10 Things Future Dads Should Know About Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a HUGE deal for your wife.
While you may from time to time forget your wife is pregnant, your wife does not. She is changing physically, mentally and hormonally. Dads need to be involved as possible—go to medical appointments, rub cream on her belly, talk to the baby, ask her questions regularly about how she’s feeling. When you are exhausted, try to remember that she is probably even more so. And when the enthusiasm is waning, fake it.
She will still (most likely) want to have sex.
While the thought of getting it on won’t likely cross her mind while her head is in the toilet, hopefully her nausea will be short-lived. Many women actually report an increased libido at various times during pregnancy. Some guys feel weird about having sex, “when my kid is in there.” Sex with your partner when she’s pregnant is completely safe and normal. You aren’t going to poke your kid in the eye and you aren’t going to hurt him. Talk to your midwife or obstetrician about it if you are worried. Sex is an important part of any relationship—it can still be during pregnancy. It can also be reassuring to your wife when she is as big as a house that you still think she’s beautiful.
Find someone else to whom you can complain.
If your wife has been barfing all day, peeing all night or watching her body transform into a dirigible, she doesn’t want to see you feeling hard done by about taking out the trash. You surely have some legitimate gripes that we all have from day-to-day; you just aren’t likely to get much sympathy from your wife when her feet look like float plane pontoons. Find a buddy or even a counselor on whom you can unload if you can’t keep it to yourself.
Sympathy pounds do happen.
God knows why, but as women put on the pounds during pregnancy, men often do, too. Don’t let this happen to you. Try to keep (or get fit) when she is pregnant. You are going to need a lot of energy when your little one comes—especially in those first few crazy, early sleep deprived days.
Trust her intuition.
No, I’m not talking about who is going to win game four of the NBA Finals—I’m talking about her body. Your wife is experiencing things that she has never gone through before. If she is concerned about how she, or more importantly, the baby is doing, suggest going to the doctor or calling the clinic. You can’t lose here. You are being caring and supporting and putting your family first---even if everything is “perfectly normal.” Trying to reassure her that everything is fine or telling her that she is just imagining things won’t get you any brownie points.
Be the protector.
Embrace the cave man within. Tell strangers who try to rub her belly to back off. Ask sick would-be visitors to stay at home until they are healthy. Halt women who are about to tell their “labour horror story” (every woman loves to tell one) and ask them not to continue if it entails accounts of 36 hours of pushing, forceps and a caesarian. Your partner will find this endearing (as long as you don’t punch someone’s lights out) and you get to swell your chest a little, too.
Ask questions.
Ask your wife how she’s doing. Ask other dads about their experience. Ask other moms, too. Read books. Ask questions at medical appointments. Ask. Ask. Ask.
Don’t let the hormones get to you.
It’s a pretty safe bet that at some point, that wonderful cocktail of hormones which are concocting the perfect home for your growing baby will also have some pretty trippy effects on your wife. This isn’t to diminish her feelings, nor is it an excuse to get you off the hook if you are being a dud of a husband. This is simply to warn you not to take things too personally if the hormones do turn your wife into some B horror film character.
Make a big deal of pregnancy number two.
People make a huge fuss over you when you are expecting the first time. They say “congratulations” the second time and then get back to whatever they were doing. This pregnancy is no less magical for your wife, however. Try not to slip into “been there, done that” mode. Even if others fail to recognize the significance you must give it the same attention it deserves.
Open up
Many men I’ve spoken to say they feel responsible for any pain or suffering their partner can go through during labour. But how many of their partners know that? Just as your wife will experience things you can’t possibly imagine, you will have feelings and concerns that aren’t on her radar. Share them. While point #3 suggests you can’t do this, you can. Just be diplomatic. “Honey, I know that you are the one who carries and delivers our baby, but when you are up to it, I have some concerns I’d like to talk about, too.”
Cameron Phillips considers himself a long time, "Dadvocate" -- working to challenge many of the traditional notions around fatherhood at home and in the workplace. He been invited to speak at universities, HR conferences, and Women in leadership conferences, and has been engaged by corporate clients such as Vancity, Clearly Contacts and Electronic Arts. He is the creator and facilitator for the "Crash Course for Dads" and has been a regular instructor at the Lower Mainland Childbearing society since 2011. He is the proud father of two sons--Connor, 14 and Nathan, 10.
