Pregnancy - What About the Man?

For those of you reading this blog for the first time, please enjoy. I wrote this blog a while ago and put it on the back burner. For the many who read before, "I'm back!" The hiatus has given me new insight on pregnancy. In fact, hopefully this is just the beginning of something more broad in scope and something bigger. Please enjoy this first entry. There are two surprises in this entry: First, as I have embarked on writing a book (even if I'm the only one whoever reads it), I am including part of the preface here...Second, read closely and you will find another little surprise. Enjoy!

Two ideals exist for this book. First, my ultimate goal is for men to read this book and to know they are not alone when it comes to dealing with, I mean, accepting the reality of pregnancy. While some literature on the subject exists, most of it is from a woman’s perspective. What? How can a woman tell me how I feel and think about pregnancy? I’m sure women would love it if a man wrote a book about how women feel during pregnancy. Insert a little sarcasm there. And, most literature is hundreds and hundreds of pages long. Why do I need a 500 page book to explain to me what to expect when expecting when “expecting” is a natural thing that billions of people have experienced. Most men don’t read that stuff!

On the other hand, women, if you are reading this, either your significant other is trying to help you see perspective, so please be understanding, or you may be reading this because you have some desire, while it may be deeply embedded in the inner-recesses of your soul, to know what he is/will be experiencing during the pregnancy time period. Whatever the case, please have an open mind. Realize many of the written words are for comedic relief, and while you may disagree with or be offended by my thoughts, they are just that--my thoughts. I would argue most men experience similar feelings as will be shared in the book, but we all have different personalities, experiences, and beliefs that ultimately shape how we experience the whole pregnancy phenomenon.

Finally, please enjoy reading this, short, comical view of pregnancy from a man’s perspective. I am often blunt and sarcastic, so don’t read too deeply into everything I write.  As we begin this journey together, I realize not all men are in the same circumstance as the typical “expecting” male, but for simplicity sake, this book will be told from my perspective, a married male.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Through my wife’s first three pregnancies, I continuously claimed there was a need to write a book, but I never did. Over the past few months, I left a great education job, moved from our family’s home base for the past eight years, left our best friends, neighbors, and church behind, and moved into my in-laws basement while accepting a part-time job as my wife took a part-time job herself. Our world has been rocked, not by force, but by choice. As a man of faith, I believed this is where God wants us. However, as if that weren’t enough challenge, the reality is I can’t most effectively write this book from past experiences and through other’s pregnancy adventures. I must write this from live experience, so here we go. With child number four on the way, the live recording begins. (None of this may be reproduced without consent of the writer or you may be subject to prosecution.)

Well, there's a short preview of the book, and as the next few months pass by, I will be updating this blog with my current thoughts that, I, along with my three children, will be experiencing as mom one more time perseveres through the pregnancy adventure!

Man Advice:
Whenever you see a pregnant woman and ask "How are you feeling?" turn to the man and say, "And how are you doing?" Make him feel appreciated!