This past week in Family Relations we talked about what we can do to keep our relationships strong even after the first baby is born. This has been a big topic for me because right now I am 6 months pregnant and as we have gone through the lessons I realized that I have been so blessed with a wonderful husband who has taken such great care of me! And seeing as how I am the wife going through the pregnancy, who better to talk about what husbands can do than a pregnant wife!
I came up with 5 things that have made a huge difference in my pregnancy and our relationship.
1. Comfort your wives. The first three months were awful for me. I threw up everything I ate, I felt like crap and I was an emotional wreck, and despite all of these unpleasantries my husband was by my side the whole time. He was the one holding my hair back when I was puking my guts out, he was the one at night who held me because I was in so much pain and everything smelled horrible and every time I moved I was worried about losing my food, and at the slightest movement from me at night he would wake up and check on me. He was awesome and through every disgusting vomit he never stopped loving me!!
2.The second thing husbands can do is talk about the baby and what life will be like after. My husband was great at this he would talk about what life will be like, what changes we will make, and what kind of parents we were going to be. It meant so much to hear him talk about our little one with such a loving tone.
3.The third thing husbands can do is get involved with all of the new baby things and nursery. Babies need a lot of new things (things you would never even think of) and I know that for most men shopping for baby things is not the most appealing thing to be doing. Through this whole process my husband was a trooper. He dedicated family nights to go over what the baby needs and even though he was done by the time the hour hit he patiently and excitedly went through the endless baby sheets and toys with me carefully choosing which would be best for our little Liam. *Wives be sure to set a time limit and keep to it.
4.The fourth thing is keep the compliments coming! Women's bodies go through a lot of changes and despite what others see, the cute pregnant belly, women see their own bellies and panic a little. I didn't start to show until around 4 and a half months and when I did I started to get really self conscious. One of the most tender moments for me was one sunday morning, I was getting ready for church and had out grown most of my skirts so I put on a dress, and I felt horrible in that dress. I felt big and gross and I wanted nothing to do with it. Sean came in told me how beautiful I looked and hugged me while I cried about my changing body. He was so kind and so sweet! It was a moment I will never forget. We arrived at church twenty minutes late and yet he was still telling me I was beautiful and didn't even mention that I had caused us to be late.
5.And last but not least, husbands be EXCITED about the baby. My favorite moments during my pregnancy were seeing his face during the first ultrasound (as soon as he saw the baby flip around he knew we were having a little boy), then seeing his excitement when we found out we were in fact having a boy, and hearing him say every day that he just wishes Liam were here already so they could go play.
He has been the best husband any woman could ask for and I feel so blessed! I can't wait to have our little Liam and to see him spend time with him and be a dad. Liam is a very lucky little boy.
