Digital [email protected] Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 NO, no, I did not re-enlist, I have a half day new daddy bootcamp at a local hospital. Outside of knowing the head from the feet, I really know nothing about babies, so I thought this would help me better support my wife. Now, I will be qualified to tell her she is doing it wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erion Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I didn't even realize you guys were expecting. A few words of Advice: 1) Unless the baby is shrieking in pain, your wife is NEVER doing it wrong. 2) Have fun. The first couple of weeks can be tough on your sleep cycles, and to paraphrase Gabe (from Penny Arcade) all they are for the first couple of months is a sleeping, eating poop factory that requires almost hourly maintenance. Once the personality starts to show itself, though, you will forget all about that and enjoy this little person who holds your heart (and thus your wallet) in their little hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dargrin Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Ok I know this is unsolicited advice but I do this to all new parents. 1. The first three months are the worst. This is not a jab at child bearing. This where you will get your sea legs for being a new parent. After three months it gets better. I promise. 2. A crying baby will never cry out of spite or just to get you angry. Although I know that a few people that may disagree with me. This one is optional because it deals with medication. 3. If a baby has a fever and is not holding anything down. Get a suppository. The product name is "Fever All" and there is one for infants. It works in twenty minutes and takes a fever out at the knees. No one ever told us about this option. This could have ended many stressed filled days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlordgarou Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 1) Unless the baby is shrieking in pain, your wife is NEVER doing it wrong. And, conversely: Ladies, if the baby isn't shrieking in pain, daddy is not doing it wrong. <rant on> I am a stay-at-home dad, and thus, the primary caregiver of our son (who is almost a year old - how that time flies!). If he is crying in public, my wife will get sympathetic looks when she tries to soothe him - and I get condescending ones. There is nothing magical about women that inherently makes them better at taking care of kids. Moms and dads may have different methods, but that doesn't mean that one is inherently wrong or better than the other. </rant off> The first weeks are the roughest, but by the end of the first month, things have started to settle down, and if you are really lucky, baby will sleep through the "night" by 8 weeks. (We got Kevin to do it by waking him up for a bottle at midnight - then he would sleep until 5 or 6. Glorious!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophet118 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 a baby can be fun..lol... mines been a hoot..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexxenhammer Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Jeez, the Hexxlette is almost 16 months now. I don't even know if I'd remember how to take care of a newborn. They change so fast that your skills for one stage are supplanted by new skills without really sinking in. Here's some advice. If your wife is breastfeeding, and she wants you to get up in the middle of the night when she does to feed the baby, tell her to fly a kite. Why should you both be exhausted in the morning? She can nap later when the baby is asleep (if you're at work) or while you take care of it during the day. Of course, this rule changes when the baby can take a bottle and you both need to work, or she works the next day and you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Java Fiend Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Once the baby is born, for the first week or so you will be running on pure adrenaline, as if you were in an emergency situation. Then it will slowly sink in: This is not an emergency. This is not a crisis. This is what normal is, from now on. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Have fun at Bootcamp and please fill us in on how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexxenhammer Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Don't let any relatives stay at your house when the kid is born. They stay at a hotel. Don't let them visit for more than a couple hours. Especially if she's breastfeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlordgarou Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Don't let any relatives stay at your house when the kid is born. They stay at a hotel. Don't let them visit for more than a couple hours. Especially if she's breastfeeding. Now, see, I would have given the opposite advice. My wife's parents came for part of the first week, and it really helped. Her mom took care of random household chores (like cooking and laundry) and her dad watched TV. Now, we did have the ground rule of "No interference with our parenting", with the understanding that meddling meant finding a hotel room. YMMV, naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladystorm Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 having had both sides of that happen, stayed with us and stayed at a hotel, I think it really does depend on the relatives in each case. my mom came and it was great. my mother-in-came and it was great. they both stayed with us, different kids births. no problems at all. my folks, my sister and a tag-a-long came and stayed with us. it sucked. too many people disrupting the routine we tried to make and expectations of being entertained. They should have been in a hotel. Other family staying at the hotel, came over for brief visits, ran the errands for us, took the older kid out for special time, was wonderful. the numbers and expectations you know they'll have make all the difference in my opinion. If your wife is breastfeeding, and she wants you to get up in the middle of the night when she does to feed the baby, tell her to fly a kite. Why should you both be exhausted in the morning? sure the nap during the day part works if you have kids that nap, but when it isn't the first child, or there is a pet that demands attention or a house to keep, a nap doesn't always fit into the day. some days I was so happy to see hubby come home just so I could get a shower. our system was daddy got up, changed the diaper then handed him off to me for the nursing. that way the sleep deprevation was minimal for both of us. with children the only absolute is you need to love them unconditionally. remember to breathe and everything else will work it self out. have fun at booties camp. cher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexxenhammer Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 We had Mrs. Hex's parents and grandma. We were having to entertain on first day back from the hospital. Super sucky. They're insane. They were staying in a hotel, but were just over constantly. My mom came down right away and took care of the pets while we were in the hospital. It would have been fine if it was just her, but she left the day we came home. On top of everything, breastfeeding wasn't going well and were disappearing into the bedroom every half-hour to hour to work on that. So I'll revise. Tell the annoying relatives to wait a week, one or two sane relatives or parents would probably be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstormhammer Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Why do I have the mental image of R. Lee Ermey with a diaper in his hand and wearing his Drill Instructor hat going on about how to change a diaper? When I think R. Lee Ermey, I think that somewheres out there, a little girl calls him 'Grampy'. --LSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Administrators kit Posted February 19, 2005 Super Administrators Share Posted February 19, 2005 My older kids are a little old to be rocked, but I still find myself swaying gently back and forth while trying to stand still -- especially if I'm watching someone else holding their baby. You dads all know what I'm talkin' about. Can't wait to do it again. Being a father is the best responsibility I ever took on, right after marrying Heidi. Have fun with your camp! Sounds like great fun. kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dargrin Posted February 19, 2005 Share Posted February 19, 2005 My older kids are a little old to be rocked, but I still find myself swaying gently back and forth while trying to stand still -- especially if I'm watching someone else holding their baby. You dads all know what I'm talkin' about. I do. I caught myself doing this with roll of paper towels the other day while talking to my wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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