1st time Father

[AstroDog]

As the kid grows up, just remember the main biblical golden rule....."Spare the rod, spoil the child". My kids tell me all the time that they are stronger because I didn't kill them. They took some whoopins' and kept on truckin'......both turned out pretty dang well.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

This thread is activating my screaming baby PTSD. I need a gummie... And I am not talking about an edible.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Fatherly advice: Start changing poopy diapers the day the little gal/fellar comes home. This will prepare you as they will slowly get nastier and stinkier!

They look terrible to start but don't smell at first. It is downhill from there!

 

[horshack.sixpack]

You ain't gonna be doing a damn thing other than taking care of the baby if your wife had post-partum like mine did. I did most everything except breast-feed for about a month.

Sorry to be negative but that was my only-child experience. Be prepared for the possibility....

DO recognize that her hormones will continue to be a mess for a little while. Pay attention if she sinks too low and get her some help.

 

[MSUGUY]

17ing after the recommended 6 week hiatus

 

[CochiseCowbell]

17ing after the recommended 6 week hiatus

It's hilarious to me that you posted this and your avatar vehemently denies that Postpartum Depression is real.

If intended, well played, sir, well played.

 

[biodawg]

Congratulations. Becoming a dad is the best feeling in the world.

 

[OktocDawg]

DO you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?

If not, like Scott Van Pelt said on his "One Big Thing" segment a few years ago - "Root for a girl". As a dad to twin girls who had their 13th birthday this past Saturday, I'll say I wouldn't change a thing. At the time I did say I didn't care if they were boys or girls, but deep down inside I might have wanted a boy. I was wrong. Quoting Scott Van Pelt:

“To any man out there who’s about to become a dad for the first time. Maybe you grew up in sports, like me. Maybe you’re thinking you want a boy. And I get it, I do. That was me. And my sons are a joy to me. But let me tell you a secret, fellas.

Root for them to tell you it’s a girl. There’s no greater love than you’ll ever know and nothing that will change your world view more than holding a little girl and imagining the world through her eyes – wanting to be, for her, the very best version of yourself in the hopes that you might be worthy of the way she looks at you. Being worth being adored by her.”

ESPN's Scott Van Pelt Tells Expectant Dads to 'Root For a Girl'

SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt expressed his love for his daughter, and how he'd initially wanted a son, in a touching video.

www.thedad.com

It's a girl! I'm a big sports fan obviously and also big into hunting and fishing so part of me was wanting a boy, but I honestly can not wait to take that little girl fishing or whatever she becomes interested in. We're 4 weeks away and can't wait to meet her!

 

[MSUGUY]

It's hilarious to me that you posted this and your avatar vehemently denies that Postpartum Depression is real.

If intended, well played, sir, well played.

It’s not an avatar *

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

It's a girl! I'm a big sports fan obviously and also big into hunting and fishing so part of me was wanting a boy, but I honestly can not wait to take that little girl fishing or whatever she becomes interested in. We're 4 weeks away and can't wait to meet her!

I can't promise you much, but I promise that it'll be the most fulfilling thing you could ever imagine. If you ever fix a toy, you'll be able to beat up Spider Man in her mind. It'll be more fun than you will ever think, I promise.

 

[Dawgg]

Hey SPS. Longtime reader, first time poster. In a few weeks, my wife and I will be having our first child. My company has a new parental leave policy that is really awesome for the dads(new age equality = not so bad). Anyways, I'm thinking my wife wouldn't be too big of a fan of me taking advantage of the time off and working on my golf game while the baby sleeps so what else would be better time spent than by smoking glorious cuts of meat? I'm open to any and all meat smoking recipes and fatherly advice!

Congrats! I was lucky enough to be in a company that provided a month of adoption leave when my oldest was born. It was one of the best months of my life and really set a good foundation for our relationship.

One thing I will caution you is don't think you have to get stuff done between their naps, feedings, etc. It's tempting to squeeze in chores, honey-do's, smoking meats, etc. when they finally fall asleep, but you can burn yourself out pretty quickly, especially at first. Take your downtime, relax, and don't feel bad about it. Babies are adorable, but they're energy vacuums.

