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Fathers today are presented with wonderful opportunities to share in an experience which was formerly thought of as a woman's perogative. While traditionalists may decline to take choices available, there are good reasons why these choices are so viable. Childbirth classes are a learning process and have many benefits for the expectant father as well as mother and child. This article sets out to explain the benefits so that expectant fathers get a better picture of what is involved and how it helps him to make his experience as a dad more complete.

*Helping the family unit.

*Bonding with your wife.

*Being made aware. *Learning to share responsibility.

*Growing closer to the child.

*Being the real man of the house.

Helping the family unit.

When a woman got pregnant in years gone by, the advice she gleaned on what was happening to her body and the changes she could expect depended upon advice from other women. A mother may give good advice, friends may share their experiences. What is missing from the equation and has been corrected by childbirth classes is the sharing between a man and his wife of an experience which turns their marriage into a family. This sharing strengthens the bonds of family because it reinforces that the pregnancy is a joint venture.

By attending the classes, a husband is more sympathetic than one who understands very little about the process of pregnancy. You can glean information from books, though hands on experience of learning is more effective and not solitary. Book learning doesn't give you ideas of how to quell fears, whereas lessons attended by both husband and wife do give indications of areas of doubt, worry and insecurity, allowing these to be looked at from two points of view, coupled with advice from professionals.

Bonding with your wife.

Imagine the scenario. Your wife has never experienced pregnancy before. She has no idea of what is to come. As she gets bigger, she fears that day when the child is born. It's uncomfortable and in the mind of a woman whose hormones are speeding into different gears, can be extremely frightening. What a man does when he attends childbirth classes is instantly give the message that "We are in this together", which in turn gives the woman much more strength and assurance.

It has been said that men feel labor pains, though what this actually means is that a caring husband feels for his wife, and empathizes to such a degree that they are able to feel the same pain that their wife is enduring. While many

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