A child is one of the greatest blessings people can receive. However, they must be aware that the little one will bring many changes in the family’s life.
With motherhood, women experience many variations in their bodies, hormones and lifestyle, but these great transformations are not only present in their lives: you also experience many changes when you become a father.
To make sure this new life doesn’t come as a surprise, you need to be prepared for some of the following realities:
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What are the biggest changes when you become a father?
1. There will be less time spent on activities you used to do. If you used to watch soccer with your friends or spend many hours in front of the television, you will now have to be a little more resourceful to continue doing so. Naturally, you’ll need to spend time alone, but the care and attention your children will need may make finding that space more difficult.
2. Your responsibilities increase. Fatherhood is one of the best experiences for any man, but as with all privileges, it will bring additional responsibilities. A father’s routine includes tasks such as nursing illnesses, feeding his child, changing diapers, and accompanying his partner in household chores, among others. You need to organize your time to best meet these tasks.
3. Your skills will be put to the test. Being a dad includes many activities that you may never have done before. You’ll find that your child becomes a priority and this will lead you to develop skills you never thought you had. The tasks you share with your partner will help you perfect the technique of carrying, feeding, soothing their cries and making them smile.
4. Money management is different. One of the changes, when you become a father, is how the financial side of things changes. In the budget, you’ll need to include medical bills, clothes, diapers, food and even start thinking about a college fund. Getting your economy in order is essential as you begin your life as a father.
5. On days off, you won’t want to be separated from your baby. After spending an entire week working, you will look forward to the time off to share with your children. Remember, too, that moms and dads need activities with friends or family so they don’t end up feeling trapped in their own homes.
6. Your social circle may change. Once you become a father, you will begin to build relationships with other couples who are going through the same process. Maintaining a relationship with your single, childless friends will be more difficult because your spaces and activities will be different from those you had.
7. You will find a feminine side that you didn’t know you had. Seeing a big part of yourself reflected in a little baby will make you feel tenderness and love that you never knew existed. Doing activities that you previously considered very feminine will not be a sacrifice: it will be for the sake of your children.
8. Your stress will increase. The responsibility of having a child can be very stressful for you. From the moment you learn that your partner is pregnant, doubts about how to meet the needs of the little one arise. Fortunately, this anxiety and stress tends to decrease after childbirth, according to some studies.
9. Hormonal changes occur. Pregnancy is characterized by the generation of well-known hormonal changes in women. However, you should know that you will experience similar changes. Your testosterone levels will tend to drop, especially in the last few weeks. On the other hand, your brain oxytocin levels will increase, which explains the father-child bond that will be created.
10. An empathetic pregnancy occurs. You may experience nausea, dizziness or some of the symptoms of pregnancy with your partner. All this is due to a psychological phenomenon that is a little difficult to explain, but very interesting and fascinating at the same time.
Recommendations for those who are or plan to be fathers
- Time is the best gift you can give your children. Enjoy every moment you can with them. Watching them grow is a privilege you won’t want to miss.
- Be tolerant. Remember that you are there to teach your children everything they need. In the process, you may lose patience, but watch their tender faces and take deep breaths to calm yourself.
- Talk and play with them. Gestures and movement are a child’s best friends in their early years. Movement makes it much easier for them to learn.
- Pay attention to your children’s feelings. Whenever children express themselves, they do so expecting a response from you. Just as we adults don’t like to stop talking to each other, they don’t like it either.
- Love and discipline: the perfect combination. Educating love is the key to developing good human beings. Show them affection, but also teach them to act properly.
Although all these changes, when you become a father, seem too radical, you will receive the best reward you can imagine: the love of your child. Each of his kisses, hugs and words of affection will make you forget this new lifestyle.
Enjoy this new stage and receive this new version of you with joy. Welcome this new man who will now be called “Daddy”!