The other piece of advice I will give you is invest in an Angelcare Baby Monitor with breathing pad. It goes off if it can't detect a heartbeat or breathing through the mattress. It will do wonders for your ability to sleep easy.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

It's a girl! I'm a big sports fan obviously and also big into hunting and fishing so part of me was wanting a boy, but I honestly can not wait to take that little girl fishing or whatever she becomes interested in. We're 4 weeks away and can't wait to meet her!

One of my best friends says his best hunting and fishing partner is his grown daughter. She started riding on the boat or walking the banks as soon as he could teach her to cast and took her to the deer blind with him as soon as she was interested and old enough. This past duck season she shared a picture of her and her fiancé wearing waders and camouflage while standing in flooded timber with a nice string of Mallards.

 

[missouridawg]

I timed our first baby for this October, so they could experience maximum screaming during the most frustrating part of football season

This is funny... but I brought my first child home on Saturday morning, October 11th, 2014, at 10:55 AM CST. We caught the last 5 minutes of game day together and then watched us ascend to #1 in the nation for his first ever game. Not a bad start...

 

[missouridawg]

Best advice I can give, is to stay in front of things. Things like chores, cleaning, etc... when the baby lets you, get those done and take that responsibility and place it firmly upon yourself. Your wife will thank you.

When she's tired, take the baby for a long walk, assuming yall can handle the heat. Give her long chunks (20-30 minutes at a time) of break from the baby if possible.

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Hey SPS. Longtime reader, first time poster. In a few weeks, my wife and I will be having our first child. My company has a new parental leave policy that is really awesome for the dads(new age equality = not so bad). Anyways, I'm thinking my wife wouldn't be too big of a fan of me taking advantage of the time off and working on my golf game while the baby sleeps so what else would be better time spent than by smoking glorious cuts of meat? I'm open to any and all meat smoking recipes and fatherly advice!

Here is what worked for me and my wife.

1. Do not keep your house quiet for the baby. Make all your normal noise.
2. Start sleep training you baby from day 1. Get on a schedule. That means both the baby and the parents.

2a. Baby goes to sleep at 8 pm. They take naps at the same time every day. Get the schedule worked out. The baby will sleep depending on how much food they are getting. Don't worry if you have to supplement breast feeding with formula to get the calories in the baby. If they are waking up quickly, it is because they are not getting enough to eat. Figure out the bed time routine now. I am a night owl, my wife goes to bed early. At 7:30 the baby was fed by the breast and then my wife pumped. She then went to bed at 8. I stayed up playing xbox and whatever until 12 am. I then took what she pumped and woke the baby up, changed them, and fed them. I immediately went to sleep (12:30) and was "off duty" until it was time for me to wake up to go to work.

This had two benefits. First, my wife got a solid 8+ hours in from 8-4. I got a solid 6.5 hours in from 12:30-7 am.

3. Remember, your wife will be with the baby non-stop for a while. Make sure you give her a clear time every couple of days that she can straight get away from the house. I would give my wife off Saturdays and let her do whatever she wanted. Make sure you allow your wife to have time away from everything and everyone. Especially the first couple of months.

4. Do not shake a baby. Regardless of how much they are driving you crazy. Sit the baby down and let them cry for a minute if you are getting frustrated.

5. You will not know what you are doing, just be there, roll up your sleaves, and help out. Remember, you wife doesn't know what she is doing either.

Protect your sleep, be thoughtful to you wife's time, and half the battle is just being there and helping as much as you can.

 

[JacksonCPAdawg]

Hey SPS. Longtime reader, first time poster. In a few weeks, my wife and I will be having our first child. My company has a new parental leave policy that is really awesome for the dads(new age equality = not so bad). Anyways, I'm thinking my wife wouldn't be too big of a fan of me taking advantage of the time off and working on my golf game while the baby sleeps so what else would be better time spent than by smoking glorious cuts of meat? I'm open to any and all meat smoking recipes and fatherly advice!

deleted

 

[vhdawg]

Don’t get too close to where the action takes place during delivery. Stay up high, you don’t want to see what’s going on down there. Make a lot of eye contact with your wife during delivery, but also make sure the TV is on something good as well.

This is good advice....also, if the room happens to be set up where there's a mirror on the wall opposite the business proceedings, you can ask them to cover it.