Getting Dad Involved:
Your husband, who helped you through your pregnancy, may seem at a loss now that baby's here. It's up to you, Mom, to hand the baby over and let Dad figure things out, just like you're doing.
Let him be. Many first-time dads hesitate to get involved for fear of doing something wrong and incurring the wrath of Mom. "Moms need to allow their husbands to make mistakes without criticizing them," says Armin Brott, author of The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year (Abbeville Press).
Ask Dad to take time off from work -- after all the relatives leave. That's what Thad Calabrese, of Brooklyn, New York, did. "There was more for me to do, and I got some alone time with my son."
Divvy up duties. Mark DiStefano, a dad in Los Angeles, took over the cleaning and grocery shopping. "I also took Ben for a bit each afternoon so my wife could have a little time to herself."
Remember that Dad wants to do some fun stuff, too. "I used to take my shirt off and put the baby on my chest while we napped," says Bob Vonnegut, a dad in Islamorada, Florida. "I loved the rhythm of our hearts beating together."
Snippet from: Your Newborn: 30 tips for the first 30 days (Copyright © 2018 Parents.com)