Having a baby is a very exciting and happy time for a couple. As the mom, you know what is expected of you. We all need to take great care of ourselves in order to take good care of the growing baby inside. But, you may be wondering what can be expected of the soon to be Dad. When I was pregnant, my hubby was great about coming to the classes with me, he even took a fathering class all by himself! He attended prenatal and ultrasound visits, was my coach all through labor, and was overall a great support. Here are some ways that a soon to be father can play a role in your pregnancy and labor:

• Attend prenatal doctor visits - this will help dad learn what’s going on and maybe even get “bonded” with the baby before he/she is born.
• Attend the childbirth classes so that he will know how to “coach” and keep you focused during the labor and delivery process, a very important part of being a daddy.
• Daddy might want to think about whether or not he wants to cut the cord in the delivery room also, this is not always an option but it’s good to know ahead of time what you want to say should the doctor offer to let you complete this special father task.
• Help with the nursery setup and baby-proofing the house, after all mommy isn’t going to be able to put that crib together by herself! The box is too heavy for her to carry up the stairs by herself during pregnancy. That’s also a warning mommy, don’t try to carry heavy objects on your own you could hurt yourself and the baby.
• Be patient pregnant women can be very moody and might need him in the middle of the night to rub out a leg cramp.
• Provide snacks and help manage cravings those commercials that depict an expectant father running out for ice cream at 3am aren’t necessarily lying, well maybe a little, but not so much.
• Be understanding above all else, a pregnant woman’s body is going through more changes than he can imagine and you will definitely NOT be comfortable!
• Discuss his fears because you’re in this together, he should share his concerns and work through them as a couple.
• Stay involved as much as possible - before, after or during the birth process.
• Be reassuring and tell you that you will be a great mom and, odds are, you’ll be reassuring right back.
• Know the route to the hospital and how long it will take to get there, practice it so he can get you there quickly and safely when the time arrives.

Some of these are obvious, but it’s always good to know that you can expect for him to be your support through this new and exciting time. It is your responsibility to take care of your baby and yourself. Let him worry about the rest.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Adventures in Pregnancy, Good to Know, Health & Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.