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First-Time Fathers Here are five tips from a boot camp for dads on what to do about crying, mood swings and the other challenges of being a father 
Ivan Weiskott, Durham, N.C., wasn't sure he would be able to handle the travails of being a dad for his first child. Between supporting his wife, dealing with sleep loss, working a full-time job and learning how to force his baby to eat mushy peas out of a jar, Weiskott knew he had a real challenge ahead of him. "I just hoped I had the physical and emotional strength to handle those things," Weiskott says. His position as an instructor at the popular Boot Camp for New Dads, a program offered by the Women's Health Information Center at the N.C. Women's Hospital At UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, N.C., proves he did just fine. The program unites dads-to-be in informational sessions that allow them to ask questions, meet other men in the same situation and express fears about fatherhood. The program teaches its students lessons ranging the whole family, from self to spouse to spawn. Here are some of the most helpful: • Engage fully. "Don't shy away from things that make you uncomfortable," Weiskott says. "Jump in fully and be present in the moment. Take advantage of bathing and changing diapers as great bonding opportunities. Use a baby carrier whenever possible - walking around with your baby attached to your chest is probably the closest a man can get to the physical and emotional feeling of being pregnant." • Understand crying: "Babies do cry - it's part of their job description," recent graduate Dilip Barman, Durham, N.C., says. Take your child's nonverbal cues, ascertain what they mean and determine the best way to soothe your screaming son or daughter. • Keep calm. Yes, your life will change dramatically, but your spouse and child will follow your lead if you remain composed or become flustered. And enjoy the fruits of your - and your wife's - labor. Your child won't be a baby for long. "Within two or three months, you might be looking back and laughing at your recent sleep deprivation, spit-up episodes, diaper blow-outs," Weiskott says. |
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