What everyone tells an expectant father
Being an expectant mother, I receive all kinds of advice, horror stories, encouragement, and predictions. Usually I appreciate it and am grateful. Either way, I’m very used to it, and for the most part, everyone tells me something different. Other than the questions, “How are you feeling?” and, “Are you ready?” I don’t get repetitive advice very often.
But my poor husband does. For some reason, there is one word of wisdom that everyone wants to share with him. I have heard this directed towards him dozens of times – the Forecast of Doom for the expectant father:
“You’re never going to sleep again.”
Why is there such a concensus that new fatherhood is one long, sleepless nightmare? Even if he does lose tons of sleep over the next few months (which he probably will), did he gain much from having been warned over and over?
I’m writing this mostly tongue-in-cheek, so don’t feel bad if you’ve warned him once or twice yourself. 
I’m just pondering why this is the first thing that pops into most people’s minds when they’re talking to a first-time father.
My husband probably felt the same way! Unfortunately (or fortunately, for them) husbands typically get more sleep than Momma’s do. At least that was my case. I always felt bad for having him take care of the baby in the middle of night, because I knew he had to get up and work. Don’t get me wrong, it happened quite a lot for the first few months, but after things smoothed out it mostly rests on the Mothers sleepless shoulders. Men have this uncanny ability to replace lost nighttime sleep with that of naptime sleep.
You know, I sometimes think that people say that kind of thing with glee a wee bit…I know that when people say that they are taking organic chemistry, I look at them with a gleam in my eye, (the gleam of I finished a hard thing and did OK) and say “you’ll have fun” (sarcastically), and maybe that is kind of the same thing?? Anyway, I agree with your statement – maybe you lose sleep, but it is worth it
Praying for you!!
Ok, so Josh can sleep through a baby crying (I can NOT) thus I am usually the one to get up. But I must say with 2 toddlers in the home we both get plenty of sleep.
There is your encouragement, AJ! You will sleep again!
tell your hubby its nothing like what he hears. for various reasons i had to go back to work and my husband has been a stay at home dad for the past 3 months with a now- 6 month old…he told me he wouldnt have it any other way. Josh will be fine
Funny that people would tell your husband that as it is, quite frankly, YOU who will be having the sleepless nights, at least if breast feeding works out for you!!!:) Or maybe I shouldn’t have said that….!;)