Having a baby is a good time to man up!

A reasonably light book for a heavy topic!

I was delighted to receive a copy of Stefan Korn's, Scott Lancaster's, and Eric Mooij's recent book Dad's Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies. I had heard about their website DIYFather.com through a friend, but I had never taken the step to venture any further... I probably should have, or at least got my Mr to head over there...

And hey, for those of us who are doing the pregnancy thing only once - we may as well make the most of it!

I guess my first impression of the book is that it is very much a 'man's book' - if I may be so un-PC... almost like a tool box for the modern Dad-to-be. Very practical and to the point - bullet point to be exact.

Chapters in the book cover all trimesters, prep before the birth, during the birth, and most importantly - after the birth, when we all know the real work begins.

A colorful pen helps point the way

I was especially intrigued by page 14's "Trading in your lifestyle (but not the sports car)" where the authors talk about the points in a man's life that will inevitably change. I read these points with amusement and encouragement thinking about how nice it would be if the men reading these paragraphs would actually follow through... However, it's reassuring that a book meant for Dads-to-be give them an indication of the variety of topics of their other half's nagging for the next five years at least...

Another familiar good piece of advice I found on page 21 was the point about endurance. "Sometimes the only way to cope with a situation is to endure it". This was familiar to me, as I have only learnt that through the years of parenting - endurance is survival! Smiling at the end of endurance is success!

As the book says, "A good time to man up"

So, I totally recommend this book to all Dads-to-be  who may not have a lot of time on their hands before the birth, or Dads who just might need some gentle encouragement in to the whole 'bringing new life in to the world' thing.

And when it comes to the unknown, knowledge can be power.

Visit DIYFather.com if you are so inclined.

Dad's Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies