Pregnancy is often a time centered around the birthing mama. Right from the beginning, you and baby start to bond as baby grows inside you. Are you wondering how to get your husband excited about pregnancy too?
I know that in the beginning it was challenging for my husband to get excited about pregnancy and bond with baby while she was still in my belly. This was especially true in the early weeks and months when I wasn’t showing and he hadn’t yet felt her kicks.
Luckily, there are a lot of great ways to get your partner excited about pregnancy right from the start.
Today let’s talk about bonding ideas between dad and the baby bump, big events dad can play a role in, and inspire some ‘expecting dates’ you can do in every trimester. With these ideas, your husband will be just as excited about pregnancy as you are.
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Right from the beginning, prioritize scheduling appointments at a time when your partner can join. Having him with you during the appointments will not only be a support to you, but will likely help it feel more “real” to him.
With over 15 prenatal appointments during the course of your pregnancy, I totally understand that he might not be able to make it to all of them. There are a few more eventful appointments that you definitely don’t want him to miss.
This appointment tends to be a lot like a meet and greet. Having your partner there will really set the tone for him to be involved in your prenatal care throughout the entire pregnancy. He’ll get to meet your provider and ask questions right along with you.
I was surprised at the questions Patrick thought of when he tagged along to my appointment. They were often thoughtful and specific. It helped having him there to support and ask questions I may not have thought of.
This is your first glimpse at baby, and you do not want your partner to miss it! So many people report their husband’s perspective on the whole pregnancy changing at this point. Seeing that little baby for the first time is enough to bring even the toughest guy to tears, or at least make their heart swell in a new way. Try to do everything you can to have dad present at this appointment.
Another glimpse at baby is always a good time to bring dad along, and during this ultrasound you’ll notice baby looking a lot less ‘alien’-like. 🙂
This ultrasound is also an important one because your technician will be looking at baby’s growth, development and any abnormalities. If there are issues with organ development, your technician may notice them now. Having your husband present at this appointment will not only be a great support for you but also an important way for him to feel attached to baby.
Appointments during your third trimester are often filled with more conversations surrounding birth. Choose one or two appointments for your partner to join. This will allow them to be involved in understanding and making pain intervention-related decisions and decisions regarding immediate newborn care on your birth plan.
Choosing exactly when to announce your pregnancy, and who are going to announce it to is an important decision to make with your partner. Get your husband involved in the process when you are ready to share publicly. Come up with a hilarious pregnancy announcement. I think you’ll be surprised at how into this your partner will be.
Maybe you guys can stage a fun photoshoot to post on social media. Or, go shopping for hilarious t-shirts or thoughtful gifts with people’s new ‘titles’ on them together. Browse our Pinterest board of pregnancy announcement ideas and get creative. This is a wonderful way to get your husband excited about pregnancy. This is his big news too after all!
As the mama-to-be, you are probably feeling intrinsically driven to prep, plan and organize for baby. Nesting is no joke and often begins with starting your baby registry. An important way to get your husband excited about pregnancy is to involve him in the planning and nesting too.
I know my husband showed pretty little interest in creating our registry, until I sat next to him with the laptop and started discussing stroller and car seat specs. Before I knew it, he got super into researching all of the best car seat, stroller and monitor options out there. He was even sad as he reviewed the registry I’d started and saw only one baby carrier (a sized carrier for me) on the registry. He was sure to add a dad-approved Ergo too.
I guess I didn’t expect him to get so into the decisions, but I should have involved him right from the start. Your husband will get excited about the prospect of researching and choosing only the best for his little one.
Co-ed baby showers are becoming more and more popular these days. Choose a theme like, ‘A Baby is a Brewing’ and have a fun backyard bbq and beer affair. There can still be fun shower games, and involving dads might even make them more hilarious. If you still want to have a more traditional baby shower with the women in your life, consider inviting dad or having dad and other male relatives come at the end.
Another idea to get your husband excited about pregnancy is to help him plan a Daddy Diaper Party. The idea is that the dad-to-be gets a chance to have a fun event with his closest guy friends and relatives. All of the guests bring a box of diapers and wipes to help you stockpile before baby arrives.
A wonderful way to bond during pregnancy and get your husband more involved is with a special project just for baby. This might be something simple, like framing and hanging up an ultrasound, or even assembling nursery furniture and getting the nursery set-up together.
Patrick and I share the hobby of going to yard sales and flea markets. We came across some vintage Winnie the Pooh prints and an old barn window. We re-finished the window frame and put the prints in. It was a fun project and looks beautiful in N’s nursery. It was so fun to make something just for her before she was even born.
Taking the time to write a letter to your baby during pregnancy is a wonderful reflection and way to connect with baby. Getting your husband to do the same will help him think of baby more concretely and envision his life with a newborn.
You may choose to do this after significant pregnancy milestones like finding out you’re pregnant, learning the gender, or sharing the news with friends and family. Documenting or journaling about these exciting moments together is a surefire way to help your husband get more excited during pregnancy.
You can find a collection of printables and worksheets to help you document your pregnancy and over 150 other planning sheets to help you prepare for baby as a team in the Nesting Planner.
Choosing a name for baby is a role in pregnancy that your husband will most likely want a say in. I hear all too often that mom brainstorms names while dad vetoes without actually getting involved.
Make a game out of choosing a name with a piece of paper or whiteboard and two columns, one for mom and one for dad. You start with a name. If dad doesn’t like it, he crosses it off and has to add a name to his side.
Try having this up on the fridge as an ongoing thing, or sit and play the game at dinner or while waiting for food while out to eat. Hey, you just might come to an agreement this way!
