The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-to-Be » (Third Edition)

Armin A. Brott is a nationally recognized parenting expert and author of Abbeville’s New Father series, including: The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year; Fathering Your Toddler: A Dad’s Guide to the Second and Third Years; Fathering Yout School-Age Child; and The Military Father. He has written on parenting and fatherhood for The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and dozens of other publications. He also hosts “Positive Parenting,” a nationally syndicated, weekly talk show and lives with his family in Oakland, California.

Jennifer Ash is the author of Private Palm Beach and a contributing editor to Town and Country. She and her husband Joe, and their son Clarke and daughter Amelia make their home in New York City.

This indispensable book explores the emotional, financial, and even physical changes the father-to-be may experience during his partner’s pregnancy. Written in an easy-to-absorb format and filled with sound advice and practical tips for men on such topics as, how to make sense of your conflicting emotions, how pregnancy affects your sex life, and how to start a college fund. This volume reassures, commiserates, and informs. It also incorporates the wisdom of top experts in the field, from obstetricians and birth-class instructors to psychologists and sociologists.

This new edition features the latest research on many topics (and there’s a ton of it), from expanding sections on overcoming infertility, in vitro, artificial insemination, and other tech-assisted pregnancies, especially where dad is not the biological parent, to updating the sections on childbirth to reflect the fact that about 80 percent of deliveries are now done with epidurals and new information on c-sections as well. Sections on prenatal communication and education are also be expanded. There will be an overall, top-to-bottom review of the content to make sure all the information is relevant to today's young and senior dads.

Publishers Weekly

In this updated third edition of Brott's guide for new fathers, the parenting expert (Fathering Your Toddler) gives dads-to-be a month-by-month breakdown of what to expect as they prepare to welcome a baby into their family. For each month, Brott and Ash give a rundown of what mothers, babies, and fathers are experiencing physically and emotionally, from moodiness and food cravings (which fathers aren't exempt from) to balancing fatherhood with work. Rather than simply offering a laundry list, Brott and Ash explore, explain, and perhaps most importantly, assuage anxiety about the issues that arise and evolve over the course of a pregnancy. Seemingly every topic of concern is covered, from morning sickness, foods to avoid, midwives, doulas, and adoption to worries over miscarriage and birth defects, the latter addressed with calm, sympathetic advice. Brott and Ash's measured, experienced tone offers assurance and guidance for those new to the stresses and worries of impending fatherhood, making this a must-have for anyone expecting. (Sept.)

Acknowledgments 6
Introduction 9
The First Decisions 13
The 1st Month
The 2nd Month
The 3rd Month
The 4th Month
The 5th Month
The 6th Month
The 7th Month
The 8th Month
The 9th Month
Labor & Delivery 141
Cesarean Section 156
Gee Honey, Now What Do We Do? 162
Fathering Today 188
Selected Bibliography 199
Resources 202
Index 204