Special Feature: Author Ashley English Talks About the Birds and Bees of Expectant Parents

tips for expecting fathers, from their expecting partners: 

-feed us. really. we're hungrier than we've ever been in our lives. we'd love it if you whipped us up meals. nothing needs to be elaborate, but when we're low on energy, knowing someone else will be doing the cooking is an absolute godsend. snacks are especially good, too. 

-in a similar vein, we'd love help with the grocery shopping. our tastes will be highly variable and immensely fickle right now, so don't balk if we used to adore feta and olives and are now repulsed by them. the pendulum will again swing in that direction, but, for now, just see what we'd like and help us shop for that. 

-be open minded, in the event that our food preferences should experience a profound change. i picked up eating poultry during my pregnancy after a 14 year hiatus. it was what my body told me it needed and nothing satisfied me until i had it again. talk openly about our dietary changes as we experience them, but try to do so with an open mind, especially if we're craving something that you don't eat yourself. 

-if we're the ones that customarily do the laundry, wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, sweep the floors, vacuum, empty the cat's litter box, etc., we'd love a helping hand. 

-reading a pregnancy book for dads makes us feel like you're really on board. while we'll be the one's doing the actual carrying, laboring, and delivery, we want you to know what's going on inside of us, as well. 

-plan a co-ed baby shower with us. baby's aren't just for the mom, after all; they're literal family affairs. 

-when you can, come with us doctor/nurse/midwife appointments. every visit, or test, is new (especially for first time moms) and we'd love a little reassurance from a familiar face. 

-allow us to vent when we need to vent. sometimes we're just uncomfortable and need to vocalize. we're not looking for you to make things better, we're just blowing off steam. a little bit of diffusing along the way goes far towards keeping major blowouts from happening.

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