DADDYmatters: first-time dad

Reinhardt and his wife Eline have been together for 10 years and are now expecting their first child, due late April. Getting pregnant was not easy, but since they got the good news, all they felt was joy and happiness! Reinhardt shares his experiences as a dad-to-be with us.

Congratulations! How are you experiencing this pregnancy?

Thank you! This new baby really comes at the perfect time! I really love ‘being pregnant’ and I am looking forward to welcoming our little boy into our family. Eline is a radiant mom and I’m glad she doesn’t suffer from mood swings. ;-)

I am always a little nervous when we go to the gynaecologist’s for ultrasounds, though. It was quite hard for us to get pregnant, so when the gynaecologist told us we were (finally) expecting a baby, it was such a beautiful and happy moment! Especially that first ultrasound was super exciting. Since it was my first time, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but at the same time, I was looking forward to finally being able to see our mini baby.

Even now, in the third trimester of pregnancy, every ultrasound is exciting. Every time I can see our little boy on the screen and hear his heartbeat is a confirmation for me that everything is going well. Feeling the baby kick when I put my hand on Eline's belly is also super special. You really can’t compare it to anything else. This is really something unique, just for the two of us, and we are looking forward to the arrival of our son!

You said you find every ultrasound exciting, but I imagine there have been other exciting moments too?

I was a bit nervous about the NIP test, at around 12 weeks. This would tell us whether we were going to have a boy or a girl, and whether everything else was okay (no genetic abnormalities). This is quite an important point in a pregnancy. When we heard that everything was fine, we immediately told our family and friends that we were going to have a baby. We were so relieved!

How do you try to support Eline?

I try to do my bit around the house and have taken over some of the chores. I feel it is important for Eline to take enough rest, because that is also good for our baby. After all, that’s what matters, that she and the baby are doing well.

How are you preparing for childbirth and the arrival of your son?

I’m not, to be honest, I’m not really thinking much about it yet. Maybe I will start thinking about it more the closer we get to the due date. At the moment I just hope I won’t pass out.
One thing I did notice when picking out baby outfits is how tiny they are! I don’t think I’ve ever been that small. 

What are you looking forward to once the baby arrives?

On weekends, I often go for an early morning walk, when there aren’t many people out and about. I just love walking around and seeing the city wake up. So I’m looking forward to taking our baby with me on those morning walks, in the baby carrier, and letting him explore the world.

Although the whole situation is still quite unreal, I do look forward to seeing that sweet little baby lying in his crib. I hope to be able to dress him up in nice (Christmas) outfits. I really love Christmas and look forward to it all year, and I hope I’m going to be able to get him just as excited about it so that he becomes a real Christmas fan too!

I want to teach our son all sorts of things and see him progress and develop as he grows up. A baby is very cute, but I am also looking forward to the moments when there will be a bit more interaction and we can play and laugh together.

What kind of dad do you think you’ll be?

That’s a difficult question. I hope I’m going to be a fun and happy dad. I want my children to learn about values and standards, to be polite and independent, to laugh and play a lot and above all, to be happy. I just think it would be really nice to be a close family, and for my children to know that they can always come to us.

It is very exciting and you can never fully predict in advance what life with a child will be like. But I am looking forward to it immensely!