We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook
by Adrian Kulp
Child-rearing! An event rarely experienced or written about. This book is a first!
No of course not, but if you think that books for parents-to-be are probably more woman-centric then you would be very right. Of course there are books detailing the developmental process which should be something that interests both parents, but since the baby is inside the mother, it only makes sense to talk about what changes this growing being is causing the incubator itself.
As the title says, We’re Pregnant is a more dad-centric book and it covers a wide range of topics from pre-pregnancy and planning, an informative walk-through of the developmental stages of the growing baby, all the way to the fourth trimester. If I had to summarize this book in one word, it would be “impressive.” There is a ton of information and stats that Kulp goes through and he does it in easily digestible chunks. We’re Pregnant looks like it would be an easy read and consumable in one sitting but there really are a lot of things to think about if you want to be a well-informed dad. Of course there’s the goofy stuff like what fruit sized object the baby is at every week and which organs have developed, but also the very important stuff like at what stage a premature baby can be born and still have a good chance of surviving. Heavy stuff, I know, but that’s vital information right there.
Of course, what makes We’re Pregnant so useful to dads is that it creates a sort of blueprint for what you could be doing to help the process move along as smoothly as possible. Preparation of course is key but also doing things that will give you and your partner peace of mind. Kulp is nothing if not thorough and he’ll cover topics like what you can be expecting from your wife’s behavior, what you can be doing to help (whether it’s cooking certain meals, running certain errands, or planning nice alone time for the both of your), and what you could be doing as far as prepping for the baby. There are times where Kulp goes a little overboard with his suggestions but I’ve come to see this as a guide to what dads can do to go above and beyond the call of duty. I asked my wife about some of these suggestions and she point-blank said she would feel smothered if I were so overly attentive to every little detail. Some stuff she was 100% on board with. Other stuff she asked me to just straight up ignore, like the gender reveal nonsense. So it’s up to you and your partner to discuss how to reach a happy medium. This book will give you all the information you need to make smart decisions in the process.
I’ve never had a baby so I can’t review this book in hindsight, but I will say I feel much more informed about the whole thing after having read this book. Knowledge brings power (and a healthy dose of fear). We’re Pregnant manages to stuff a boat load of useful and vital information in easy to digest chunks. As I said before, this book is impressive.
Get it here.
