Too often we get caught up in the needs of new moms and new babies that we forget how magical the relationship is between dad and baby. When my daughter was a baby, there were evenings when she was inconsolable, when she just didn’t want to sleep or eat or whatever it was she was being stubborn about. This started as early as 8 to 10 weeks.
As most new moms can attest, this is not the most patient time for us. We’re usually exhausted and running on very little sleep. It can also be stressful when baby refuses to be comforted. They can be fed, they can be cuddled, they can be dry, they can be warm, they can even have been burped and they aren’t constipated – so why oh why are they crying? Why are they not accepting that it’s time to settle down?
Enter the Hero
Whenever we got to this stage, my husband would literally swoop in like a super hero. The magic of dad was that about 7 to 7:30 each evening he would take possession of our midget. Her wails and crying evaporated like morning dew under a hot sun when Daddy picked her up. He would cuddle her up into one arm, kiss me on the forehead and send me off for some much needed down time and rest. Whether I went to take a nap or just have a quiet cup of tea, Daddy was on the job.
Daddies are real heroes where little ones are concerned. Remember, they know Daddy’s voice quite well. Babies hear sounds while you are pregnant. For anyone who doubts this, watch your baby’s reaction to a sound that you heard regularly during your pregnancy. For example, my dogs used to bark all the time. She never started when they barked and she never woke up when they did either.
The Sound of Dad’s Voice
Dad’s voice is an immense sound of comfort for baby. In all likelihood, during your pregnancy, when you were stressed or overtired, you talked to your husband and his voice soothed you. The baby felt that soothing as much as you did. When I was pregnant and she would dance around inside, kicking nonstop and I thought I would never get sleep – all I had to do was have my husband put his hand on my tummy and she quieted down.
The same happened after she was born. We have many moments where our midget was sound asleep on a pillow, laying in Daddy’s lap with his hand on her tummy. At her fussiest, Daddy was the hero that could come in and calm her down. Tomorrow, we celebrate Father’s Day and we honor the fathers in our lives – my husband is a terrific father and he was my hero in her infancy – and he’s her hero still.
What tales can you share of baby and daddy?
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