9 Top Challenges Of Expectant Fathers Or New Dads
You just found out you’re going to be a dad, ok you really found out almost 7 months ago, but now you’re home with a newborn. You can do this right? People have been doing this forever and look how great most people turn out? Challenging for sure, I know quite a few new dads and have witnessed them at their best but also at their most challenging moments.
Here are some of the most challenging things that the new dads I know have experienced.
FINDING THE TIME TO FIT IT ALL IN
The things you do to fill your day have just expanded exponentially. You will need to share household duties now more than ever. Let’s not discuss laundry, except to say that it will need to be done every day and will never get caught up.
SURVIVING ON VERY LITTLE SLEEP
No one ever said prior to having a baby that they wish they didn’t sleep so much because they have more important things to do. Sleep just became more valuable than the Hope diamond because it will now be just as rare.
The good news is that it is for a very good cause. This baby needs you so much right now and everything you do for your baby and your spouse is worth losing a little sleep over. It won’t last forever, it just seems that way.
SORTING OUT ALL THE ADVICE YOU WILL RECEIVE
When you share your exciting news with family and friends, suddenly you will be bombarded with advice. Unfortunately it will all be conflicting. Take it all in and listen but also know that you will be fine with or without the advice, some advice will prove to be useful and time saving but figuring out which advice does that is a challenge. This is why the Newborn Course is so valuable. It removes all the guesswork.
FIGURING OUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BUY BEFORE BRINGING BABY HOME
Baby gear is a multi-billion dollar business. There are things you need and are a must but there also things that just look cool that you will never actually use more than once or twice. Deciding which baby gear is a necessity is a challenge for most new parents.
GETTING THE NURSERY READY AND PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER BEFORE BABY ARRIVES
This is where many dads feel most useful, the challenge is that it is a lot more time consuming than you realize. The safety standards for babies are high when it comes to equipment, paint and materials you want for your baby. Most have to be ordered and you can bet it will arrive just in the nick of time not long before panic sets in and the contractions begin.
The good news it so many people find this task fun and you will only have to ask to get the help you need. Smile, babies are so darn cute.
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF, KEEPING UP EXERCISE AND A HEALTHY DIET
Never before have diet and exercise been so important. First, they keep you healthy and decrease stress which is crucial because sleep deprivation kills your immune system and you will get sick. Second, you need to be healthy and feel good to be a good dad. It takes a lot of energy to be a father and you will need a good diet and some strength to do it for a long period of time….like 18 years long. Smile, babies are adorable.
FINDING TIME AND ENERGY FOR INTIMACY
This challenge is a given for any new dad, when you want to show her how much you love her, she will be exhausted. When she feels like being intimate with you, you will be at work and when the baby is asleep for the longest nap in weeks, you will both be so thankful to actually get more than a couple of hours sleep that it will be a challenge to find what was so appealing about intimacy in the first place.
The good news is very few folks have only one child so at some point there is intimacy again, but it takes a wee bit of planning now unlike before, thus the challenge. Saving you time and energy on figuring out how to care for a newborn is what the Newborn Course does, I’d say worth every penny. Use that energy on more exciting things, just saying.
BONDING WITH YOUR INFANT
Many dads shy away from caring for and therefore bonding with their baby during the newborn stage because they don’t feel confident. Here’s a secret new dads don’t know: Babies can’t tell that your inexperienced and don’t care. All they know is that they are being held and calmed and being kept warm which makes them closer to you. Even if you have to read the sports page to them, do it, they need to hear your voice and know how it feels to be comforted by someone who loves them. Plus you may get two tasks completed in one try, catching up on an article and bonding with your infant. Experience means doing something more than once and then becoming good at it, this won’t happen if you don’t try, so jump in there you’ll do great!!
CO PARENTING
This presents a challenge because couples were raised by different parents and have different parenting styles which you will find out quickly upon bringing home a new baby.
The objective here is to compromise so both parents feel they are playing a crucial role in the raising of the baby while doing what’s best for your newborn. All I can say is pick your battles. A skill you will again revisit with a toddler, preschooler, and most important: TEENAGER. So master the skill now. Yes a challenge, but again so worth it. The Newborn Course gives a sound and knowledgeable starting point so you can make decisions together that are proven to work best for your newborn.
Start to inform, prepare and empower yourself today! Sign up for the program at the NewbornCourse today