Advice needed from the dad's

[pigpen65]

Just got the news today, my wife is pregnant. We're both 24, it's gonna be our first. My head has been spinning for the past 6 hours. Does the dizziness ever go away? Anybody have any advice for a newbie?

[Hurls]

I hope this doesn't affect your Dead Show. :D

Congrats Dude. Enjoy every minute you can, you'll have no time once you hyave a newborn.

[Psychosis]

Way to go Pigpen. :thumbup:Yeah, it's not the end of the world. It's not as bad as it seems. At first you think this can't be happening(unless it was planned), but you'll see that by the time that child is born, you'll feel this overwhelming feeling of joy as a new parent. Forget about sleep until maybe the 5th or 6th month. It gets better though because the baby's sleeping clock is developing. You know what they say pigpen, you gotta take the good with the bad, but it feels great being a 1st time parent. You'll see. If you got anymore q's, let me know.

[PUCKER]

Congrats pigpen! :Angel:

[NJBillsFan]

congrats man. i know you will be a great father.

[OBF]

Anybody have any advice for a newbie?

Run. Fast. Don't look back. :D

Seriously, congrats! I won't lie to you, it's tough, especially the first few months. You will lose sleep, you will have little-to-no free time, and something as simple as going to the grocery store becomes a major production. You will learn how to breathe through your mouth when changing a dirty diaper, you will get frustrated, and you will probably get into a few fights with your wife over whose turn it is to get up in the middle of the night to feed the kid.

However, when you see their first smile, when you get that first hug, when they learn to crawl on their own, when they learn how to do "soooo big" by themselves for the first time, and when your son or daughter falls asleep in your arms because they know it's the safest place in the world for them at that moment - when that happens, it's all worth it.

Good luck, and congratulations to you and your wife!

[gilchristfan]

Run. Fast. Don't look back. :D

Seriously, congrats! I won't lie to you, it's tough, especially the first few months. You will lose sleep, you will have little-to-no free time, and something as simple as going to the grocery store becomes a major production. You will learn how to breathe through your mouth when changing a dirty diaper, you will get frustrated, and you will probably get into a few fights with your wife over whose turn it is to get up in the middle of the night to feed the kid.


Wow you're brutal OBF, scare the hell out of the poor guy while he's still in shock!! :)

Congrats Pigpen, you're gonna love it.

A few things to start off:

IF you can, go with your wife to the OBG visits. The first time you hear the heartbeat, its pretty cool, the sonogram is awesome.

Prepare for the cravings, its not a myth.

My wife recommends the book, "What to expect When you're expecting"

Don't go running out right away buying everything for the nursery, you have time. Alot of stuff can be bought second hand without much, or any wear and tear on it. (I found that out too late)

The diaper genie is the greatest invention of the 20th century. Accept no substitutes.

[OBF]

Just telling it like it is, my friend. ;)

Another good book that my wife liked is "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." Yeah, I read it too. :)

[coastal]

Just got the news today, my wife is pregnant. We're both 24, it's gonna be our first. My head has been spinning for the past 6 hours. Does the dizziness ever go away? Anybody have any advice for a newbie?

My motto on parenting:

Be their friend first and their parent when you have to be.

[bad radio]

Congratulations, Piggy!!!

I am not a father myself, but almost all of my friends are new parents. The couple things they tell me:

1. You're never really "ready" to have kids, it doesn't matter who you are. You might even think you're ready, but you're not. So don't feel bad about thinking, "Man, I am not ready for this." No one is.

2. Don't expect to ever have free time again. Obviously you will have free time, but don't expect it or you'll just be pissed off all the time.

3. MAKE SURE you make time for you and your wife. Even if it's just going to McDonald's to get some food, every once in a while you have to pass the kid off to someone, have them babysit while you and the mrs. get some "the two of us" time. Trust me on this. Personally, I've seen a few couples (this includes older family members and friends' parents) that don't make time for each other after they have kids. When the kids are finally in school or have moved out of the house, they realize they hardly know each other any more. You still have to work on the marriage thing, and it does take work.

