OliverStop.com

So you went with you wife to all the doctor appointments, ultrasounds and breathing classes but you still don’t feel the true feelings of being a Daddy. Your wife starts really feeling the emotions of being a Mommy long before you. Her body has gone through changes and she can feel the little one kicking and moving inside. Sure you got to put your hand on the belly and feel a kick, you saw the ultrasound pictures but something is still missing right? Don’t worry all first time Dads go through this.

There is really no way for us to feel or even imagine what our wife has gone through for nine months, but the moment you see that little face and those little eyes look at you everything in your life is about to change. So the question still remains, what do I do now? How do I start my connection with this new little person and let them learn that I am Daddy?

Now let me be clear I am not a Doctor, a psychologist or a parenting expert I am just a Daddy who has been there. I was excited through the term of the pregnancy, but I was not prepared for the wave of emotions that I felt the first time I saw Oliver. I know it is not the manliest of things, but I did cry when I saw him for the first time and they were tears of joy. In one instant I realized that I was a Daddy, and it was my duty to provide for him and be there to teach him to live.

Something I did to connect with Oliver was simply holding him as much as possible. Look at him and talk to him. I know that he had no idea what I was saying, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was hearing my voice and seeing my face.

I work a full time job and leave for work very early in the morning. So something else I did was on the weekends I would get up with him in the morning and let Kristi sleep in. This would give me one on one time with Oliver that I could start creating the bond. There were mornings that I would just lay on the floor with him staring at him, talking to him and playing with him. This was very important to me and helped me feel the emotions my wife had gone through for months. Just little things like laying him on my chest, holding his little hands and taking naps with him in my arms enforced the feelings of being a Daddy.

There was a period when I was going to work at four in the morning and Kristi was great about letting me sleep though the night. I did try to when Oliver would wake up in the night to eat go get him and bring him to Mommy to eat. It was hard for me, but I can remember some pretty wonderful emotions of going to get Oliver when he was crying and by simply picking him up he would settle down. This was very powerful to me and showed me exactly the true feelings of being a father. When they are that little and that new to this world we are everything to them and they depend on us for everything even the feeling of security and comfort.

My biggest tip for a new Daddy is don’t be scared, you are not going to hurt them by picking them up and holding them. Hold them as much as you can, look into their eyes and tell them about your day. They will listen and they will love you for it!

About the Author: Jeff Burchell
Jeff Burchell is Oliver’s Dad and created www.OliverStop.com as a way to share to wonderful experience of being a parent. There are many questions new parents face as they raise their babies to toddlers and beyond at www.OliverStop.com we have ideas and activites for children of all ages.

Published at: www.oliverstop.com