a family, you can’t get them back again. Plenty of time for announcements later!
If people want to come to hold the baby under the pretense of “helping,” actually put them to work. They can cook and clean. Let your wife hold the baby while they do the work.
I remember after our first was born we had lots of visitors come and they all wanted to hold the baby, my wife was on edge after a while watching everyone else hold her baby. She wanted to kick everyone out but she was too polite to say anything.
We thought it wouldn’t take much to get back to living with a newborn and didn’t have anything lined up. By our third baby, we willingly accepted meals from our community of friends. Her mom came and cooked and cleaned and hung out with our two older kids. My wife stayed in bed as recommended — or was it demanded? I think it was more demanded. Boy, how did she convince my wife to do it? — by our midwife for two weeks and just held the baby. It was hard on my manager-of-everything-in-the-house wife to settle into. But after a bit, she was in bliss.
Welcome expecting dad to this wonderful thing called parenthood. Happy First (or second or third or…) Father’s Day!
There’s more to know once your child is born, go here for a jump start on car safety tips.
If you are already a dad, we want to know, what is the most important tip you think expecting dads need to know? Share your comments below.
By Greg Durocher, CEO at Safe Ride 4 Kids and certified CPS Technician Instructor since 2002
Copyright 2023 Safe Ride 4 Kids. All rights reserved. You may not publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute this material without permission. You are welcome to link to Safe Ride 4 Kids or share on social media.
We originally published this post in June 2016. We updated the article for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
