Talking on the phone to a dear friend of mine who is going to be a first-time dad made me realise just how important partners are when you are pregnant. I appreciated my hubby alot more when I was expecting, he took on the additional roles of coach, best friend, father, mother and even fashion advisor and gave me all the support and encouragement I needed and more.

Usually, I found because I was going through all the changes – body was changing month on month, my clothes stopped fitting me, the morning sickness took over my life for a few months and my eating patterns changed, other women understood and sympathised fully. Some of the things hubby didn’t relate to fully but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand. He did his own research and would forward me articles via email and did his utmost to make me as comfortable as possible. For example, he put up with my habit of wanting to eat different foods and changing my mind almost half hourly. He would also get me hot chips without giving me a lecture on how bad they would be for my insides!

After the baby came along, he felt neglected for a while (or so he told me) as suddenly there was this tiny little person calling all the shots and hubby’s routines and schedules and habit of making lists and ticking them off went down the drain! But he tried his best to contribute in his own special way; filling up my water bottle day and night as I used to get very thirsty while breastfeeding, changing the sheets because, running me a warm bath, going to the shops to buy emergency baby supplies or simply giving me massages.

So to all the dads and would-be-dads out there, read up on as much baby information as possible and support your partners during and after the baby comes along. We may not always be able to get the words out when tired but we sure do appreciate every loving gesture!