Dads & Due Dates: A Dad's Guide to Pregnancy (Trimesters, Body Changes, Emotional Support)

Are you ready to become the ultimate support system for your pregnant partner? Get ready to unlock the secrets of navigating the thrilling journey of parenthood in our latest episode of "Instructions Not Included." From understanding the ups and downs of the first trimester to bonding with your baby during the "honeymoon phase" of the second trimester, we cover it all. As the arrival date approaches, learn how to stay engaged and supportive through the challenges of the third trimester. Whether it's morning sickness, feeling the baby’s kicks, or preparing for labor, we'll guide you every step of the way.

But it doesn’t stop there—being a new dad is more than just waiting for the baby to arrive. We emphasize the importance of easing your partner’s physical and emotional burdens through thoughtful actions like extra chores, back rubs, foot massages, and being an empathetic listener. You'll also discover the significance of encouraging healthy habits without criticism and the power of humor to lighten the mood. Plus, we present some reflective questions for dads-to-be, helping you navigate your own anticipations and fears about fatherhood. Tune in for invaluable insights and practical advice as you prepare for the incredible journey ahead.

Transcript

Claude: 0:44

This is Instructions, not Included. So welcome, welcome everyone. Welcome Welcome. I'm so glad to be here. I'm your host, Claude, and let me tell you, parenting and parenthood has its ups and downs. It's one heck of a ride. It's a thrill. If you have any kids, you know I'm talking about. For those who don't have any kids, welcome. This here is for you. This is why we're here, this is exactly why we're here, and that's to navigate, help navigate you guys, through the twists and turns, and we're gonna do this together, you know. And then this is especially for those dads to be, those new dads, you know, out there that might be feeling just a little, a little lost in this whole pregnancy process. I just want you to know that we, over here, sweetface, sweetface, but we are here for you.

Claude: 1:37

So today's episode is all about understanding your partner's journey, partner's journey. We'll be diving into the trimesters of pregnancy, the physical changes she'll experience or may experience and, most importantly, how you, you, my guys out there, you, you guys, could be the best damn support system that a mom-to ask for. And yo, I'm here for you. So let's get it,

Claude: 2:09

Hey, hey, we're going to talk trimester, talk real quick, right? So let's start with the basics, all right.

Claude: 2:25

Pregnancy is broken down into three trimesters. So that first trimester is from week one through 12. This is when a party gets started right that week one through 12, you might experience it's going to be that morning sickness, you know, and then that morning sickness might become a morning, noon and night thing. So you know what I'm saying. Be prepared, be prepared with some crackers, be prepared with some some, uh, maybe some ginger tea, um, and a whole lot of love and empathy. Be prepared, fellas. Uh, you may experience some of that sickness yourself. I know I did. When my wife was pregnant. I felt like I was pregnant Some mornings I was throwing up more than she was. But you know, sometimes, you know, you just got to suck it up, you got to be strong. She's the one carrying the baby and I can say, you know, my wife, she was sick a lot, a whole lot, and it was scary, you know. And when you're going through that process, you definitely want to. Just, you know you got to, you got to keep in mind it, all that's affecting the baby, all that's affecting your baby, you know.

Claude: 3:43

In that second trimester and that's weeks 13 through 28. Some people call it the honeymoon phase. Ok, and that's because that during the pregnancy, that morning sickness it might ease up a little bit. Your partner might be experiencing, you know, maybe a surge of energy, and this is great. This is great, and it's also when you start seeing that she's feeling better. It's a great time to bond with your kid. You know it's a great time to bond with your baby. To bond with your kid. You know it's a great time to bond with your baby.

Claude: 4:27

You know whether you're um, whether you're talking to her belly, whether you're singing, um, you know, whether you just resting your hands on the belly, trying to feel that kick. What I like to do is, um, I used to like to do this thing where I would get behind my wife. You know, when she was pregnant, I'd, you know, get up real close and put my stomach like right around, I mean, put my hands, my hands, big hands, put my hands right around her belly, you know, and just get behind her and kind of take a little weight off. You know, I ask, I would ask her, you know, if it's cool I hold the baby. You know what I'm saying. Get up real close. This was my time I was able to get my little feel on too. You know what I'm saying Because you know you be missing it. But this is a good moment, this is a good way to do it. I'm trying to tell your hands up under that belly and you just lift up, you hold the baby a little bit and then, in all silence, you just breathe and you feel the baby kicking. You know you feel the baby kicking. You know you feel a baby moving. You get that connection. You get that one on one connection with your baby. Man, it's amazing. It's amazing and that's that. That's you know. Around that second trimester, that's the time you really want to like connect.

Claude: 6:01

I recall, like the music I was listening to, you know, and I like to listen to a little. You know different stuff here and there, not too much like when she was a baby, when my daughters were in the womb, I wasn't doing a whole lot of you know. I mean I was still listening to rap. Don't get me wrong, I was still listening to a lot of you know, I mean I was still listening to rap. Don't get me wrong, I was still listening to a lot of, you know, loud music, but there's some of that soft, some of that sensual or just relaxing either. Or you know, some of that music is just calming as well. You know, those sounds are always great to you know. Put a little speaker on the belly and jam out. You know what I'm saying. Let the baby just relax to it. You know what I'm saying. So, whatever the type of music that you like to jam out, to just put it on there, you know. But just understand, that's your time to connect. You really want to connect.

Claude: 6:57

And after that comes the third trimester. Now the third trimester. All right, fellas, pay attention. Now Third trimester is week 29 to 40. All right, and some of us might call this the home stretch. Right, this is the home stretch. But keep in mind, fatigue might return and that's along with some aches and pains. Baby's getting bigger, a lot bigger, you know, and hopefully y'all done, did some 3D40 ultrasounds and all that by this time. You know, hopefully y'all done, took a whole lot of pictures. But third trimester is the time where it's about to happen. Where it's about to happen, it's about to happen.

