Newborn Baby Care - A Dad's Way

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Newborn Baby Care - A Dad's Way

Can a man (even a first time father) truly be qualified to help in newborn baby care? Sure, just ask your wife!

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"Mom" will be forever grateful for any involvement and contribution you might make in caring for your newborn baby. Yes, this even includes 'middle of the night' episodes that we 'claim not to hear'! There were some gradual changes that occurred with "Mom" over the period of nine months (and it wasn't a picnic for many of them), but what is taking place during birth and the following days or weeks may be even more difficult (physically and emotionally).

The truth is that we are caring for a newborn baby when we care for the mother, and one of the ways we care for "Mom" is by caring for the baby! (You might need to read that again...I know I did!) Beyond that, we must embrace the fact that 'help' can be shown through household chores, grocery shopping, preparing meals, and really just about anything. We guys often fail to receive enough credit for our well-rounded ability to contribute in the many facets of life. This special time in life is definitely an opportunity to show off your abundant talents! Even if you don't do it quite as well as your wife does (she gets more practice in some of these things), she's going admire this evidence of your love for her and the newborn baby.

Dad walking with baby on the shore It Takes a Man
Even those masculine skills like ‘burping’, ‘sleeping’, or ‘eating’ (come on…admit it) can help us relate to this tiny person in our home. If you will share in the care and feeding responsibilities of this baby, remember what experience has taught you in your daily life. It's difficult to ‘eat while sleeping’, ‘burp while eating’, ‘sleep while eating’, ‘eat while burping’, ‘burp while sleeping’, or ‘sleep while burping’. (For a woman's perspective on burping a baby, read my wife's article, Burping Baby 101. )

Be sure to take this into consideration when determining just what to do in response to your baby’s momentary struggles. Any one of these three ‘skills’ may be hindering the expression of another. Help guide your little one in dealing with these impulsive traits. Remember…you’re experienced!…and probably in a way that your wife is not!

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