Dads experience overwhelming emotions when their child is born, but don’t exactly feel warm and fuzzy at first Fathers often don’t have the same love-at-first-sight experience with their babies as mothers do, in part because they don’t have the same experience of pregnanc

Paul Ekman

Someone More than You Love Yourself This is the most excellent and overwhelming feeling about being a father The sense of holding a baby that you gave life to, the sense of seeing yourself in another form makes fatherhood the best feeling in lif

There are no studies that analyse when babies start to recognise their fathers However, it is believed that babies do respond and recognise their father’s voice from the womb For this very reason, many doctors highly recommended that the would-be-dads talk to their babies when in the wom

Your most important job is to keep your partner relaxed, so keep calm yourself Do some progressive muscle relaxation exercises together or even a short mindfulness exercise Or if she’ll let you, gently massage her head or back, and hold her hand during those really rough contractions Read up on the stages of labo

While the experience is different for everyone, labor usually feels like extremely strong menstrual cramps that take your breath away and make you unable to tal

Newborns Have More Bones However, over time, these extra bones eventually fuse together A newborn is born with around 300 bones, but by the time the baby has grown into adulthood, he or she will have only 206 bone

• Off-the-charts painful The worst type of pain?
• Kidney stones Trying to pass a kidney stone stuck in the urinary tract can bring people to their knees and straight to the emergency room
• Childbirth
• Trauma
• Shingles
• After-surgery agony
• Back injury
• Major joint osteaoarthritis

An epidural can last for hours during labor and after you’ve had your baby This is a good thing for several reasons: It lets you rest comfortably for a bit if you have a long labor It helps control pain and discomfor

Nurses aren’t necessarily being cruel when they instruct mothers to stop pushing, by the way They may be hoping to prevent other complications, such as problems with the umbilical cord or shoulder dystocia A doctor or midwife is better trained to correct such situations, and can also help prevent perineal tearin

If your epidural is turned off prior to pushing, you’ll probably feel your contractions and the pressure/urge to push Most women find this to be a relief and some find it painful Either way, pushing is just a LOT of work It’s like the same feeling as lifting really, really heavy weight

When can you get an epidural during labor? An epidural can usually be given as soon as you ask for one (and an anesthesiologist is available), even if you’re minimally dilate

While slightly more than half said having contractions was the most painful aspect of delivery, about one in five noted pushing or post-delivery was most painful Moms 18 to 39 were more likely to say post-delivery pain was the most painful aspect than those

To many women, crowning feels like an intense burning or stinging sensation This is where that “ring of fire” term comes fro

The length of this stage varies with the position and size of the baby and your ability to push with the contractions For first-time mothers the average length of pushing is one-to-two hours In some instances, pushing can last longer than two hours if mother and baby are tolerating it

Here are six ways to reduce tearing:

1. Perineal massage Studies show that perineal massage reduces your chance of tearing during birth
2. The Epi-no If you can’t get the hang of perineal massage (and some women can’t), try the Epi-no birthing trainer
3. Water baby
4. Warm, wet towels
5. Don’t lie down
6. Keep calm and carry on

Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, reducing the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches As the laboring woman relaxes physically, she is able to relax mentally with a greater ability to focus on the birth proces

Early cord-clamping also means the midwife can take the baby away to clear the airway and ensure the baby is breathing easily; and it is also thought to reduce the risk of jaundic

Once your little one is born, however, the cord is no longer needed Shortly after birth, it will be clamped and cut off There are no nerve endings in your baby’s cord, so it doesn’t hurt when it is cut

Signs of fetal distress may include changes in the baby’s heart rate (as seen on a fetal heart rate monitor), decreased fetal movement, and meconium in the amniotic fluid, among other sign

If the infant does not cry or breathe well in response to drying and stimulation, the umbilical cord must be cut and clamped immediately and the infant must be moved to the resuscitation area Dry to stimulate breathing in all infants immediately after delivery