Just found out I'm expecting my first child!

[color=dodgerblue]-Expect some bizarre emotional outbursts. Mainly in the beginning and towards the end.

-If she gets some late night craving, go get it for her. Men have no idea how powerful a pregnancy craving actually is.

-Be supportive of her if she wants to breastfeed, not all men are and that can make trying to figure it out very difficult. I wish I would have tried harder, but lacked the support and gave in to the bottle.

-If she says she feels fat/think she looks fat... instantly and emphatically disagree.

-Try to keep strong smells to a minimum, especially in the beginning. I was super sensitive to the smell of cooking meat, any kind of smoke and any kind of cologne or perfume. Everything smells like it is taped to your face when you are pregnant.

Thats all I can think of for now...

Congrats! There is nothing in this world like seeing your baby for the first time (:

Congratulations Mommy And Daddy-to-be!!!

I would LOVE any advice going forward.

For you or for her??

As a father of 4, the only information I can give you, for the next few months, Don't argue, it's your fault.

Peace

CONGRATS!

Nice!

My 7 month old daughter is currently sitting right next to me, smacking my laptop, lol. Get ready for the best, most exciting/stressful time of your life. I think parenthood will come naturally so the only advice I'm gonna give you is BE NICE TO YOUR WIFE. You're going to have to suck up every ounce of pride you have for a while. Just imagine your wife IS your newborn and spoil her and take care of her as much as possible. Believe me, it will make your life a lot easier, lol.

Congratulations!

Rub her tummy lots and tell them both how perfect they are! When the lady starts stretching and swelling, help her settle into her new body! A lot of women don't have an easy time with the weight gain and stretching because of our stupid society so just let her know as often as you can how happy you are and how beautiful she is!

Fruits and veggies and the right amount of protein contribute healthy calories. I gained 33lbs during pregnancy and I wish I still had every last pound!

FISH IS A MUST! Cod Liver oils are great too if she's not a fan of seafood!

Cravings aren't as crazy as everyone says. The whole pickles thing is a gaff

And whichever way she delivers you won't want to miss a single moment of it! Time flies so quickly and you'll always find yourself thinking about how it all started.

I nursed for 6 months and my little one is a genius aha. Maybe it's just wishful thinking that nursing for that long made a huge difference in her, but if she does, I recommend no less than 6 weeks.

I wish you three the best! Your lives have just done a complete 360. It's not hard work, it will just be a lot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do/have.

Cheers!

reply to post by amongus


Congrats! Me & my husband were older first time parents as well. I was 34 and he was 37. Get ready for a huge lifestyle change - it will never be the same!

We were use to working hard and playing hard. We always went to concerts, out to dinner, sex on sunday afternoons lol
While it's still the two of you, I'd advise you to do all those things as much as possible while you still can. So much we take for granted. I am now a stay-at-home mom and we hardly ever go out. I looked at Van Halen tickets last night and ended up getting Disney on Ice tickets lmao!

Your life is about to change forever. In a positve way! I never knew I could love something so much. In addition, I'd done a lot of work on myself and thought I was very evolved. Haha!! Children open up a whole new window of opportunity for learning about yourself.

Our daughter is now almost 10. She has autism and it poses a lot of challenges not just with her but with school systems, the medical & insurance community, and even our own families. We wouldn't change it. While I occasionally mourn our kidless lifestyle, I am just so grateful to be this lil beings guide into life.

Congrats!!!

congrats!!! use common sense. Have some support after the baby arrives, you both will need a break once in a while!! Breast feed if possible, and enjoy your baby!!!!

reply to post by amongus


Congratulations to you and your wife! I was 6 weeks along when I found out I was pregnant...and I remember walking home from the doctors; I felt like I was walking on air...I felt so special and magical...mother earth!

I decided to go the (natural child-birth) way....I took exercise classes; birthing classes; breast feeding classes; nutrition classes. Being pregnant was awesome! I carried my son for 10 months...and I am so glad I decided to go down the natural child-birth path...when I gave birth...I was healthy, strong and alert, and when my son was born he was healthy, strong and alert too...I am glad we were not drugged up. He weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce.

So...anyway...I suggest going down the natural childbirth route...it is really healthy.

Some of the things my husband did that really helped me....was massaging my feet...when I got cravings for certain foods...even if it was the middle of the night...he would get up and go to the store and he had a really loving good attitude about it. He took birthing classes with me...and he lovingly endured my mood swings.

congratulations you can soon say good bye to a decent night sleep . Getting pee'd on, barfed on , changing that black nasty poo they have for the first bit made me puke a few times lol. Having a new best friend makes up for it . To watch my lil girl learn and grow has been inspiring and amazing and seriously frustrating . All and all the best mistake I ever made wouldn't want my life any other way . Hope you all the best to your new family to be.

P.s. A 30 second reply to post took almost 10 min lol

reply to post by amongus


Congratulations to you and your wife
Its Always Great To Hear Some Good News Around Here

Congratulations Amongus.

This is a great time of change in you and your wife's lives. As the months go on and the time for the baby to come will happen sooooooo fast. You will be getting advice from everyone. Even the postman will have advice for you. Take it in. Some will be helpful and some you will just let go in one ear and out the other. But remember most everyone means well.

