I'm going to become a Daddy!

[*wildcats forever*]

(02-02-2017, 07:31 PM)Benton Wrote: Congrats. There's nothing better — and at times nothing worse — than being a dad.

For the 8-9 months, realize there will be changes and just try to roll with her roll coaster. Remember she's got a lot going on and try to help out with that. In other words, just be a good husband.

The best advice I can give, though, is for after. There's going to be late nights once the baby is here and a new level of stress. Your wife will also probably be going through more emotional times that can put a lot of strain between you two. Postpartum depression can last more than a few days, it can be months. Just try to roll with it. Enjoy the time, though, and it will get back to normal eventually.

Oh, and don't wait to baby proof the house. I've known a lot of couples that thought they'd get around to that when the baby gets mobile, then they find themselves scrambling around one night when the kid has a bottle of Drano in one hand and garden shears in the other.

Doubling down on this. The things your wife will worry about coupled with not enough sleep (for all btw) will tax your senses. Find ways to give her a break as often as possible, extra attention to details that will restore her confidence in how she looks (yes, she will worry about 'snapping back' to her former self), get her some alone time, set up some quality date nights, do household chores so that she doesn't feel overwhelmed with the domestic demands that an infant will create. You get the idea. PLUS do the same for yourself, just to keep as charged and fresh as you can. None of these things need to be so often that it seems forced, but often enough that both of you feel appreciated and enriched by this experience.