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November 2011 Moms
how baby ready is your partner?
my DH is sweet and really wants to help when our baby is born. what i'm worried about is that he doesn't really know much about taking care of babies, especially newborns. i'm a FTM, so i know there will be a steep learning curve for me, but i've been around lots of babies (i have a niece, nephew, and i was a live-in nanny).
any advice from experienced moms on when to offer advice and when to shut up and let him figure things out? my fear is that i'll be too bossy and he'll just quit helping and let me do things. maybe i just need a big roll of tape to put over my big mouth? 
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Re: how baby ready is your partner?
Your post made me smile because I am the exact opposite. My DH has a ten-year-old daughter and has done the baby thing before, while I have virtually zero baby experience.
I wouldn't worry about it - I believe that the parenting & loving part (the big stuff) comes naturally, and while there is some sort of learning curve on diaper changes and baby baths (the small stuff), I'm sure I'll catch on quickly as I'm sure your DH will too.
this is baby #2 for us, so he's an old pro! Prior to our DD, we were foster parents for an infant for a short time, so he had some experience, but not much.
We took a babycare class at the hospital before DD was born, and that helped him so much! More than anything, I think it gave him a lot of confidence. Another thing that helped us was advice I got from my prenatal yoga instructor: Have one thing that is dad's job and dad's job alone. Don't interfere, don't help, and don't criticize. He may do it differently than you would, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. Unless the baby is in danger, leave him be! For us, it's bathtime. I think he's given DD 95% of the baths in her lifetime--I only do it when he out of town, or it won't wait until the evening. He loves their time together, I love my time alone, and she knows Daddy is bath guy. Incidentally, he's also bedtime guy for the most part, but we'll have to divide and conquer when this one arrives!
Oh, and watch the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD together. A total lifesaver!!
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
sorry to hear that beccamarie! hopefully you have a good little sleeper!
thanks for the replies- i know DH generally has more patience than me, but i worry that the pressure of a midnight crying session/lack of sleep will put us both over the edge! i should probably stop worrying and just trust that things will work out, and if they don't, we'll make it through!
we'll definitely have to check out the "happiest baby on the block" dvd! a couple other people have recommended that, too.
I am right there with you BeccaMarie. I have been around kids, feel comfortable with them and am ready. My husband however has not. He is very uncomfortable around smaller, younger children. Once they get about 8 years old, he is fine, lol He knows what to do with them then. My husband also had a rough childhood that still effects him to this day... Short temper, frustrated easily etc. I know a newborn can be very frustrating. I just plan on it pretty much being me with the newborn until he gets more comfortable, which is not something you can rush...