Claude: 7:42

So you know, those nesting instincts kick in, you know. Just be prepared, all right, be prepared for a whole lot of decorating, be prepared for your partner, getting the nursery together and, like I said, it just depends. Every relationship is different, right, every pregnancy is unique, right, but there are some common changes. You know that, that all women are going to experience while pregnant. You know. Some of those common changes are morning sickness, food aversions, you know. So be patient and understanding, all right, be as patient and understanding as you can.

Claude: 8:33

Try to help out with some of the duties. You know, if you don't normally cook, try, try, doing some cooking, you know what I'm saying. Or just getting some good takeout, some things that you think that you know she might have a taste for. But ask because she may not have a taste for certain things. You know, uh, you may think you know and you may know, but during that pregnancy process some things may change, uh, so, uh, some of the things that she might like, she may not be craving, it may be some of the things that you never think she'd crave, that she's craving, like I know, during the time that my wife was pregnant, um, corn dogs, man, it was like corn dogs from uh, sonic, that was her thing. You know what I'm saying. It was like, uh, that was she had to have. You know, uh, and and she didn't keep food down a lot either, cause she a lot of times she was sick.

Claude: 9:31

But, fellas, just keep in mind, if you, if y'all do live together, do some extra chores around the house chores around the house, it's not unnoticed, it doesn't. You know, it's not like they don't. They don't see it Now, they may not acknowledge it, but it's not like they don't see it. And the thing is you're not doing it for them to see it, you're not doing it just for a praise, you're doing it to take some of the weight off of of your partner and also for the health of your child. So keep that in mind.

Claude: 10:09

During this time she's definitely going to experience some body aches. So, um, you know, a good back row could go a long way. You know, rubbing them feet could go a long way, um, rubbing them tired muscles. You got to understand she's walking around and she's carrying your child and in some cases it may be two, three babies in there, four, you know, depending on. You know, if your wife is, you know, having twins or triplets or quadruplets.

Claude: 10:41

So the more you have in the oven, I think, the more you should be cautious. And what I mean by cautious is not just afraid, or you know what I mean by that is knowing that all of those things are going to change within her. Some things are going to change within you. So, believe it or not, if you are connected, you you may feel that, you know. But when she's going through the, the fatigue and those muscles being tired, a good, like I said, a good back rub, a good foot rub, all of that stuff, you know, would definitely help because that going through all of that with her muscles and the weight gain, you know, all of that is completely normal and healthy. Um, encourage her to to make healthy food choices. You can do that, uh, don't get yourself in trouble, but you can do that, um, by offering healthy food choices.

Claude: 11:44

But I definitely would recommend avoid criticizing how her body looks, you know, or any uh sly comments or anything like that. Uh, I don't recommend it, you know, just because it could go internally, and what's internal, of course, could affect the baby as well. The main thing is, look, that that both of them, your partner and your child, are both being look, you know, being taken care of and that they both, you know, are healthy. So it's up to you to do the best that you can, you know, and this one is the support system superhero. So now, now, dads, this is where you shine.

Claude: 12:30

All right, this part, right here, this is where you shine, you know, because your, your, your partner is going to be going through a lot of physically and emotionally, um, situations, and here's some way to be, you know, as supportive as you can be. This, here I'm talking about instruction, is not included. Being here is a good way, you know. So, but for for your lady, for your partner, be a good listener, lend an ear. You know I would say, uh, validate her feelings. Um, if you have to, sometimes she might just break out crying. So offer a shoulder to cry on. You know, if she's crying, um, be there. If it's, if it's not to say anything, if it's just for a hug, I would say, be there for her. Um. The other thing is, you know, if you can make her laugh, that's always good, right? You know whether you're watching a good comedy, or you got a good joke, or just you know whether it's you practicing your dad jokes or whatever anything to make her laugh, and that's a great. You know feeling for her, and I'm sure when she's laughing, the baby's probably laughing too. You know what I'm saying, so I would definitely say anything that can make her laugh would be great.

Claude: 13:59

I would also say during this process like do some research, man, learn, educate yourself about pregnancy, how to prepare for parenthood, how y'all could do it together, you know, educate yourself. Another thing communicate openly. Communication is key. Talk to talk. You can talk about anything. You could talk about your anxieties, your hopes, your expectations. You know, open communication is key.

Claude: 14:36

All right, dads, I want y'all to remember look, you're not just a sperm donor. All right, you're an active partner in this. All right, you're an active partner in this. All right, you're an active partner in this adventure. Be there for your partner, ok, understand her journey and whatever you can do, like, try the best that you can to offer that unwavering support, all right.

Claude: 15:03

So before we close out, I just got a few questions that I want to ask the dads, all right? So before we close out, I just got a few questions that I want to ask the dads. Questions for the dads. What surprised you most about your partner's pregnancy, good or bad? What surprised you the most about your partner's pregnancy? For my dads to be? This is question number two. What are you looking forward to the most about fatherhood? What are you looking forward to the most about fatherhood? And my last and final question what are some of the biggest fears or anxieties about becoming a dad? About becoming a dad, what are some of the biggest fears or anxieties about becoming a dad?

Claude: 15:55

I want to thank y'all for joining me for this first episode of Instructions Not Included, and we got a lot more to cover in these upcoming weeks. You know, from from newborn care to navigating the family dynamics. Look just, we got a lot, so don't miss out. Thank you all for joining me. Please like and subscribe Until next time. We'll see you on the next one. Baby bump buddies, I and I. That's why we say I and I, so it's a unity thing. No, I unity. We are all one Sweet face baby.