Introduction

Topic
When your spouse is pregnant, you may frequently feel left out. Pregnancy—especially the first pregnancy—is a trying time for the parents-to-be. They must begin to adapt to a new mindset and expectations for such a life-changing event. My wife is currently pregnant with our first child, a boy, so I am going through all the trials that a man faces when expecting. I hope to make these trials easier for my fellow fathers-to-be by compiling useful information and organizing it in an easy to read blog.

Challenges
While pregnancy is physically more difficult on the mother--having to go through emotional and physical changes while incubating the child—I would argue that pregnancy can be more mentally challenging for us. The mother, understandably, is the center of attention; everyone always asks how she is doing and checking in to make sure she feels well and is taking care of herself and preparing for motherhood. We, however, can be almost completely ignored.

Rewards
Having a child is a reward in itself; children can bring happiness to a home and complete a family.

Purpose
Finding information on the emotional and physical changes a woman experiences during pregnancy is easy, but finding information about our perspective as the father is much harder. Locating information about certain obstacles a father-to-be faces is easy, but there are few sources that provide a comprehensive array of topics that men need to know. I am gathering scattered information from several sources and compiling the information into a blog in order to have all the information in a central location. This blog will include:

• what to expect from your wife 
• what to expect from family and friends 
• a few do’s and don’ts 
• information about how to keep yourself, your wife, and your child healthy 

Sources
There are several sources that I will use for information. My main sources are the book The Everything Father-to-be Book by Kevin Nelson and The Caveman’s Pregnancy Companion by David Port. These books are going to be my main sources of information, but I will use others as the need arises and let you know the information from the new sources.

Conclusion
Pregnancy is a life-changer. There is a lot of information about what a woman can expect, but very little about what a father can expect. I hope to make some of that information available.