Soon to be first time dad,what should I expect? Advice?

My first child is on the way,the soon to be mom is 7 months. What should I expect going into the last months and birth if she's had REALLY bad mood swings throughout the whole pregnancy?Soon to be first time dad,what should I expect? Advice?
The mom will be having more and more trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep. Pillows help, but take up a lot of room on the bed. If she's snoring more, don't be surprised, either.





Bad mood swings are likely due to hormones, but this should not affect the labor. For labor, all you can do is prepare yourselves the best you know how and just understand that it may go as planned or differently.





My labor didn't go the way I wanted(an easy basic delivery achieved through the power of breathing techniques) and I ended up needing a c-section. It was worth it, though, because I have a wonderful baby girl who is almost 10 months old.





The first three weeks were the hardest. It was like boot camp and it was harder because of the surgery. My husband was great and really there, even when he was at his wit's end.





There's a sense out there that everyone experiences some sort of magic when their baby is born and they are instantly in love and bestowed with magical parenting abilities and instincts. This is not necessarily the case. So what ever you are or aren't feeling, it's okay.





Babies cry.





Yes, I know you knew that, but ours cried when we changed her diaper, picked her up, put her down, or moved her in any way. I think that was just her way of letting us know she recognized there was movement. That eased up when she was 2 weeks old and my husband was thrilled at the first 'cry-free' diaper change.





You just have to be open to taking things as they come and having a friend or parents to call, in the event that your sleepless brain is frying is a huge help.





For the first 3 months, baby's developing nervous systems have difficulty in terms of calming when upset. The best thing is to hold them. If they cry, try feeding, check diaper, and then just hold them close to your body. They really like skin to skin contact and it helps development. Ours would always calm down when held, and especially liked skin to skin contact. In those first 3 months, hold the baby whenever he/she needs holding. You will not spoil the baby by holding him/her too much. Our baby began sleeping in her own crib at 2 months and is now mostly sleeping through the night.





Everyone and their mother will be giving you advice(You hold her too much-you'll spoil her. You need to start feeding solid foods at 3 months(no doctor would recommend that). You should let her cry it out. Blah blah blah.) My mom's sister told her she should stop nursing me when I was 5 months and my mom felt pressured to listen because her sister already had an older child. Advice may be helpful to hear and may even be good, but, ultimately you and the mom are going to have your own instincts about your baby.





One last piece of advice: It goes by SO FAST! Enjoy every stage and don't just wish for them to be able to feed themselves or whatever. I was just looking at photos of when ours was 1 month and I can't believe how the time has flown by. So just enjoy each stage and each day and each smile and burp and those tiny fingers and toes because those tiny fingers and toes will be big before you know it and you'll wonder where the time went.





Congratulations and good luck to you and your family!Soon to be first time dad,what should I expect? Advice?
First off expect a baby. Next no one can tell u how to become a dad no matter how many books u read nothing can prepare u for this moment in your life. All I can say is that it will be worth it. (oh and P.S. if the mom is havng a bad time be there for her)
Check out some of these books:





http://www.amazon.com/New-Father-Book-Ev鈥?/a>





http://www.amazon.com/Expectant-Father-A鈥?/a>





Good luck and congratulations!
Oh congrats..Just read a lot about it...There is a book called what to expect for dads...Give her lots of tummy rubs and back rubs and feet....
Your main answers for any of her questions regardless of what she asks, are as follows:





Yes


NO you dont look fat
My dads got scars on his chest from where my mum grabbed him during birth
Be there for your partner. She'll balloon in the next couple of months, and be more like a tortoise than a hare. She'll find most aspects of life very difficult. Don't rush her, and be patient with her.





Support her through labour, and really listen to her. She will know what she needs while she is birthing your baby.





Please don't get upset if she tells you to leave her alone during proceedings. Labour is an emotional time for a woman, and sometimes women are very private over matters like this. I often told my husband that when I had a baby, I'd be like my cat when she birthed her kittens - I'd squirrel myself away as best I could (depending on the situation) and be totally by myself. As it turned out, I had a medically necessary c-section, which was wonderfully positive, and very comfortable.





If this is her first baby, she'll also be all over the place with her emotions. Becoming a first time mum is very confronting and difficult for a woman if she hasn't had any experience with children before her baby is born. Give her time to bond with your baby, and get used to being a mother (even if that means leaving the two of them totally alone for a few hours after birth). Don't be alarmed if at some point, you walk into her hospital room and find her sitting on the bed, cradling the baby and crying her eyes out. I cried for a full day a couple of days after my daughter was born, because I was so overwhelmed, confused and scared.





Your partner can help the baby by being there for him or her, constantly, for the first five months of his/her life. My daughter is a very secure little girl, because I did just that for her until she was six months old. I slept in the nursery with her, and got up to her every little squawk. She's now infectiously happy, and very confident.





Your baby will probably have what seems like constant wind. My daughter was very ';colicky'; when she was little, so I learned a lot about how to deal with it.





Pop him or her over your shoulder and rub/pat until he/she burps. It takes forever when the baby is young, but as they get older, they will burp themselves if you pop them over your shoulder and give them a couple of gentle rubs.





A tip that a friend taught me to send a young baby to sleep is to hold them for 20 minutes. This may be obvious, but when you are at your wits end in the early days, it is like a heavenly cure.





I hope my rambling answer helps in some way! Remember that it will only get better (hard to believe in the early days...they seem like endless night!). Good luck to you both!!