Have you seen the movie Nine Months? In the middle of the movie, Hugh Grant’s character forgot about the doctor appointment, so Julianne Moore’s character stopped talking to him for a long time afterwards. To her, his failure to show up to the appointment was the last straw!
What about you? If you miss your wife’s prenatal checkups, is she going to be okay with that? Or will you be in the doghouse?
Reasons To Go With Your Wife
The main reason to accompany your wife to her prenatal checkups is the support it gives her. Especially if she asks you to be there. Guys, your wife is going through a lot of changes, and it’s not always easy on her. Anything you can do to be supportive will go a long way to helping her get through the pregnancy.
The second reason to accompany your wife to her prenatal checkups is so that you stay informed. It’s your chance to hear directly from the doctor about how the pregnancy is going. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask your questions. Sure, you could give your wife a list of questions ahead of time, but you’ll often find out new things from the doctor during the visit itself, that spawn new questions.
Prenatal checkups can be a lot of fun.
The third reason to accompany your wife to her prenatal checkups is so that you can get to know the doctor. Hopefully the same doctor will be the one delivering your baby. Once your wife goes into labor and heads to the hospital, you’re going to be her main advocate. So it’s important that you’re comfortable talking to your wife’s doctor. That job is a lot easier if you’ve been around for the checkups and got to know the doctor a little bit.
The last reason to accompany your wife to her prenatal checkups is that they can be a lot of fun. You’ll get to hear the baby’s heart beat. Other people will smile at you in the waiting room, because they’ll see you’re with your pregnant wife. (It’s funny, but people tend to like the fact that dad’s get involved.) Finally, around 20 weeks your wife will probably get an ultrasound. Seeing your baby for the first time on that ultrasound screen is amazing!
What If You Can’t Be There
Some guys just won’t be able to go with their wives to their prenatal checkups. There’s all sorts of reasons why this might happen. Some expecting dads won’t be able to get off work. Or they might travel for their job, so they’re often out of town. Whatever the reason, you can still be involved.
Make EVERY attempt to attend the ultrasound.
The first way to stay involved is to keep track of your wife’s appointment schedule. Then the night before, write down a list of questions you have for the doctor. Then before her appointment, you can give her your list and let her know you wish you could be there, and hope everything goes well. If you can receive phone calls at work, ask your wife to give you a quick call once the appointment is over, so you can find out how it went.
The second way to stay involved is to find out when your wife is going to have her ultrasound. Guys… make EVERY attempt to be there for the ultrasound. You will regret not being there. Don’t quit your job over the issue, but you should do just about anything possible short of that to be there.
My Personal Attendance Record
I’m proud to say that I’ve attended every one of my wife’s prenatal checkups. I wasn’t there when she went in to see if she was pregnant, but I’ve attended every other checkup. I’m fortunate to have an employer that is supportive of these types of things. I do have to use leave or flex my hours, but they’re okay with letting me go with her each month.
Last week I went with Shan to her first monthly prenatal checkup. We got to hear the baby’s heart beat, and we learned that everything was progressing fine. I also got to meet the doctor and start getting to know her. It was fun going with my wife, and I could tell she appreciated it.
I hope you can accompany your wife to her prenatal checkups too. If you can’t, please do your best to show your wife that you’re interested in them, and feel bad that you can’t go. And no matter what, do your VERY best to attend the ultrasound. You’ll be glad you did.
Tags: Baby, Doctor, Pregnancy, Prenatal, Ultrasound, Wife
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