Are You Ready to be a Dad?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by BringBackJoeT

Congrats, SS. It appears I'm going to be experiencing the same event at the same time. My wife is due April 5th. I'm apparently going to be a father for the first time at the age of 42. Good lord . . .

Nice! End of April for us

[mike340]

Originally Posted by BringBackJoeT

Congrats, SS. It appears I'm going to be experiencing the same event at the same time. My wife is due April 5th. I'm apparently going to be a father for the first time at the age of 42. Good lord . . .

Don't worry..I had my first just before my 44th birthday. So far (I turn 54 this month) I'm still alive...and a 5th (and last) just landed on Nov 1. Now if this last one had been our 4th boy I don't think I would be alive 2 years from now, but thankfully it was a girl.

Congrats SS for the baby.

A few notes:
1) Get the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (which you've probably already done.)
2) Make sure your wife takes the pre-natal vitamins (especially for the folic acid needed for spinal development) and gets enough protein daily. This will help make sure that the baby is healthy at birth. (The above book talks about this, although I find their section on nutrition is a bit extreme.)
3) My wife had a lot of trouble breastfeeding, and using a breast pump was very painful for her (some fissures opened up on her aureolae). If this occurs and breastfeeding is important to you (very important for the development of the immune system of the baby) then I don't see any way that your wife can be leaving the baby for extended periods of time.
4) Our first pregnancy was the classic "surprise" pregnancy. Everything worked out just fine.
5) Be prepared to gain weight during the pregnancy. She will get full quickly at the end of the pregnancy and you will be called upon to finish...
6) If you need/want to save money, there's a consignment expo at Dulles Convention Center twice a year called Dani's Duds. In addition you should be able to get a lot of things at yard sales. Costco used to have very cheap diapers but no more.
7) Try out the Gerbers before you give them. Some of them have a HORRIBLE flavor. At one of the baby showers there was a game where everyone was supposed to taste the Gerbers and guess what type it was. There was one where 6 of the 7 tasters guessed it was pureed chalk. (It was actually "chicken and vegetables".)
8) I hope you can find formula your baby likes. Between our second and third kids they changed formula. I think the difference is that now all of them have DHEA (Damn Horrible Extra Additive). Our first and second children liked formula. With the newer stuff even our dogs won't touch it.

Most of the post-birth comments and recommendations were awesome, so I have nothing to add about that.

Good luck!

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by mike340

Don't worry..I had my first just before my 44th birthday. So far (I turn 54 this month) I'm still alive...and a 5th (and last) just landed on Nov 1. Now if this last one had been our 4th boy I don't think I would be alive 2 years from now, but thankfully it was a girl.

Congrats SS for the baby.

A few notes:
1) Get the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (which you've probably already done.)
2) Make sure your wife takes the pre-natal vitamins (especially for the folic acid needed for spinal development) and gets enough protein daily. This will help make sure that the baby is healthy at birth. (The above book talks about this, although I find their section on nutrition is a bit extreme.)
3) My wife had a lot of trouble breastfeeding, and using a breast pump was very painful for her (some fissures opened up on her aureolae). If this occurs and breastfeeding is important to you (very important for the development of the immune system of the baby) then I don't see any way that your wife can be leaving the baby for extended periods of time.
4) Our first pregnancy was the classic "surprise" pregnancy. Everything worked out just fine.
5) Be prepared to gain weight during the pregnancy. She will get full quickly at the end of the pregnancy and you will be called upon to finish...
6) If you need/want to save money, there's a consignment expo at Dulles Convention Center twice a year called Dani's Duds. In addition you should be able to get a lot of things at yard sales. Costco used to have very cheap diapers but no more.
7) Try out the Gerbers before you give them. Some of them have a HORRIBLE flavor. At one of the baby showers there was a game where everyone was supposed to taste the Gerbers and guess what type it was. There was one where 6 of the 7 tasters guessed it was pureed chalk. (It was actually "chicken and vegetables".)
8) I hope you can find formula your baby likes. Between our second and third kids they changed formula. I think the difference is that now all of them have DHEA (Damn Horrible Extra Additive). Our first and second children liked formula. With the newer stuff even our dogs won't touch it.

Most of the post-birth comments and recommendations were awesome, so I have nothing to add about that.

Good luck!

Dude! God bless you!

[mlmpetert]

YouTube - Garrison Keillor: Being a dad

[CRedskinsRule]

Congrats SD( the mod formerly known as smootsmack )

[12thMan]

I've been a dad for 19 years. Yep, you read that right. And no, I'm not some old mofo

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I've been a dad for 19 years. Yep, you read that right. And no, I'm not some old mofo

How lold are you 12th???

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I've been a dad for 19 years. Yep, you read that right. And no, I'm not some old mofo

@5 yrs here and started all over again. And no. I'm not and old mofo either.

[JoeRedskin]

Congradulations Smoot!! Best job you will ever have!!

[Hog1]

Congrats SS
It's a gift.......and a curse
AND Monkfan, you and your son make a great family portrait

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Awesome! Congratulations man!

[Monkeydad]

Wow. Congrats...April will be here before you know it.

Good luck, you'll do fine. We all feel some nervousness before the child actually arrives, but it will all disappear the first time you see the kid, and your fatherly instincts to provide and protect will kick in.

[BleedBurgundy]

Congrats Smoot!

I just found out a week ago that my wife and I are going to be expecting this June. We've been together for 7 years and really put this off until we thought the time was right...I am very excited.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

Congrats Smoot!

I just found out a week ago that my wife and I are going to be expecting this June. We've been together for 7 years and really put this off until we thought the time was right...I am very excited.

Congratulations!

I actually found out yesterday also that four of my wife's cousins (well in two cases their wife) are expecting too in the spring...something in the water I guess

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Congratulations!

I actually found out yesterday also that four of my wife's cousins (well in two cases their wife) are expecting too in the spring...something in the water I guess

Crazy.

Regarding your earlier post... we've decided that my wife will stay home once she has the child, at least for the first 2-3 years. We're fortunate that we are able to easily get by (with a little behavior modification) on my salary alone. I have no idea what childcare costs in your area but i've heard rumors of $200-300/ week which i think sounds impossibly high. I think once you subtract the cost of childcare and commuting from the salary of whomever is thinking of staying home, you get a better idea of what makes more sense.