Becoming a father for the first time is a bit nerve-wracking. In terms of becoming a father and fatherhood itself, there are a few things a man should know before the baby is born.

 

1. just when you thought you could control and plan your own life, along comes baby. In many things you will have to follow his lead at the beginning because he starts crying at the most inopportune moments.

2. your baby is unique. Nobody knows what he or she will like later and what he or she won't. This is an opportunity for you to experience the development of a new human being at close quarters.

3 During pregnancy, we involuntarily form an image of the baby's personality. When it arrives, it will be very different from what we thought.

4 Even if you can't imagine it at the moment: A baby is a lot of fun. You won't mind changing dirty nappies because it's your baby.

5. your baby will very often ask to be carried in your arms. This means that you will have to get used to doing a lot of things one-handed. You will become a master at eating with one hand, turning the pages of your newspaper with your feet and operating the DVD player with your nose.

6 Your baby changes every day. Everything it learns is like a revelation. You will feel the need to share every little progress with your friends, which will probably bore them.

7. remember that the new mum will be going through childbirth. Support her during her recovery phase.

8. you and your partner will call each other Mum and Dad, which everyone else thinks is terrible.

9 The new grandparents need some time to grow into their role. You will receive a lot of useful, but also unsolicited advice.

10. keep curious visitors to a minimum for the first few weeks. You will need this time to get used to your new life, so you don't necessarily want to be a host.

11. don't put on your best shirt when you're carrying your baby in your arms, it's guaranteed to spit up all over you. Understand that your friends aren't keen on being spit up on either and put a towel underneath if they want to hold the baby.

12 Until the baby has learnt the difference between day and night, take every opportunity for a nap in between.

13 It's perfectly okay to combat fatigue with caffeine in the first few weeks.

14. put the remote control for the TV within reach before you sit down on the couch with your baby.

15. take turns with who gets up at night when the baby cries. But be realistic: you can't stay up half the night and then put in an 8-hour working day.

16. get used to your home being filled with baby things.

17 It's perfectly normal to feel like you have no idea how to look after a newborn baby. Within a short time, you will learn everything automatically.

18 The baby's routine, habits and preferences are constantly changing, so you need to remain flexible.