Without getting into the debate on gender equality when preparing for the arrival of a baby in the family, it is nevertheless the right time to question the role of each one during this period. If the role of the mother is obvious (she carries the baby and ensures its good development during nine months), what is the role of the father during the pregnancy?
Support and physical and moral assistance: the father’s main role during pregnancy
Although it heralds a happy event, pregnancy is nevertheless a trial that can be more or less difficult and anxiety-provoking for both partners. In the vast majority of cases, it will be the mother for whom it will be the most difficult physically, morally, and hormonally.
It is therefore quite naturally the father-to-be who will be responsible for providing support and assistance to the mother of his future child. This can take different forms.
Being present should be the first concern of the father-to-be. Establish a constant and reassuring presence with her, and provide her with support at all times without smothering her. Ask her regularly if she needs anything, to discuss her anxieties and doubts. It will also be the role of the father-to-be to physically help his partner with certain physical tasks that will become difficult as the pregnancy progresses. Carrying heavy loads, moving others, taking care of the shopping, and probably taking care of some of the household chores.
It may also be a good idea, as the end of your pregnancy approaches, to inform your employer so that you can find a solution to adjust your schedule. Indeed, your partner will definitely need your presence when the time comes. When you know the date of the end of your pregnancy, don’t wait and refer to your employer. Your partner will feel much more serene if your presence at the crucial moment is guaranteed in advance.
When the father-to-be is at home, it is very important to discuss with his partner, who is facing important changes in her body as well as in her psyche. Indeed, the mother-to-be is preparing both physically and mentally to give birth to a child, and this is not without consequences on her stress and on the self-esteem she may have in the face of this feeling of fatigue and loss of self-esteem (weight gain, acne, swelling, mood swings…).
It is therefore very important to reassure her. Even if the best person to do this is a friend or a relative who has already experienced a pregnancy, the self-esteem part is much more the responsibility of her partner. He will need to show her love, patience and understanding.
Preparing the house for the newcomer: the handyman dad-to-be
In a few months, you’ll be one more person (if not more) in the house. This requires some logistical and material preparation. Once again, it will be up to the man of the house to take care of all this. Of course, there is nothing to stop you from leafing through magazines and babycare product catalogs to get inspired and agree on colors, furniture and supplies. But once the decision has been made, it will be a good idea not to involve the mother more, who should rest. The father-to-be will then have all the time in the world to order and install the room of his future child. This will give him the feeling of being in his place, while showing his partner that she can count on him. By doing this, the father-to-be undoubtedly reinforces the feeling of security and serenity that his partner will feel throughout this nine-month adventure in which they are both embarked, but at different positions.
