{"id":30129,"date":"2018-07-13T14:11:26","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T12:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/?p=30129"},"modified":"2018-09-14T13:55:04","modified_gmt":"2018-09-14T11:55:04","slug":"were-pregnant-month-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/were-pregnant-month-3\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re Pregnant | Month 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

I always found it strange when heterosexual couples announce a pregnancy by saying \u201cWe\u2019re pregnant!\u201d. It\u2019s pretty obvious that they aren\u2019t both pregnant, so…what were they doing?<\/p>\n

And then we discovered that my wife was pregnant – and I eventually started to understand. You see, it\u2019s an unfortunate biological fact that the male of species has very little to do when it comes to actually making sure that the new life that\u2019s forming in his partner has the best chance of success.<\/p>\n

His partner\u2019s body does all the hard work, goes through all the beautiful and painful changes, and unless he has advanced medical training, a doctor will be providing all the real support for the mother\u2019s and child\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s very easy for a guy to start to feel a bit removed from the whole process, which is a shame, since partners of pregnant women do play an important, albeit a background one.
\nWe might not be able to stop the morning sickness, but we can hold the hair back while the worst of it is happening. We can\u2019t stop the itchy skin and stretch marks from a rapidly expanding belly, but we can apply lotion. Our bodies can\u2019t provide nutrition to our baby, but we can make sure that the mother of our child eats well (and has a cup tea nearby whenever necessary).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a glorious role. No one tells expectant dads that they\u2019re doing great, they don\u2019t get a \u201cpregnant glow\u201d, they\u2019re not told how brave they are. No one gives up their seat. They might not even be thanked.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n

This is the time to serve your partner, which means you don\u2019t do it for the thanks, you do it for her.<\/p>\n

That being said, it is important to give men a sense of partnership in the pregnancy. It\u2019s a great way to encourage the active participation before the baby the arrives, and can really help create a sense of connection after the baby is born.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the other thing: men have to realise that fatherhood doesn\u2019t start the moment you hold your child. It starts the moment you find out your partner is pregnant. You can make sure that your relationship with your little one starts off well by caring for its mom while she\u2019s pregnant \u2013 and continuing do so well afterwards too.<\/p>\n

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