I’m going to try to avoid writing another trite and banal blog post on becoming a new dad. All the stuff you read and have heard is likely true so no need to hear it again from me. With that, I wanted to provide some fresh thoughts on the matter so here are some quick observations in no particular order:
Random unexpected observation #1: Newborn babies snort like little piglets eating from a trough. I suppose it’s the way their nasal passages are formed but sometimes I wonder if my wife gave birth to a gobbling ‘hungry-hungry’ hippo piglet or a human with a snort transmission system.
Not-so-shocking revelation #2: You know you’re going to have to change diapers but it’s appalling how many diapers you actually will change. I think one day alone I changed 16 diapers. It led me down the path of asking Chat-GPT how many diapers a father expects to change over the lifespan of a single child. The answer was 6,000 - 9,000 diapers per child. Wow, my hands will be as effective as Jiro rolling sushi!
Cute observation #3: Newborn clothing design is way more important than I thought. Does it zipper at the bottom and the top? Does it utilize buttons or magnets to close up. Newborn & infant clothing designers need to find the perfect balance between pure utility and “awww” factor but in the end, a simple to open, simple to close onesie will always win the day over an ‘awww’ inspiring two piece.
Just so happens #4: You will find burp clothes in every garment pocket. Like a magician whipping out a handkerchief in front of a crowd of onlookers, you will reach into a pocket to find yet again, another burp cloth. In your winter coat, you’ll find that chapstick you used once…and then a burp cloth. Those pair of sweatpants you wear around the house on Sunday, burp cloths in every pocket.
Confounding but beautiful observation #5: Grandma’s can be content holding their grandchild for hours on end with no other stimulation. I’m shocked and beyond grateful that this is the case but my mother in law can sit and hold our baby for hours at a time…buying us time to recapture in our day and creating the amazing connection between grandparent and child. I’m still blissfully confounded by the ability and desire for the idle time between them.
Understatement Observation #6: New moms are what heroes are made of…(and now to state the obvious)…and if men had to give birth and raise a child, the population would have ceased well in the BC era!
Connection Unlock Observation #7: When the baby grabs your finger and holds on for dear life, it’s like you feel a connection in lineage across the universe. For me, those have been the coolest moments thus far. When I’m holding my son on my shoulders and he’s holding my finger with his mini-hands. Such a special transgenerational connection.
Burping Observation #8: I know it feels good to burp or let out a belch. You know when you’re drinking a fizzy drink and you just let go an airy burp…that’s such a relieving feeling. Well, I underestimated how often babies have to burp. Babies have to burp ALL-THE-TIME and we spend basically half the day in search of the hidden burps. I knew burping a baby was a necessary step but I didn’t realize it would be a limitless game of hide and go seek.
Physical Manifestation #9: You will never need to do biceps at the gym again. A baby is the equivalent of carrying around a ten pound dumbbell in a curl position for hours at a time. Low weight, high reps…I see where dad strength comes from!
Emotional Reward Meter Observation #10: There seems to be this conventional wisdom that the first 90 days is really tough and pretty thankless as a new dad. I’m told the 3 month mark is when you start to really sense the emotional reward and start to “get something back” from the baby. I can actually feel that emotional reward meter growing as if a status ticker on the way to a full fundraising target.
“You mentally prepare for all the hard stuff, but you don’t actually prepare for the good stuff.”
Great post! The best upcoming milestone to look forward to is when the baby starts to sleep through the night!