Preparing For Your First Baby

People handle the idea of being a first time parent differently. Some are born to be a parent, others like me had to find our way. I have never given it much thought before, being married was a big enough step for me. Having only been married for 2 years, I enjoyed just being with my wife. I knew that if we had kids, going on dates with my wife will have to take a backseat to caring for a baby. Besides, we were still trying to build our businesses.

So I coped with it the best way I knew how. I started changing the layout of our house, adding touches here and there. Choosing colors for my baby's bed, blankets, towels and clothes. Even her toys had to fit into the color and theme I had chosen. I went with dark colors for her stuff, and pure white for her clothes. Although my family thinks I was normal about it, I personally think I might have gone overboard a bit.

To get into practice of taking care of a baby, I took care of my wife. To ensure she got enough nutrients, I made milk drinks according to a schedule. I also had to be creative because milk wasn't her favorite drink. Then there were the foot massages and back-rubs every night. Pregnant women experiences swelling around the ankles, and the extra weight results in backache and sore calves. And there was the monthly visits to the hospital, check-ups and things like that.

I read a few books, websites, stuff like that. I was more concern on the medical side of things. At the back of my mind was if it wasn't a medical emergency, I'll probably have time to figure it out. That showed how little I knew about childcare.

Here are a couple of tips when you are expecting your first child:

1) Start your preparations early.
Your baby needs a cot, sheets, and blankets. She needs clothes, diapers, towels, mittens and bootees, all those baby stuff that guys don't pay attention to. Your wife needs pregnant dresses and under garments, flat-soled shoes and all those stuff that guys don't realize a woman needs.

Start spending more time helping around the house. I couldn't figure out how my wife organized the kitchen. You'll probably be doing all of the laundry pretty soon.

2) Baby-proof your home.
Not forgetting your wife's needs. You'll probably need to rearrange things in the home, make sure you wife can get what she needs comfortably. She really shouldn't be atop a kitchen stool at this time. Make sure your bathroom is safe, as are the detergents and cleaning chemicals.

3) Accompany your wife when she visits her doctor.
The more you know, the more you can help. Her body is undergoing an incredible change and some women become more emotional during this time. Even getting out of bed is going to be difficult. Be patient and understanding. Most of us experience minor emergencies before her full-term. So be ready.

4) Make sure your wife gets enough nutrients and rest.
She need all the essential nutrients, especially iron. Pamper her whenever you can.

5) Attend courses, read all you can, talk to those who have been there.
Sea stories by those who has been there can help. You need to know to prepare yourself. Your job at this time is to provide support, physically, and emotionally.

When your baby is born, caring for her seems like a 24 hour job. It's not, it's a 20 hour job. That's how much sleep I got for the first 2 months. A baby feeds every 3 to 4 hours if she's on infant formula milk, probably every 1 to 2 hours if she's being breast fed. In my case, she was breast fed in the day, and drank infant formula at night.

Some first time mothers do not start producing breast milk until 3 to 5 days after she has given birth. As it was in the case of my wife and many of my female friends. This, it seems is normal. To help things along, your baby has to suckle from her mother's breast.

Not all infant formula milk are suitable for your baby. The only way you can know is after she has feed. If she exhibits discomfort, and her stool is too watery or hard, you might want to change the formula. So if you want extra rest at night, think about using infant formula.

Another way to ensure extra sleep is to prepare 3 or 4 feeding bottles. That way you won't have to wash and prepare for the next feed. Believe me when I tell you that an extra hour of sleep is a luxury.

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Look Out For The Next Lenses In This Series Of Parenting For Guys.

#2 Caring For Your First Baby
#3 Raising Your First Baby