Having a baby will change your partner's lifestyle as well so he must be mentally prepared for this but most often, as all pre-pregnancy care and planning is centered around the woman, the partners are usually caught unaware!
The following guidelines will help prepare him in the best possible way:
He must be prepared
emotionally for the nine months of pregnancy ahead as
you have your bouts of nausea, mood swings, loss of
interest in sex etc.
It is best to decide about starting or expanding a
family when you and your partner are emotionally and
financially able to do so. A child needs love, care and a secure family to
grow up in and there is not much point in having a baby
when you and your partner are having problems with your own
relationship.
Your partner can try
and keep stress out of his and your life, if possible.
Stress can put you off sex and hence, delay
conception.
If his work brings
him in contact with any risk, he
must try and minimise the exposure for the time when
you are trying for a baby.
If he has a fertility problem, he must approach a
specialist. Being quiet and shy about it will do you
both no good.
Smoking can delay conception and can
also harm your baby in the womb. If your partner
smokes, he should try and break the habit as soon as
possible. In fact, he can act as a source of
encouragement for you as well and help prevent you from
smoking.
Alcohol and street drugs can inhibit
fertility. If your partner consumes either of them, he
must cut back on his habit at least for a few months
before you conceive.
He can encourage you to exercise and eat a good diet as being fit plays a role in a
healthy conception.
He must be open and discuss any
genetic problems he knows of
in his family as they could be inherited by your baby
(although your partner may not suffer from them
himself).
He must have a positive approach
to the entire process of conception and bear with you when
you insist on making love on THOSE days!!
