Oh dear! What am I unleashing on the world????

[LonePhantom]

Well, just as soon as my new wife and I get back from our honeymoon we go and buy a house. And as soon as we've started fixing up the house we're now expecting our first child! All happening so fast!

It's a little earlier than we were planning on, although that's not to say we weren't trying for a baby. Due to some horrible things in my wife's past, before we met, she was was told by doctors that she would be lucky to even conceive, and even luckier to hold a baby for a full term, so we figured we start a little earlier than we would have normally, and we were luckier than we thought and it didn't take nearly as long as it could have.

I'm still apprehensive on a few levels, I hope that she will hold for the full term, but I do worry. I'm also freaking out about having a baby of our own! I love kids but small babies have always freaked me out a little. I'm worried about dropping them, holding them correctly.

Changing nappies (diapers for the US peeps) is another thing I'm really worried about as I have a very sensitive sense of smell, and clearing out my cats litter tray gets me dry-retching!

I have learnt from Funniest Home Videos never to hold a baby at head height or higher as you are asking to be vomited, pee-d, shat on! I wont be doing those things!

So how were all of you guys and girls that have kids when you found out you were having your first child. Are my feelings normal, or am I a little bit of a freak?

[RG_76]

Your feelings sound pretty normal to me ;p I have 3 kids, all 3 and under. Don't worry about breaking them when you hold them, just make sure you hold them often =) Hold them, hug them and kiss them every chance you get. Life is precious, and being blessed with children makes it that much better!

Congratulations on all of your achievements and just be the best dad you know how to be =) A friend of mine once told me that all of the time you spend with your kids as children, after they grow up and leave, will never be enough. So cherish the time you have and the gifts you have been given and you will be A O K =)

Oh yes, tell your wife how beautiful she is the entire time she is pregnant. Also, get some Cocoa Butter and rub her tummy with it every night before she goes to bed. It helps you bond with her and also helps to prevent stretch marks.

Man I could go on forever, but I won't LOL, Congrats and don't worry, no matter what happens, you will do fine ;p

[Petie]

Congratulations!!! That's great news! Ok, lemmie address a few of your concerns:

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

I love kids but small babies have always freaked me out a little. I'm worried about dropping them, holding them correctly.

When they're really small, they don't really have enough strength to wiggle free and land on the floor, and as long as you support their little head, they'll be fine. For the first week I was pretty tentative with holding our baby, but they just like to be held close and that's quite easy to do. Don't be shy about holding your baby, cos the more contact they get, the better.

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

Changing nappies (diapers for the US peeps) is another thing I'm really worried about as I have a very sensitive sense of smell, and clearing out my cats litter tray gets me dry-retching!

Until they start eating solid foods, there's really not much of a smell, so you have a good 6 months of pong-free nappies before you need to worry. Once they start on the solids... um... well, you just somehow deal with it but again, it's not quite as bad as, say, dog poo or adult poo or something. Most of the time.

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

I have learnt from Funniest Home Videos never to hold a baby at head height or higher as you are asking to be vomited, pee-d, shat on! I wont be doing those things!

I've been vomited on a few times here and there and yeah, at least keep them at chest height so you don't cop a face full. The danger zone is within about 15-30 minutes after feeding. Watch out for The Geyser Effect. It's nature's way of telling you to make sure you burp baby properly after a feed.

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

So how were all of you guys and girls that have kids when you found out you were having your first child. Are my feelings normal, or am I a little bit of a freak?

You have 9 months to get used to the idea, and I found that by about 6 or 7 months, I felt 'ready.'

You should get a book called "Up The Duff" by Kaz Cooke. As annoying as I find her writing at times, it's a great book for outlining everything that's going on during a pregancy, for both the baby and the mother, and being aware of this stuff will make you better equipped to be supportive during the pregnancy.

Also, make use of any pre-natal classes and stuff that might be offered in your area. We still keep in touch with some of the couples we met at those classes, and it's good to be able to discuss this stuff with someone who's going through it at the exact same time as you, from pregnancy through to all the really fun stuff like baby's first steps etc.

