Shopping

By: ePregnancy

Dads are infamous for not reading instruction manuals, and since babies don't come with one, you're in luck... But since your babe is the biggest investment you'll ever make, you need to consider getting yourself educated.

Take a fathering class!
You can meet other potential pops and allow yourself to ask the questions that all of you are wondering. Go on, take the class -- it's not like you're asking for directions or anything!

Here's what you can expect from a fathering class:

• Lots of discussion -- This is the place for you and your fellow dads to express whatever anxieties, frustrations or fears you are having. You'll receive feedback from other expectant dads as well as the instructor, who will have practical advice on how to handle a variety of situations. 
  
  
• Films -- It's not like Driver's Ed, where you had to watch reel after reel of mangled bodies. Well, not exactly. Your instructor will probably show a few real births. Even if you think you have a good idea of what a birth entails, you'll be surprised at what the films will teach you.
  
  
• Birth plans -- Your partner may already have all the birth details worked out, but have you discussed them together? Going over a birth plan and understanding what happens in the labor room with your instructor and the other dads helps you to be fully involved on the big day.
  
  
• Post-birth instruction -- The instructor will clue you in on what you need to have at home, feeding, changing diapers as well as the all-important topic of sex after birth. (Yes, it does happen.)