I'd like to share some advice with you, that I wish someone would have given my husband.


You mentioned in your post about going out to the bars and drinking. Please don't think that You have six month to get it out of your system. Don't be going out and partying and leave your wife at home. The first time you go out with your friends and come home intoxicated at 1 in the morning, is the morning that could make life for you miserable for the next 20 years.
No matter how many friends and family she has around her, She is going to feel alone and yea, kinda scared. She will resent you if she see's you out having a great time when she can't.

I was " Oh yea, go have a great time" But their was a little bit of me that didn't really mean it. In my case it all worked out fine. He finally figured it out. It took him a little time, but he got it. I nursed my children also, so I was out of the social network for a long time. We found other activities to keep busy and here it is 21 years later and those activities turned into lifetime hobbies we both enjoy with each other.

Cherish every moment of this time it goes by sooooo fast.

Having three adult children of my own, there's quite a lot of advice on any number of levels to be had. As some other wise people have already said, "Treat your wife well". That's not just for her sake. Understand that whatever she feels will travel hormonally to your child. That's neither good nor bad. It is just a fact. Try to make it a wonderful experience because so much is going on that you simply cannot understand - you're not carrying that baby! I loved when doctors told me that I couldn't feel this or that I wasn't really experiencing that. I was like "Dude. You're a dude. GTFO." How can a man ever know? They can't. Accept that. Whatever you have to "suffer" is a minuscule fraction of whatever is causing her to behave inexplicably or to feel bad. I had six months of morning sickness with each child and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Make her comfortable. You will have a happier rest of your life for the effort.

Another very important thing that I wish I had been able to choose: Do NOT let her give birth in the normal lying-on-the-back, legs-in-stirrups manner. That causes more agony than you can imagine. Don't do it. Tell her not to do it! Squatting down is far better and the natural position. You want to be able to bear down and let gravity help. You do not want your bits up in the air, directly contrary to Nature. Go with Nature.

I did mine naturally, without medication. But that was 17 years ago with the last one so I was still put in the wrong position and had no choice in the matter. Make those decisions early on, if you can. There's a lot of peace of mind in being in control of the event - as much as Nature will allow.

Originally posted by amongus

I would LOVE any advice..

This is very important. You need backup during labour and birth. Start organising this now, make sure you have more than one in case the first choice can't make it on the day. When labour starts funny things will happen to time and perception. You will be in no fit state to give attention to the medical staff or midwife. The woman has the baby, the man supports the woman,(perhaps literally supporting her head so she doesn't stretch her neck right back and give herself one hell of a sore neck the next day!) The midwife deals with the nuts and bolts BUT, there will probably/possibly be attempts to 'sell' you unwanted medical interference at exactly the time you are so tripped out, naturally, on the birth process that you cannot possibly deal with it. You need an experienced person, preferably a tough, stubborn mother to parry any unwanted attention from the medical/industrial establishment.

Men have no place in midwifery. (Of course there are exceptions to every rule.) Male consultants cause massive stress to expectant mothers. This stress creates problems. The problems then become the responsibility of the consultant who says "See! I told you so! You need me!"

One thing that is worth being aware of is that during labour and birth, if a women looks into someone's eyes for a period of time they can form a long lasting bond with that individual. This is part of the natural system with obvious benefits for the stability of the child's environment. Could be a bit inconvenient if it was the hospital cleaners eyes she was looking into. Just another little thing to be aware of.

Birth pools are excellent for controlling pain. No need to actually give birth in the pool or follow any trendy guidelines. Just being immersed in water at the correct temperature works wonders. If you're having a home birth and the floor will take the weight it's possible to build your own birth pool. The temperature can be maintained for days by covering the surface of the water with several layers of bubblewrap and occasionally adding some hot water.

Medical professionals live in constant fear of being sued, especially midwives. This often leads them to recommend procedures that are unnecessary in case a problem occurs and they get blamed for not doing something. 99% of the scary stuff you get told is calculated to sell you some crap you don't need. The midwives are unwilling pawns in this. Most midwives are fantastically wonderful people. Only a retired midwife will tell you the whole truth, while they're working they're hamstrung by the system.

You're going to have a wonderful baby. Everything will work out. Birth is a natural, flowing process.

Keep the consultant chained up in a cupboard where he belongs.

reply to post by amongus
congratulations

reply to post by amongus


Excellent news!

You are going to be very happy and this little one is going to change your life forever.

Thanks for sharing with us.

Congrats!!

The best thing ever... mine is 5 months old now and I'm 34. I was due, I know this now. Like you I used to be out all the time and still am but in a different way, a better way.

Advice... have fun and enjoy it!

congratulations!!

what an exciting time for the both of you. You are truly blessed! I am so happy for you both.

best wishes

Woohoo!

If only most dad's could be as excited as you haa.

Hope all goes well for your new family! Don't forget, give birth yourself and don't let the sheeple doc do it

Congratulations, and wish you all the best of luck for raising your kid in this messed up world, if you have any sense about you home school your kid, tell them to be a loner or a leader but never a follower.

Congratulations - all the best and stay healthy and happy.
Time to focus on being supportive to your wife - so no more conspiracies :p