From multiple baby showers to the never-ending questions, women get A LOT of attention when they are pregnant with their first child and for good reason! There are a lot of physical and emotional changes that happen during this time. But often, the woman is in the spotlight during this time while new daddy is left behind in the shadows! It all depends on the individual’s personality on whether or not they even want this extra attention so keep that in mind but we put together a helpful list of ways to show new Daddy that he is important too!
- Dual Baby Shower: Traditionally, the mommy-to-be gets one or more baby showers just for her. It is usually only women and she is the star of the show. It is becoming more and more common to have dual baby showers where both parents-to-be are the main event and the guest list is co-ed. This is a great idea for many reasons. The couple can share the celebration with friends and family. The new Daddy can be involved in gift opening and see all the new gifts he will need to soon figure out how to use!
- Share the Knowledge: You may have downloaded a sweet app that tells you what size your baby is compared to a fruit or vegetable. Ask your partner to download it too or follow along with you as you read your weekly update. These apps and resources will give you and your partner helpful information on symptoms you can expect and more on what is to come.
- Ask Him for Help: Your body is going through a lot of changes and your spouse may be waiting in silence for the next emotional outburst. Ask him for help! If you are going through an emotional roller coaster just ask him to listen if you want to talk. If you are having a weird craving or a painful symptom tell him about it so he can be there to support you or make a run to get you what you need. Don’t expect him to know what to do. This is new territory for him.
- Words of Encouragement: A great activity you can do before baby comes is talk about what you both are excited for and nervous about. Tell him reasons why you think he will be a great Father. A few words of encouragement can go a long way! Your partner may be just as nervous as you are for delivery day so keep that in mind. A lot of men aren’t as vocal about their feelings and fears but that doesn’t mean they don’t have them.
- Remind Others to Encourage Him: Your friends and family will be all up in your business asking how you are feeling. Remind them that you are not the only one going through changes and to remember to ask him how he is doing. He is likely losing some sleep too if you are feeling like a beached whale in your third trimester – tossing and turning all night trying to get comfortable! A man gaining “sympathy weight” when their wife is pregnant is a real thing! If you think about it, you may be having all sorts of bizarre cravings or eating ice cream for dinner. Of course your husband may want to join in on that snack attack! Try to follow healthy habits and do low impact workouts together. It is good for you, baby and Daddy!
- Training Day: When your sweet baby finally arrives, it will be a blissful blur of sleep deprivation and trying to figure this whole thing out. If you are taking maternity leave, you will have a bit of an advantage of spending more time with baby. This will help you learn more about their cues and needs. Your “maternal instinct” will kick in to some extent. This doesn’t always come naturally to Daddy so be patient! Show him what you know and help him to learn these tricks. If you have learned what the baby’s different cues mean then show Daddy these examples as he may not have picked up on these.
- Bottle Feeding: Allowing Daddy to bottle feed is a great bonding experience for them. This will all depend on your feeding plan. Maybe you intend to exclusively breastfeed for a certain time but keep in mind that won’t be maintainable if you plan on spending a few hours at a time away from new baby or going back to work. The Wawita bottles have a nipple that is designed to mimic breastfeeding as to not cause any nipple confusion for baby. You can also check out our recent article on properly introducing a bottle to your breastfed baby for additional tips. Want to keep them on breast milk? No worries! You can pump and fill the bottles with your milk and let Daddy have some of the feeding shifts.
Communication is CRUCIAL during this transition time. You and your partner will learn a lot about each other. If your relationship has been blissful up until this point, just know that things can change when new baby comes. It is nothing you can’t work through! It will take lots of patience and teamwork. Always remember that you are on the same team and the whole reason you are going through this life changing event is because you two fell in love!
Make sure to encourage each other as you are taking on the demands of new baby. You will both get tired and frustrated at times so make sure you know how you best handle stress. If you need to walk away for a moment and get some fresh air – then do that. Remember that you are on the same team so act like teammates, not competitors!
We will leave you with a shout out for super Daddy, Alex! This message is from his wife Nikki. Thank you so much for sharing!
“My husband Alex is easily the best dad that I know to our two children. He is so dedicated, hard working, hilarious, fun loving, gentle-hearted just genuinely kind and a great person. He’s the kind of Dad that won’t say no to piggie back rides and wrestling matches-even when he’s on the losing end and he’s had a long day at work. He “proposes” to our daughter before every daddy daughter dance to be sure she knows how she deserves to be treated, now and forever. DIY’s, makeovers, ghost stories and pillow forts are our norm and he loves every minute of it. He stays up late nights with me when they’re sick and I’m weary. There’s no hesitation to change diapers, help with math homework that he knows I hate, and master ponytail braids before school. Most importantly he leads by example and sets a great example for who I’d want them to be when they grow up. He loves us unconditionally and to no end. I could go on and on but you get the idea!” – Nikki
If you or someone you know would like to be featured as a super star Daddy, please reach out to us! We would love to hear from you. It’s always great to follow along on the journey of parenting. Please comment or reach out to us through our Contact page or social media platforms. Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to subscribe to us if you would like to receive updates on new blog posts, new product and special discounts!
