There are lots of important ways your partner can bond with your baby and participate in his care.
Some ideas:
• Comfort your baby by holding, rocking, or walking.
• Give your baby a massage.
• Hold your baby skin-to-skin.
• Play with your baby. Show the baby pictures around the house, sing songs, make silly conversation.
• Enjoy relaxing sleepy-baby-on-chest times.
• Use a soft carrier to take the baby on walks, outside or around the house.
• Change diapers and give baths. At first, some babies will fuss during diaper changes and baths. But they soon become a fun, sociable time for both baby and parent.
• Make meals, shop for groceries, and bring you snacks and drinks while you nurse.
• Run interference with difficult family or friends.
• Support your efforts to breastfeed. Being supportive of breastfeeding is the most important thing a partner can do – it helps your own confidence in your mothering and helps ensure that your baby gets a normal, happy start in life.
