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Time ran out Jon, a car birth was the only   option. The umbilical cord wrapped around the babies neck was an added complication he hadn't prepared for!

Although we had been trying for a couple of months when she said the words "I'm pregnant" I still went into a state of panic, fear and overwhelming happiness. I was going to be a Dad.

Hiding the pregnancy when we went out was hard, I felt like I was the one getting all the morning sickness. Night after night of secretly drinking Polly's white wine as well as my own beer made for some shocking hangovers.

During the scan the little babies seemed to be quite active and happily bouncing around walls of my wife's uterus, completely oblivious to the emotional volcano they had just erupted on their parents...twins!

When the gynaecologist referred to my wife as the mother, "It's up to your wife, as the mother to...." I suddenly felt very young to be a father. I had only just got comfortable with calling her "wife" life was moving very fast.

Average age of fathers in Australia is 32.9 years.

The world's oldest recorded father is purported to be Australian mine worker, Les Colley, who was 92 years 10 months when he fathered a son, Oswald, in 1992. "I never thought she would get pregnant so easy, but she bloody well did," he told newspapers at the time, referring to his Fijian wife whom he'd met through a dating agency a year earlier.

The average number of disposable nappies that a child will wear up to the age of 2 1/2 years is 7,350

Stuart C;  New Dad  - Top Tips 

  • Say "yes" to everything
  • Get your finances in order
  • Forget what you read in books and go with what you think is right

Tim C; New Dad - Top Tips

  • Have your nights out whilst you still can
  • Avoid changing the really full ones
  • Get finances organised
  • Enjoy every minute, it's a cliche but it does go fast

Jon R; New Dad - Top Tips

  • Do whatever your partner wants
  • Don't expect everything to go as planned

Matthew H; New Dad - Top Tips

The most important thing that I learnt is that it is all my fault. Everything that she is going through is my fault. It doesn't matter if it's my fault or not, it's easier and makes her feel better if I take the blame. No matter what I get into trouble for I just think it's nothing compared to what she's going through. And if nothing I do makes it better then going to a baby shop and letting her buy something always seams to make things better.

 Mike P; New Dad - Top Tips

  • Don't worry - enjoy
  • It just keeps getting better
  • Take the time to talk to others and read up
  • Don't buy too much

Al G; New Dad - Top Tips

  • Give your partner the benifit of the doubt

Matt O; New Dad - Top Tip

Be loving and present, don't blink cos you'll miss it.

Cameron; New Dad - Top Tip

Try and do all you can to give her a rest when you can. If you get tired after an hour with the baby imagine what it is like after 23.

 Matt P; New Dad - Top Tip

Insist on two weeks paternity leave (I regret having only 1 week after a long and ardous labour it didn't give me long with my son).

 Paul K; New Dad - Top Tip

Enjoy every stage, even when the child is crying - just enjoy! Life is to short to skip any part. Friends are saying how theywhere to busy working and now where the child is >10 and above they are getting to be individuals and don't want hugs and are too busy with their friend (which of course is fantastic) though as parents missed out on a lot of the growing up.

 Marcus C; New Dad - Top Tip

Follow your instincts

Jason P; New Dad - Top Tips

There are a few:-

  • Routine is good
  • Never wake a sleeping baby
  • Just when you think you have sussed it, it changes
  • Teething  - is difficult!

Carl P, New Dad - Top Tip

Nothing can prepare you for labour.

James T; New Dad - Top Tip

Babies just cry, you can be doing everything right and nothing wrong but they will still cry. Its not your fault babies cry.

Mike S; New Dad - Top Tip

Be ready for a big surprise. Talk to friends who have been through it recently.

Andrew K; New Dad - Top Tip

Be understanding and enjoy every moment.

Jeff P; New Dad - Top Tip

Relax and avoid commerical advertising you many not need many of the things on the market. Keep it simple.

Richard B; New Dad - Top Tip

At 30 weeks pack your bags because you never know when it might happen. Learn as much as you can, go to all the classes, open your eyes to  everything that potentially could happen. Spend time with your baby alone.

Week by week guide to becoming a Dad

From the very first "I've got something to tell you", to the birth. Each weeks email includes information on:-

  • The growth and development of your baby and partner 
  • Money tips
  • Advice and stories directly from Dads
  • Fun and interesting facts
  • Dads-to-be most frequently asked questions 
  • Glossary of medical terms
  • Gift Ideas for baby and mum
  • Weekly mocktail and easy recipe 
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Advice on how to prepare for a Car Birth
  • 3 weeks from the due date load to car with towels
  • Charge your phone
  • Ask your Obstrician for instructions on what to do and what to expect
  • Don't worry and get ready to catch!
General Advice for Dads-to-be
  • Give 100% support to your partner
  • Try not to question too much
  • Let your wife take control of the situation and try to do what she asks
  • Go to all the scans as they are really emotional
Birth Story

Our first daughter Lily was born 3 weeks early in 3 hours, so we where prepared for a fast birth with No. 2. Our Obstetrician had given us a run down on what to do in the event of a car birth, which focused on having a stock of towels and being ready to catch! She had also told us not to worry as car births are normally fast and uncomplicated. 

In the run up to the birth we had been doing Hypno birthing and pre natal massage classes through a friend. I had anticipated sticking a piece of paper to the wall of the birthing room and gently massaging Kirsten through the labour and birth hopefully reducing the pain and making her as relaxed as possible.

Kirsten has been having contractions on and off for two weeks. The day before she had a check up at the hospital, they gave us the all clear and sent her home.

3am following morning Kirsten woke up  -contractions where stronger and closer together. She woke me up an hour later, phoned the hospital who said to start slowly getting ready to come in, we where relaxed because the hospital where and didn’t seam to think there was cause to rush. In hindsight I don’t think the Mid-wife had totally comprehended how fast Kirsten’s first delivery was. My Mother-in-law arrived who was babysitting our 2-year-old. Kirsten took a shower and then we jumped in our new car and headed to hospital. By this time it was about 5.15am and the contractions where about 7 minutes and increasing in strength and length very fast. I was on the phone to the hospital letting them know we where on our way when suddenly the waters broke, it was then I realised we wheren’t going to make it to the hospital so called 000 and pulled into the nearest side street. Needed the name of the street for the ambos, sprinted down the road to get it, only to be asked to go again because they had misheard me couldn’t find it on the map!

Packed the towels around Kristen, who by this stage had one leg out of the window and one on the dash board – luckily we had new car as old one wouldn’t have been big enough. I had a doctor talking me through everything on the phone, and no real time to think just to do what I was told. The head came out fast and immediately I knew something was wrong, the babies head didn’t look right, the umbilical cord was wrapped around the it’s neck, as I gently pulled it I noticed it was wrapped around a second time. Kristen had another contraction and the baby came out. I unravelled the cord and placed the baby on Kristen’s chest, the baby wasn’t breathing, I was instructed to clear the nasal passage and gently blow into it’s mouth. The baby sparked into life and started to cry.

Euphoria then set in and I felt hot, shaky and totally drained all at once. Two ambulances arrived one with a special intensive care unit, they wrapped the baby, I cut the cord, and then realised that we didn’t know what sex the baby was, through all the commotion we hadn’t checked. The pregnancy had been very different to the first and so we where sure it was a boy, but to our surprise it was a girl!

When I look back I didn’t have time to think about what was going on, I just did what I was told and got on with it. Kirsten said it was a really nice birth, the street had a nice breeze, was green and leafy the houses where down the end and so relatively private.  I heard that we made the 3M radio traffic report and the local paper wrote an article.

 
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