Tips for New Dads
Congratulations on your soon to be Daddy status.
As exciting it is to become a new Dad, I remember how anxious I felt as I became a Mom for the first time. The transition to parenthood is unlike any other. Here are 6 tips that can help make the transition easier to Dads.
1. Get skin to skin
Typically, when a baby is born, the baby is placed on the chest of the mother immediately after birth. This colonizes them with Mom’s bacteria to start to build their immune system. Skin to skin contact is a multisensory experience. Holding a baby on Dad’s skin will enhance essential neural pathways to develop and promotes normal brain maturation. Sharing skin to skin contact can also help calm or soothe baby, reduce stress and improves the quality of sleep. It can also stimulate weight gain and improve overall emotional wellbeing. The benefits of skin to skin are many. But what’s the proper positioning?
- Dad should have his shirt off and be in a semi reclined position.
- Baby should just have a diaper on.
- Place baby in a vertical position on Dad’s bare chest, with their shoulders resting on or above the breastbone. Cover you little with a blanket to keep them warm.
- Baby’s head should be turned to one side with their neck in a neutral position, not extended or flexed. Keep their face visible at all times to read their cues and breathing patterns
- Snuggle up and snuggle some more.
2. Chip in where you can
Regardless of how Mom delivered, she will need time to rest and recover. Be her support and do the things that she does not have to. Change that diaper, engage in bath time, do the laundry, cook or prepare meals, grocery shop, burp the baby and spend some time in the rocking chair. Breastfeeding is the only duty limited to Moms so there are many things you can do to make the transition easier for your family after labor and delivery.
3. Take the night shift
You can expect that your baby will be up at night. Some more than others. The result is the same. As parents we all are going to experience sleep deprivation at some point. In the early weeks after a newborn arrives, it can be quite taxing on Mom to get up constantly and feed, change, burp, or soothe baby back to sleep. Taking some initiative in the night shift is greatly appreciated from Mom. Grab baby from the crib or bassinet and bring them to Mom when they are hungry, make any necessary diaper changes, and return baby to their sleeping area when feeding is finished. Not only are you going to be connecting more with your baby but you will also be giving Mom some much needed rest.
4. Share bottle duties
Once breastfeeding is established, there’s more than one way to feed your baby. You can be the one to give your baby expressed breastmilk or formula from a bottle. This will give you more bonding time with your baby, learning all their social cues and needs. It will also give Mom a break from the constant demands of newborn feeding patterns.
5. Listen up
While many people may offer new Dad advice before or after your baby arrives, the most important person you should listen to is your partner. There are wide ranges of hormonal changes that happen after birth and typically the weeks after delivery, there can be a number of emotions your partner is feeling. Anxiety, exhaustion, worry, fear, excitement, overwhelm, discouragement, failure etc. All of these mixed with sleep deprivation can be a perfect environment for postpartum depression to peak. Encourage her to tell you how she is feeling and what she needs from you. Having these conversations will not only draw your family closer together, but also will reduce the risk of postpartum depression to go unnoticed.
6. Attend the Doctor visits
The first few weeks after baby is born, there will be some appointments that happen. Whether it is a weight check from your medical doctor, a consultation with a lactation expert or a well-baby check with your Chiropractor, it is important to be present. Two sets of ears are better than one and can help reduce any confusion or questions that may come up. It also gives you peace of mind knowing how your baby is responding to life outside the womb.