Going through a pregnancy is an exciting time, regardless if you are the one going through the pregnancy and experiencing it firsthand, or if your wife is the one expecting. It is truly a special time especially if you are a first-time parent.
It is exciting, scary, and nerve-wracking at times, but it will all be worth it in the end, as you get to meet your bundle of joy for the first time.
Read along as we recount how a man feels when his wife is pregnant.
Anxious and Nervous
Being nervous is a normal reaction when you find out that your wife is pregnant. People sometimes think that nervousness is a negative feeling but it is a normal feeling especially if you are going against so many unknowns.
You might be nervous about your wife’s pregnancy itself, how her health is affected and how pregnancy can impact your relationship with your wife.
You might also be nervous about how to act around a baby or even the simple things like, how do you even hold a baby? Or stop the baby from crying?
Newborns don’t come with a manual so there is a lot of guesswork when it comes to dealing with a baby. Being nervous is a completely acceptable reaction, especially if you don’t know what you are doing.
But you would eventually learn to adapt as you go along. It is also important to know that all babies are different, so there is no magic trick or special solution that you can do in dealing with them.
Pregnancy symptoms
Husbands sometimes go through sympathetic pregnancy symptoms which happen when they start exhibiting pregnancy-like symptoms like bloating, morning sickness, and mood swings. There is not enough scientific data to back up these claims, but it is not unusual if you start feeling the same symptoms as what your pregnant wife might be feeling.
If you start feeling pregnancy symptoms, don’t make a big deal out of it. It is just nature’s way of giving you a firsthand experience regarding how your wife must feel.
Stressed out
Having a baby is indeed life-changing and as hard as it will be on you and your wife to accept, your lives will be changed forever but for the better! You will now have a bundle of joy that will be yours forever and that is quite something to think about.
But with life changes, stress can come in and play a factor, especially if you don’t adapt to changes well. You might even be questioning your decision to become pregnant, even if you’ve been wanting this for a long time. This reaction is completely normal.
Another factor that might cause stress in soon-to-be-parents is the expectation to be able to provide for their children financially. Kids are not cheap and if you factor in schooling, daycare, food, and vacations, these costs add up. It’s important to remember that you will have to make do with what you have and don’t be too stressed out with finances.
You might also stress out about how your life will change and how you would take care of a baby. These are all normal feelings that first-time dads experience and are normal.
You just have to take deep breaths and stop getting into your mind all the time. We often worry about what’s about to happen even before that thing happens and all these are unnecessary worries and stress that affect our mental health.
If you are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, remember that this is a normal feeling and reaction. Don’t think that you are a bad person for feeling this way.
If it’s helpful, talk to your wife about how you’re feeling and concentrate on the bigger picture which is that you will be meeting your baby soon and your life will never be the same ever again because you will be Dad to somebody.
Try to focus on positive thinking and talking about how you’re feeling with your partner, close friends, or family members, the more you talk about it, the more you can process how you’re feeling and come up with a way to de-stress.
Happy
This is truly going to be one of the happiest times of your life, especially when you meet your baby for the first time. There is no feeling in the world that compares to holding your baby for the first time.
Finding out that your wife is pregnant is the first step and that will be so exciting for you as well especially if this is the first time. A child is a blessing but at the same time, life-changing so you have to be fully prepared to take it as it comes.
Your relationship with your wife will also change and will evolve into something else rather than becoming partners, you will both be parents and that is an exciting new adventure that you both will take on. The best thing about going through it with your wife is that you will always have your partner every step of the way and that helps as you both transition into parenthood.
Overprotective
It is normal to be overly protective over your wife during her whole pregnancy. Being pregnant might affect your wife differently. Although it is an exciting time, your wife might have a hard time with the aches and pains that come with pregnancy and this might leave you concerned and overprotective over her.
You will also probably feel overprotective about your unborn baby and you don’t want any harm coming your way.
Being overprotective means that you care greatly for your family, and don’t want them to be hurt or sick. This is a huge dad feeling, regardless if it’s for a newborn baby or a grown adult. You will always be worried about your children, no matter what age or stage in life they are in.