Countless lines have been written about how difficult it is to be a mother: labor, stretch marks, mood swings and a long list of things for which mothers will always be our favorite heroes.
We have no doubt that it is a very difficult task and we do not come to question it, but have you ever sat down to think about the parents? Fatherhood is an emotional roller coaster, a daily challenge that men are not trained to do and a life transformation for which you are never fully prepared.
Imagine what it is like for a man to learn how to change a diaper, carry and dress a newborn, detect the ideal temperature of a bottle, accompany the mother and as if that were not enough, understand her hormonal disorders. We spoke to some of them to find out first-hand how they live the daily adventure of being parents without dying trying…
We are pregnant!
Few moments generate as much emptiness in the stomach as the suspicion of pregnancy. The delay, buying the test, and the eternal minutes that elapse until the damn lines come out. While the woman is trembling from fright inside the bathroom, on the other side of the door there is a man sweating, anxious, with his mind blocked and his heart racing. Excitement, fright, surprise, joy… in a second there is a collapse of emotions that fall on them like a bucket of cold water. We are pregnant! Yes, the world stops but it’s not like in the novels, the future parents don’t go out screaming with joy because they don’t have much breath left to do so, nor do they run to call their mother, brother or uncle to infect everyone with their cocktail exciteshim, on the contrary they sit down to think seriously about everything that is coming for the rest of their lives.
The overprotective dad syndrome
This syndrome is characteristic of new parents. The two lines on the pregnancy test don’t just grow mom’s belly, they get into dad’s brain and heart and turn him into a lookout, a guardian with 24-hour daily shifts. Those men who until recently had minimal notions of nutrition, prevention and care, suddenly become experts. They take care of their mother’s diet, balance their meals, get scared if she walks too fast or if she goes out alone, they are worried about pollution rates and traffic accident statistics… And yes, they become a little unbearable! But moms always forgive them because they know it’s just too much love.
Nine months that seem like 100 years
Parents also live those nine long months of waiting intensely. They get excited with each kick of the baby and would die to be able to feel more than their hands allow. Some feel cravings and suffer from sleep disturbances. As the baby grows, they read magazines, attend prenatal courses and strive to learn enough to receive super prepared to that new being that keeps them awake.
It’s going to be born!
9 months waiting for the day he is born to die of fright right at that moment. Although they are on board with a nervous breakdown, they are the chosen drivers and they must make sure not only to get to the hospital but also to carry the suitcase in which, in addition to the baby’s first clothes, all their expectations and fears go. A new emotional breakdown happens inside them and they don’t know whether to get anxious, smile or run away. They think about their mother’s pain, about their well-being, they cross their fingers that everything goes well and they sweat more than the day they took the pregnancy test. Seeing that long-awaited son for the first time makes it all worth it.
Diapers, bottles, crying and late nights
During pregnancy, many of their friends told them to take advantage and sleep as much as possible, but they didn’t do it enough. The nights are never the same again: you have to feed the baby, change his diaper, calm him down if he is nervous and the next day get up early to work. And although they are a little clumsy and put on a lot of diapers badly, they have made an effort and have become movie dads. Their little ones begin to grow and they are moved by their smiles, their witticisms, and their sincere demonstrations of love.
They all agree that having a child changes their chip and they are never the same again. The one who used to paraglide, dived at high altitudes and thought he was Schumacher at the wheel, suddenly becomes cautious and prudent. They want to make sure they’re there for those little beings that make them happy, watch them grow and fill them with love every day.
They run out of work so they don’t find their sleeping babies and can enjoy them for a couple of hours. Bathing with them, watching a football game, going to a swimming pool or simply watching them sleep, become the most awaited and pleasant moments.
