The news that your partner is pregnant will usually come with a mixture of great joy and perhaps some apprehension especially if you are first time parents who have worked hard to conceive. You suddenly know that you now have a great responsibility to be a great father and the best role model for your child.
Did you know that dads also undergo emotional changes during pregnancy and after? These changes prepare you for your new role as a dad.
How does the dad-to-be prepare for fatherhood?
- Accompany your lady to prenatal clinics. You, too, should see how the little one is developing and learn the basics of parenting.
- Support your co-parent in shopping for the baby. The unborn child needs a lot of items, and that can be overwhelming for one parent.
- Encourage the expectant lady to eat healthy foods. If she has been drinking and smoking, support her in changing her lifestyle.
- Care to learn things like:
- How to bottle-feed a baby
- How to change diapers
- How many diapers the child will use in a day
- Breastfeeding and feeding habits of a new mom
- Newborns pee and poop chart
- How to take care of a new mom
- Post-partum depression: causes, solutions, and ways to prevent it.
- Talk to your baby. The relationship between father and child should begin right from the womb. Therefore, take the time to speak to your child. You can also sing and read to him.
- Help your partner choose a good gynecologist and hospital for both antenatal clinics and birth.
- Take the mother-to-be to the hospital and be there during labor and
- Be among the people who will receive the baby at home.
Why should you be a supportive dad?
Establishing paternity to your child right from conception will have significant benefits for both your partner and child. It helps build a great foundation for bringing your child into the world.
Offering your support to your co-parent has the following benefits:
- You get a chance to build a better relationship with her. Whether you intend to live together or not after the baby is born, it’s easier to raise a child with a friend.
- When your partner feels your support, be assured of fewer complications during pregnancy, labor, and after birth.
- Your presence in your child’s life will boost his self-esteem. The little one will gain security, identity, and confidence from both parents. Have you ever noticed how children speak proudly of their fathers?
- Sharing the responsibility of raising your baby will make parenting easier for both parents.
- Paternity completes the child’s health history. Children need to know the medical history of both families.
- Raising a child will give you a deep sense of fulfillment that you cannot find anywhere else.
Conclusion
Please never underestimate how important a dad is to a child. From the time of conception and throughout the child’s life, you should always be there for your baby. Taking your responsibilities seriously is not a gift to the mother but to the child.
