Two years after our child was born, my wife told me in a heated argument: “You never supported me once in the last three years”.
My self-image of a wonderful husband came crashing down, much like the tears in her eyes. Fighting against my instinct to counter indignantly, I decided instead to understand more. Perhaps there was truth behind those tears. And so we talked — well, she talked, and I “really” listened. The more I listened, the more I learnt how badly I had handled things.
When I look back, I realize that I was simply doing what I thought my role was and what I had seen my role models do for their pregnant spouses. But maybe the playbook needs to change, and so to the role models!
So, here’s a guide for dads-to-be on how to support your pregnant spouse. From a fellow dad.
During The Pregnancy
One thing that my wife said to me several times in these conversations was: “Did you ever stop to think how big a mess I was for those nine months?”
It was true; my thoughts had all been about the baby, not her. I would advise you to instead:
Learn about the pregnancy
Read and learn about the physical, mental and hormonal challenges pregnant women go through — the sudden weight gain, the back aches, bloating, fatigue, hormonal roller coasters and accompanying mood swings….
Work out how to support your pregnant spouse in each trimester rather than telling her to just “take your meds”.
Understand the impact on her life and career. Rather than telling her, “Don’t worry; I earn enough to take care of us”, help her plan how to get her career back on track after the pregnancy.
To Read More-
https://veiralife.com/how-to-support-your-pregnant-spouse-a-guide-for-dads-to-be/