After baby is born, check out a book called The Wonder Weeks, which goes through all the different 'perceptual leaps' babies go through in their first 18 months, and is absolutely invaluable for knowing why baby's going through a fussy period, how long it will last, what you can do to get through it, etc.

Email or PM me if you ever have any questions. Since our baby's only 1 year old, a lot of this stuff is still quite fresh in my mind, especially cos it was just his birthday and my partner and I have been reflecting a lot on this time last year and the whole pregnancy thing.

[Distantshore]

Congrats! I don't have any kids, but I wish you and your wife all the best!

[LonePhantom]

Thanks guys, and Petie I might take up your offer if I have some questions. We've got a couple of friends who have had kids in the last 4 years which is good too, so will be talking to them too during this time.

I love the fact that there is a book called "Up the Duff"! That is hilarious. One of the guys at work was saying he got that too. Only an Australian author would name their book "Up the Duff".

[ScottB]

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

I have learnt from Funniest Home Videos never to hold a baby at head height or higher as you are asking to be vomited, pee-d, shat on! I wont be doing those things!

One evening, when my daughter was about 6 mos. old, I was holding her up in the air over top of my head. I was looking up at her laughing while holding her up. She was giggling and I was laughing, when all of a sudden she burped and about 4 ounces of formula and rice cereal spewed out of her mouth and directly into mine. I made sure that never happened again!

[Petie]

Originally Posted by ScreamJem7

One evening, when my daughter was about 6 mos. old, I was holding her up in the air over top of my head. I was looking up at her laughing while holding her up. She was giggling and I was laughing, when all of a sudden she burped and about 4 ounces of formula and rice cereal spewed out of her mouth and directly into mine. I made sure that never happened again!

I know that's not funny but... that's funny!

[LonePhantom]

Originally Posted by ScreamJem7

One evening, when my daughter was about 6 mos. old, I was holding her up in the air over top of my head. I was looking up at her laughing while holding her up. She was giggling and I was laughing, when all of a sudden she burped and about 4 ounces of formula and rice cereal spewed out of her mouth and directly into mine. I made sure that never happened again!

See that's the sort of **** I'm talking about. I'm going to learn from that sort of thing and never hold a baby up high, you're just asking for it!

[mi2tom]

Congratz! I'm working on one right now

[LonePhantom]

Have fun mate!

Ooh, not while you were writing that reply were you????

[mi2tom]

LOL!!! Good one

[andy7jem]

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

Have fun mate!

Ooh, not while you were writing that reply were you????

Now THAT IS dedication to jemsite

[shredmaster]

hey man, congrats! we are in the same / similar boat my friend.

i just found out last friday i was going to be a dad as well. this is our first, although my wife has her 13 year old who is living with us (she had her early in life.) we just had a house built and that has been really rough financially, i'm losing my job in 3 months due to a merger, and now we're having a baby. it's all good. it will work out (cringe.) she knows what to do with kids and my brother just had theirs last year. the only issues i face are money and her 13 year old brat kid hating the idea of a baby.

CONGRATS DUDE!!!! have fun with it.
steve

[FloridaNative]

Congratulations!! I wish you and your wife all the best! Don't worry. It's a little bit scary the first few days, but you'd be surprised how quickly you get used to that little stranger in the house. When they are newborns if they cry it's usually that they are hungry, tired, need a diaper change or have gas. Just run through the checklist and you'll be fine. Also a piece of advice, get a baby swing. They really help alot. The motion soothes the baby when they're fussy and helps them fall asleep. Car rides and stroller rides also help. I've done many a middle of the night drive through the neighborhood believe you me. Also you can tape record the sound of the clothes drier running or the vacuum cleaner, those "white noise" type sounds help soothe alot of babies as well, although nothing soothes them quite like the sound of mommy's heartbeat. Having the baby lay on your wife's chest with it's ear over her heart will help as well. Congratulations again! My best wishes for your family.

[andy7jem]

^^ babies have gas too

Best not show them any Ibanez catalogues 'til they are MUCH older then