Review of The First Time Father
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Becca Olsson
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Review of The First Time Father
[Following is a volunteer review of "The First Time Father" by Thomas Alfie.]
Among the plethora of parenting books, The First Time Father, by Alfie Thomas, gives a thorough account of not only how to deal with a pregnant partner but also how to prepare yourself for the pregnancy and for new fatherhood. Thomas focuses on support of the pregnant mother-to-be and on bonding with your future child. He separates the book into three parts with each one focusing on a different stage of pregnancy, labor, and how to be a new dad and help the baby grow. Thomas gives practical ideas on making the house pro-pregnancy like putting nightlights in the hallway for midnight bathroom trips and taping down rug corners so no one trips. He transitions to the labor and post-pregnancy stages as well, giving tips on helping out during delivery and ways to bind with the baby, even during diaper change time. If you are on your way to becoming a first-time dad or know someone who is, this might be the book you’re looking for.
There are many positive aspects to this book. The author, himself, is a father of three and draws from his own experiences of learning with each child and pregnancy through trial and error along with research from doctors and other friends’ experiences. Thomas is incredibly thorough in his research and explanations, including definitions of pregnancy and labor terms. He is very logical and practical in every piece of advice he gives, down to the idea of painting the nursery ceiling because the baby will spend months looking up at it, or practice putting in the car seat several times before labor, or what to pack in the dad bag when the time for delivery comes. Every piece of advice he gives made me think “why didn’t I think of that”.
I truly appreciate the emphasis Thomas places on physically being there for the pregnant party and listening to their needs. According to Thomas, gone are the days that dads distance themselves from the pregnancy and sit in the waiting room. Fathers are becoming more hands-on as time goes on and the author points out how necessary this is. He also places emphasis on the fact that there is no shame if a dad needs to ask for help from outside sources. Therapy or new dad groups are great places to discuss any problems they are having, including emotional distress.
The only negative aspect for me was with the layout of the digital copy I have. I tried an EPUB file and the OnlineBookClub app and both had problems with pushing pages together to where the page numbers are placed in the middle of pages and headers and footers are at various levels of each page. I don’t put this on the author and I don’t believe it takes away from the overall book.
Overall, I rate this book five out of five stars. I found minimal typos and believe this book was professionally edited. The topic can be sensitive for some people seeing as the author is very clear in his descriptions of various pregnancy and labor stages. Therefore, it may be a difficult topic for some readers.
I would recommend this book to any new fathers and mothers alike. I believe anyone could learn from this book, if only to gain some new ideas that will make pregnancy and the first few months just a tad easier.
******
The First Time Father
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Among the plethora of parenting books, The First Time Father, by Alfie Thomas, gives a thorough account of not only how to deal with a pregnant partner but also how to prepare yourself for the pregnancy and for new fatherhood. Thomas focuses on support of the pregnant mother-to-be and on bonding with your future child. He separates the book into three parts with each one focusing on a different stage of pregnancy, labor, and how to be a new dad and help the baby grow. Thomas gives practical ideas on making the house pro-pregnancy like putting nightlights in the hallway for midnight bathroom trips and taping down rug corners so no one trips. He transitions to the labor and post-pregnancy stages as well, giving tips on helping out during delivery and ways to bind with the baby, even during diaper change time. If you are on your way to becoming a first-time dad or know someone who is, this might be the book you’re looking for.
There are many positive aspects to this book. The author, himself, is a father of three and draws from his own experiences of learning with each child and pregnancy through trial and error along with research from doctors and other friends’ experiences. Thomas is incredibly thorough in his research and explanations, including definitions of pregnancy and labor terms. He is very logical and practical in every piece of advice he gives, down to the idea of painting the nursery ceiling because the baby will spend months looking up at it, or practice putting in the car seat several times before labor, or what to pack in the dad bag when the time for delivery comes. Every piece of advice he gives made me think “why didn’t I think of that”.
I truly appreciate the emphasis Thomas places on physically being there for the pregnant party and listening to their needs. According to Thomas, gone are the days that dads distance themselves from the pregnancy and sit in the waiting room. Fathers are becoming more hands-on as time goes on and the author points out how necessary this is. He also places emphasis on the fact that there is no shame if a dad needs to ask for help from outside sources. Therapy or new dad groups are great places to discuss any problems they are having, including emotional distress.
The only negative aspect for me was with the layout of the digital copy I have. I tried an EPUB file and the OnlineBookClub app and both had problems with pushing pages together to where the page numbers are placed in the middle of pages and headers and footers are at various levels of each page. I don’t put this on the author and I don’t believe it takes away from the overall book.
Overall, I rate this book five out of five stars. I found minimal typos and believe this book was professionally edited. The topic can be sensitive for some people seeing as the author is very clear in his descriptions of various pregnancy and labor stages. Therefore, it may be a difficult topic for some readers.
I would recommend this book to any new fathers and mothers alike. I believe anyone could learn from this book, if only to gain some new ideas that will make pregnancy and the first few months just a tad easier.
******
The First Time Father
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Elizabeth's Garden by Phillip Leighton-Daly
