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A BabyCenter Tour for Expectant Dads

A letter to expectant dads from the fathers at BabyCenter

Dear Dads-to-be,

Here's one difference between men and women: Women regale expectant mothers with tales of the coming bliss of motherhood. Men take expectant fathers aside and whisper, "Since you'll be so busy with the baby, will you be needing those Giants season tickets?"

At BabyCenter, we don't want your tickets (though we wouldn't turn them down). Instead, we want to ease your transition into fatherhood by helping you understand what's happening with your partner, your unborn child, and even yourself.

For starters, you can let that aforementioned glowing pregnant woman know you care by signing up (or signing her up) for our weekly e-mail newsletter. It's not flowers, but it's free, and you'll impress her with your new ability to spew out facts about her pregnancy and the baby's development. Here's some other essential fatherly advice:

Face your fears

• Worries about becoming a dad are perfectly natural. Get some straight talk from a clinical psychologist on theseven common fears of expectant fathers
• Recognize the social and cultural barriers you're up against. A family therapist advises you on how to challenge the five myths of fatherhood .

Can we talk sex ' and other essentials? Our resident expert on fatherhood, author Armin Brott, gives the lowdown on:

• How your sex life will change during pregnancy.
• The ten things about new fatherhood that will surprise you the most .
• How to become a better dad (better bone up now).

Get ready for the big day

We know you're eager to get the show on the road, but you need to make a few more preparations before you become a dad:

• First, you'll want to check our ten tips on how to fully share in your wife's pregnancy .
• You and your partner probably want to settle on a name. Try our BabyNamer , where you can search for names by meaning, by ethnic origin, by first or last letter, or by popularity.
• Ready for the Big Day? In case your mind was wandering during childbirth class, we've got a cheat sheet with the essentials of labor and delivery. And don't miss our ten indispensable tips for labor coac .
• Print out our helpful checklist of what to bring to the hospital . And get a fly-on-the-wall glimpse of what it's like inside the delivery room in contributing writer Joseph Lasica's first-person account.
• Finally, after your beautiful baby arrives, you'll need to find the best way to announce it to the world .(Cigars are a bit pass'.)

The money thing

We hope you'll take plenty of paternity leave to spend with your wife and newborn. Before then ' and before those sleepless nights arrive ' you may want to take time to figure out how you'll meet those astronomical college bills looming just around the corner. We'll help you chart your family's financial future with these guides:

• family finances
• college savings
• choosing insurance
• creating a will

Still feeling lost?

Sometimes it's nice to hear from kindred souls. Visit our expecting dads bulletin board , where dads-to-be can swap stories and advice, and maybe even find someone to buy those tickets. Stay in touch, and remember that we're here for you.

Best wishes and congratulations from the dads at BabyCenter!