11 Weeks Pregnant

Write It Down

There is a moment, often towards the beginning of the second trimester, when your partner begins to feel so much better. She may no longer struggle with morning (er, any-time-of-day!) sickness and may even experience a boost of energy. This is the time that many expecting women enjoy most about pregnancy, and it gives you a chance to enjoy the pregnancy with her.

There is significantly less stress for you during the coming trimester, and this is a good point at which to begin thinking about what the future holds for you (and how you feel about it!). Keep track of your thoughts and feelings about all of the changes! Try writing it all down. You can keep a journal just for yourself (or to eventually give to your child), share your thoughts and experiences with your family and the rest of the world with a blog, or consider keeping a photo scrapbook: You can take pictures of you and your wife as the new baby becomes more and more obvious.

The benefits are great to journaling your experiences. Being able to look back in eight to 10 months and see where you were at this point—and how far you have come—can provide you with a wonderful sense of accomplishment (particularly at a point when you may not yet be feeling especially confident as a novice father). Writing down your thoughts and feelings even after Baby is born is a great way to process these new changes and challenges in your life, to better understand why you are reacting the way you are, and even to solve some of the issues you may be struggling with as a new dad.