Joe Kelly - The Complete Idiots Guide to Being a New Dad

Being a
New Dad

by Joe Kelly

A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

For Mark Stelzner, New Dad

ALPHA BOOKS

Published by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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THE COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-61564-335-6
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2012951733

15 14 13 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the books printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the books printing. For example, a printing code of 13-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 2013.

Printed in the United States of America

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Introduction

Who knew that pregnancy, labor, and delivery could be such a wild ride? What blockbuster thriller has such wild mood swingsfrom excitement to terror and back to euphoria?

And thats all before you even take your baby home from the hospital.

Your childs first year is the most intense of her life. That year (and the months before shes born) are likely to be one of the most intenseand wonderfulyears of your life, too.

Youre now a father, the highest honor a man can hold. As with any honor, there is glory and uncertainty. You will burst with pride, and youll wonder how you suddenly got the capacity to love someone this much. You wont have all of the answers, and youll wonder how youll afford all thats ahead. At least you can take some comfort from all the dads whove gone before you.

You are not alone. Through the centuries, millions of other fathers also swelled with pride and recoiled from uncertainty. Yet, somehow, the human species keeps surviving and thriving through the goodif imperfectparenting of fathers and mothers. Guys keep getting in the game because, as one veteran dad says, Fatherhood is the greatest experience known to man.

Most fathers through history did their jobs without ever reading a book. That long, natural heritage lays a pretty solid foundation for you. Still, despite the millennia of fathering experience, it takes conscious effort (and sometimes even a bit of pushiness) for a man to stay involved in child-rearing nowadays.

So why bother with a book? If youre like most men, your own father probably didnt give you tons of instruction on how to be a dad (because he probably didnt get any from your grandpa). Most men lack a surefire road map for making the Peter Parker-like transformation from ordinary guy to something stronger and more agile than SpidermanDAD.

This book gives you that map. The Complete Idiots Guide to Being a New Dad combines fathering wisdom of the ages with new insights to guide you through your first year as Daddy.

I am a father; my twin daughters survived my parenting and are in their 30s. Ive worked in the parenting field for many years and have been lucky enough to talk to thousands of fathers, and this book draws on their experiences, too.

So, as you step off the pregnancy ride and enter the roller coaster of fatherhood, keep this game plan nearby to help you survive and enjoy this first year of the ride of your life.

This book will show you:

Why and how to avoid being left behind in the merry-go-round of doctors visits, diaper changes, opinionated relatives, teething, and the other challenges of your childs first year.

How to use your provider and protector instincts to help create healthy, enjoyable child-rearing for you, your partner, and your baby (or babies).

How to make room in your home, finances, career, and psyche for your baby.

How to share this miracle with your partner (and your baby) as fully as possible.

When youre done with the book, you wont be a Superhero Dad with a magic fathering cape. But you will have much of the equipment for the most exciting job youll ever have, and youll know how to keep your balance.