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Image by mahalie via Flickr
I once read somewhere in the nether regions of the internet that the first known contraceptive was cow’s dung, employed by the Egyptians back in 2000BC. I’m thinking that’s probably got to be the most effective contraception ever. I have no idea how it was used, where it was slathered, or how it worked, but I do know one thing: if my wife had been clutching a handful of cow poo on that night way back when, there’s no way she’d be pregnant right now.
Anyway, I have a confession to make: I’m not actually a newborn dad myself. I already have a two year-old son, Isaac, and so have been through the whole pregnancy thing before. However, each time is different – or so I’m told – and I can remember that on the many, many, many excruciating times we trawled around baby shops during our first pregnancy, lapping up impulse buys that have since gathered dust in the loft, there was not one book on the shelves that was aimed purely at the father. They were all like ‘hey, you’re going to get hormonal, but that’s fine’ and ‘don’t worry if you poo during labour, it’s normal’, but there was nothing about what I should expect, and what I could do to help. So I decided to write one myself.
Being a man yourself, you’ll undoubtedly have single male friends who, when you tell them that you’re about to be a father, will roll their eyes, suck in breath and tell you that your life is over. And yes, having a child does restrict freedom, and being a father can be stressful, exasperating and demanding; but all of that stuff is massively outweighed by the pros of having a kid. You never truly realise how much you can love someone until you have a child, and there is nothing as good as watching them grow up, or call you ‘Daddy’ for the first time. It changes you. You’ll become much more sensitive, but you’ll also be a bit more resilient. When your kid pukes on your face or poos on your arm, you won’t freak out; you’ll just wipe it off and carry on. How many of your mates down the pub can say they’ll react like that?
In short, then, fatherhood is great. However, I assume that in reading this blog you are just at the start of your girlfriend/wife’s pregnancy, and thoroughly looking forward to the hormones, morning sickness and bizarre cravings. There’s a long way to go yet, but it’s worth it, and I hope this helps you out along the way.
Ben Wakeling
Oh, and one more thing; if your mrs decides to use a breast pump, just run. You’ll thank me later.
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written by bwakeling, February 06, 2010
I know, gross isn't it? First time I saw my wife use an electric breast pump all I could think of was the local dairy farm...
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written by BellaDaddy, February 06, 2010
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written by SurprisedMom, February 08, 2010
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written by bwakeling, February 08, 2010
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Agreed...see breast pump, RUUUUUUNNNNNN.
http://redmosqui.blogspot.com/