Good luck, I'm absolutely sure you'll be fine. Just keep looking towards that 2026 NFL draft when we take him in the first round. :D

[OBF]

Very good points, br and coastal. Good advice.

[BogusTrumper]

Congratulations, pigpen. We're waiting for the first pics.

[mighty peace warrior]

Congrats man, the day my daughter was born was the happiest day of my life. I think Costal is way off but that is another topic all together. The only thing i will say is i do agree with BR make sure you take time off from being a parent for a couple hours once in a while.

[gilchristfan]

OH, and watch old Titus episodes. Stacy Keach was a great father.

[Canisius85]

Does the dizziness ever go away?

It never goes away. Just wait until your child says, "I love you Daddy!" for the first time. Or when they bring home their first report card...or Father's Day card. There is no other feeling like it. No drug, no nothing can make you feel the way it makes you feel. My daughter asked me take her training wheels off last Saturday...and there she went! I've been a parent for 7 1/2 years now, and it just keeps getting better.

Be flexible...and be kind. Her hormones will be all out of whack...as will sleep and eating patterns, at least for a couple months.

The waiting can get excrutiating...especially towards mos 7, 8, and 9. Just try to have fun, and enjoy the ride.

[pigpen65]

Thankyou very much everyone!!! The shock has worn off and now i'm just feeling a lot of excitement and nerves. Mac, I read your post last night and it put me at ease enough to get me to sleep. It was really comforting, thanks man. And i really appreciate everybody's advice. Gil, i passed the recommendation on to my wife. She loves shopping for books, so the fact that a whole new section at the book store just opened up for her has her excited. Coastal, Radio, MPW, and Canisius, you guys gave some really insightful and thoughtful advice. i think you all have a great outlook on this time in every parent's life. No doubt this isn't going to be a walk in the park, but the thought of all the good times ahead will hopefully keep us strong.

And OBF. My wife read your post and was literally weeping by the end of it. One of the most eloquent posts i've ever read on the board. Thanks bro.

Hopefully i'll still have the range around when it comes time for those late nights. :)

Hurls, i'll still be there. All the more reason to celebrate!!!

[Psychosis]

Mac, I read your post last night and it put me at ease enough to get me to sleep. It was really comforting, thanks man.

No prob. Glad I could help. :thumbup:

[OBF]

And OBF. My wife read your post and was literally weeping by the end of it. One of the most eloquent posts i've ever read on the board. Thanks bro.

Wow. That's really amazing. Good to see all that money I spent on college was worth it. :D

Glad to be of help. Being a father is cool. :roll:

[McD]

Congrats man! Hell, I've got 4 kids ranging from 15 to 2. I can tell ya this....They are both the most irritating and most wonderful things in my life. Lol! They drive you nuts one minute and make you laugh the next, but no matter what, you'll never love another human being the way you love your kids. It'll be a tough few months, but you'll adjust. I was 20 when we had our first, so your already of the game. Just remember that patience and love are the most important attributes you can have. Good luck!

McD

[ColoBillsFan]

Congrats!
You are in for a great ride!
After nearly 30yrs of being a parent I would suggest that you (and your wife) always talk to your child about anything and everything. Start early and never stop.
Have fun and never stop enjoying the pleasure !

[mykiljonz]

Grats!

I have 3 myself, boy 9, girl 4 and son 2. It gets easier. You never know. (my youngest slept through the night most of the time, we had to wake up with him only about once every week), he is a TERROR now, so maybe that was not a good thing.

I would give the opposite advice than coastalPT by the way... "I will always love you, BUT I am your FATHER first, and your friend SECOND. Never forget that and your life will be much easier." That is what I told them all at a young age, it worked for my parents, and seems to work for us.

They will have MANY friends during the course of their life (hopefully), but only ONE FATHER...me.

[mykiljonz]

Last thing. The first time my oldest started with the "that is not fair" line, I sat down and we had a talk.

I told him that there is no manual or "book" about life, but if there was, the very first page would say...

LIFE IS NOT FAIR.

