By – Dr Kavita Mehta (PT)- Mother & child Wellness expert, Rosewalk Hospital
Becoming parents is indeed a blissful experience and brings lots of excitement and joy in one’s life. Having a baby changes our priorities. Both men and women have their own set of emotions on becoming parents.
A Mothers connection with the baby starts from the womb itself because a new life is stirring inside her for 9 months; she is feeling those playful kicks which reminds her that she is never alone; so this is very natural that her motherhood starts from the conception itself.
On the other hand, a father might take little long to get involved as he is not experiencing the pregnancy practically. But this is also true that the dads who play an active role during
pregnancy they are likely to be more connected with the baby even after birth. This improves mother’s mental health, reduces her stress and overall brings a positive aura around you.
Researches says that kids with dads who are involved in their upbringing are more confident and do better socially and emotionally.
Here are some tips for would be dads and new dads to get involved with their baby from
Womb to World.
For would be dads:
1. Supporting your partner during pregnancy: Pregnancy brings lots of emotional and
hormonal changes in women and it’s not always easy for everyone to cope with it but partner support can helps to ease the process. Get involved with your partner by talking to her, understand her emotional state, her fears and anxieties. Sometimes she just wants your hands to hold or your shoulder to cry on.
2. Talk to your baby: Babies in the womb can hear from the second trimester of
pregnancy. You can talk to tour baby, play some soothing music, say some positive
affirmations or feel kicks and movements by placing your hand on your partner’s
belly. Practice this as a routine and you baby will start responding to you soon.
3. Accompany for doctor visits: Go with your partner for doctor visits. If your work
does not allow every time then try for few important visits or growth scans where
she might be nervous and would be needing her partner there. Seeing your baby’s
growth will make you more connected with your unborn baby.
4. Share healthy habits: Join her for healthy eating habits and avoid junk food; Go with her for a walk or encourage her for prenatal yoga or fitness classes to keep her active and fit during pregnancy.
5. Attend child birth classes: Almost every mother has anxiety and stress about labor
and delivery. Joining some child birth classes along with parenting sessions can help you as a couple to be prepared for labor, delivery and for baby care and make you more confident for the arrival of your lil one.
For new dads:
Get involve in baby care: Get involved in day-to-day activities of your baby like swaddling, changing diapers, burping, bathing, massaging and a lot more in all possible time. This will help your partner also to have some time for herself and another important factor is you having some one-on-one time with your baby which indeed is going to increase your bond.
Encourage playtime: For new born playtime can be anything from simply talking or
reading some stories or lullabies. Talking to your baby helps in many ways. It
develops baby’s language; you enjoy responses of the baby and it promotes the
bonding between Father and child.
Learn baby cues: Pay attention to your baby cues; eventually you will be able to
find out what they need through their behaviour and body language. So, spend
time with your child as practice makes you prefect.
Last but not the least have some quality time with your partner as well, talking and
sharing your concerns with each other, going out for dinner/outing occasionally is
going to increase your bond as a family.
All the best and Happy Father’s Day to you all.
