Presuming that you've educated yourself and are supporting your partner as described above, you really ought to attend as many prenatal medical appointments as possible.Your doctor is the expert on how your pregnancy is progressing and can answer the questions you need or want to know.It is a good idea to get to know your partner's doctor since he or she will be the one in charge during delivery.

When your baby first arrives your bond may begin immediately, or for some it may take you both time to "grow on each other". One thing we know for sure is that bonding is essential for a baby. Studies of newborn rhesus monkeys performed by Dr. Harry Harlow, show that these same monkeys when given a choice between two surrogate "mothers," one made of terrycloth, the other of wire and had food, overwhelmingly the baby monkeys chose the mother that could provide warmth and comfort.

IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY...We drive long distances, we live in busy cities, we walk around at night, we fly all over the world...

The reality is that we do not live in a particularly safe world. I always knew that, but (possibly due to my naïveté and belief that we were all invincible) I never gave much thought to how the whole safety issue. That said, I am much more safety conscious now that I am a parent.

The other day, I got one of those dreaded calls: “It’s Stacy from the preschool office. I’m calling about Benjamin….” There were about 00:07 seconds between the last word and the next utterance, but that was all I needed for my parental instincts to go into panic mode. Images of my child bleeding on the circle-time mat, crushed by an avalanche of construction paper, flew through my mind. Anticipating this was the school administrator who then said, “He’s fine. He just threw up. We need you to come get him.”

Like many other first time fathers (and first time mothers, for that matter) you are probably wondering how pregnancy will affect your sex life. The good news is that sex is safe during ALL stages of pregnancy. The bad news is that, as the pregnancy progresses, the big bulge your partner is carrying in her tummy, her hemorrhoids (!) and her swelling may put a damper on what used to be a sex life.