I am sorry, but that is the truth. Therefore there is no reason to ever tell me "it's unfair", because I will tell you "you are right, but that is life".
The teacher wrote a note to us a few days later telling us he told one of his friends life is not fair, so you should not say that anymore, hehe.

I am STILL waiting for the other two to utter those immortal words "it's not fair", upon which I shall spring into action yet again and impart my wisdom to them also. :roll:

[pigpen65]

Congratulations, pigpen. We're waiting for the first pics.

I got em as soon as i could, just for you Bogus. :) Like Gil said, it's a future linebacker!!!

Don't be freaked out that he looks like an alien. The nurse assured us that's how they all look at 19 weeks. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/pigpen/Baby1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/pigpen/Baby2.jpg

[gilchristfan]

Congrats again man! Sonograms are awesome.

Now the big question, did you find out?

will you tell?

[Psychosis]

I got em as soon as i could, just for you Bogus. :) Like Gil said, it's a future linebacker!!!

Don't be freaked out that he looks like an alien. The nurse assured us that's how they all look at 19 weeks. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/pigpen/Baby1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/pigpen/Baby2.jpg


Looking good pigpen! Keep up the good work! :thumbup:

[Tristan98srm]

congrats, my only adice is, do everything you can now, go out eat, the movies etc. becuase when the kid comes those things are really hard to do. my little boy just turned 3 aug 23 and i must say i sure didnt feel ready but i just comes to you, you'll make a great dad. pretty soon he'll be screaming "touchdown Bills" next to you on the couch like mine does (too bad that does not happend often though)

[pigpen65]

congrats, my only adice is, do everything you can now, go out eat, the movies etc. becuase when the kid comes those things are really hard to do.

This is what i keep hearing.....
It was funny today at work. My boss is a real cool guy and i sent him an email yesterday to say that it was a boy and that everything looks good. He saw me this morning and just started laughing. Said boys are ten times worse than girls when they're young. He had a daughter first that never gave him any problems. So before he had the son he didn't know what all the fuss about taking care of kids was. Then the boy came along and he said it just turned his life upside down. Constant challenge to keep the kid straight. Even to this day he said he still shakes his head thinking, "what the hell was he thinking?" I guess it's all individual though. I might be one of the few guys hoping for a intellectual rather than a jock. Just seems like it would make life easier.

[pigpen65]

Looking good pigpen! Keep up the good work! :thumbup:


Thanks a lot brother. I think my works all done for the moment though ;) Funny story, my wife's father and brother are both big baseball fans, so they were hoping it would be a boy so they had someone to throw the ball around with. After we had the ultrasound yesterday we went over to her parents' house for dinner. Her dad was messing around with me about something so my wife said, "you better be nice to him now, he came through and got you that Y chromosome you were hoping for." Then he said, "that's just it, I got what i needed from him, now i'm done with him. That's all."

[BogusTrumper]

Now how did I miss these? Pigpen, that's so cool. And your pics came out great. I have two boys but I won't scare you because I know everyone is different.

[EricStratton]

I've been told boys are harder from 0-10 and girls for the rest of their lives.

I have two boys so in only 8 1/2 years I'm home free.


Congrats pigpen, the pictures are cool and bring back memories.

[EricStratton]

And like Tristan98srm said, do as much as you can now. Your entire existence is about to change.

[Psychosis]

Thanks a lot brother. I think my works all done for the moment though ;) Funny story, my wife's father and brother are both big baseball fans, so they were hoping it would be a boy so they had someone to throw the ball around with. After we had the ultrasound yesterday we went over to her parents' house for dinner. Her dad was messing around with me about something so my wife said, "you better be nice to him now, he came through and got you that Y chromosome you were hoping for." Then he said, "that's just it, I got what i needed from him, now i'm done with him. That's all."

Heh you must feel so used by your father in law? I'm glad I got a boy. Boys, while being the horn dogs they are, aren't so much work compared to girls, imo. If you've got a well developed daughter, then you've got to be more like a cop than a father questioning all the boys that want to take her out at the door and threatning them if she doesn't come home safe. All that stuff. No thanks. The last thing I would need is to be following her around and spy on her like some private eye. :D