One of my best friends has a whiteboard hanging in her house with a countdown to due date. This was their family’s way of getting dad involved and excited about pregnancy right from the start. He changes the number on the countdown each day and adds a cute quote, funny saying, message or drawing.
As silly as it might seem, one amazing way for dad to get excited is to interact with your baby bump! Different sources have different weeks when baby can actually start to hear you, but around week 16 there is evidence that they are starting to detect some noise. By around 24 weeks, baby can definitely hear and will even start reacting to audio-stimuli.
What does this mean? The more dad reads and sings to baby while they are in the womb, the more baby will be used to and know his voice. You can read about how Trina’s husband Cole read the same book to L in the womb every night, and she seemed to recognize it when she was born.
Childbirth is a definitely a team sport. While you will be obviously doing the brunt of the labor (no pun intended) getting your husband involved with the planning ahead of time is important. It will get him more excited about baby’s arrival, and he will have more of an understanding of care options and choices for both you and baby.
Involving your husband in creating a birth plan means he will know what your wishes and goals are. You two will be able to discuss your individual strengths, fears and hopes.
This was one of the single best ways that my husband could be involved in my pregnancy in a really concrete way. We attended group prenatal care, a childbirth class, and a newborn basics class together. In reality, this was probably a little overkill. BUT we spent a lot of evenings learning about our newborn together, and being present with one another.
The down-side was that Patrick couldn’t make it to every class, and often was exhausted after a long day of work and then had to sit and be present in a birthing class.
What I wish I’d known was that childbirth classes are now available online! The Prenatal Course for Couples is taught by an experienced labor and delivery nurse and is exactly like the childbirth class I took at our hospital. This might be a great option to ensure you are getting educated together, but on your own time.
Your budget is inevitably going to change with a new baby joining the family. You’ll need to plan for a period of time with a reduced amount of money coming in while you are on maternity leave. There are also expenses related to having a baby, like diapers, baby gear, and personal products specific to postpartum healing and newborn care.
You’ll want to be sure to look into copays and medical bills that you will likely incur. It might be smart to check out both of your insurance coverages and try to get on the plan that has the best prenatal and birth coverage during open enrollment.
Looking at finances might not exactly get dad “excited” about baby, but is a way for him to be really involved in an important planning step during pregnancy before baby arrives. You may even want to explore work at home options for you with your partner. Having him weigh in and support you on starting a side hustle while pregnant will mean you have a streamlined side-income source ready for during your maternity leave.
What could get your husband (and you!) more excited during pregnancy than planning and going on a babymoon. This is a chance to be completely present with one another and focus on your new baby’s upcoming arrival. You’ll have a change to enjoy some baby-free time together and get excited about becoming new parents!
This doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant. It’s possible to plan a babymoon on any budget with the right tips and ideas.
In addition to the 13 ways to get your husband excited about pregnancy above, I highly recommend going on some special, ‘expecting’ date nights throughout your pregnancy. Having special nights focused on your new baby is a wonderful way to keep dad interested and involved.
Aim for 2-3 expecting date nights per trimester. There’s always something to celebrate at every stage of pregnancy!
When you first find out you are pregnant, it is sure to be a joyful, or at the very least, surprising day. The hardest part about it, most couples decide to keep it a secret for quite some time. That doesn’t mean you two can’t celebrate together!
Go out on a special date in honor of your big fat positive 🙂 This is sure to get you both super excited about everything to come throughout pregnancy!
In tip number two above, I mentioned getting your husband involved in the when, who, and how of announcing your pregnancy. Why not make it an intentional date night? Have fun creating a fun pregnancy announcement together as a date.
Like I said, there is so much to celebrate during pregnancy, and this is a big one! At this point, your first trimester is over and you are (hopefully) feeling relief from morning sickness. The rate of miscarriage also drops of significantly at this point and most couples now feel comfortable sharing their big news.
In tip number 9, you learned that baby can start to hear sounds by week 16, and fully hear and react to audio stimuli by week 24. Take a date night to a beloved book store in your town.
Have fun browsing the children’s section and choosing some special books for baby. Bonus points for writing sweet letters to your unborn baby on the inside cover.
Throughout pregnancy it can feel really good to get moving, even if that is just a short walk at a local park, a stroll around town, or a slightly more vigorous walk. Why not make a date out of it?
A 20 to 30 minute walk can actually be energizing during those days when you are completely exhausted, and I know when I was in my third trimester, sitting for too long actually caused more discomfort than getting up and taking short walking breaks. Walks are a great time to be totally present with one another.
When you are starting to prepare for birth and breastfeeding, it can seem like a monumental task especially with the list of recommended books you get from friends and family. If you aren’t a reader, or maybe your partner isn’t, you’ll both still want to be armed with information so you can both feel prepared.
Having a movie night in is a great way to accomplish this task. Grab your favorite drink, some popcorn and a cozy blanket and watch either a breastfeeding course or a childbirth class. Not only will this result in both of you being informed and prepared in around an hour, but will also lead to some valuable discussion.
Whenever I would read, I always felt like I was telling my husband all this information, which became tiring. Instead, by watching together, I felt like we were both informed.
One idea that I absolutely love to help get dad excited about the baby’s birth is going out shopping for an item to put the baby’s footprints on in the hospital. It can be something that is meaningful to him, a future gift for your baby, or even a framed quote or photo that includes space for the baby’s prints.
This is all about dad so let him be as creative as he wants and try your best to let the decision be entirely his own. Cole and Trina brought a baseball to the hospital for L’s prints and it something that they will have to treasure forever. I so regret not doing something like this! While we do have N’s prints on hospital letter-head, it just isn’t the same…
You should aim to be completely packed and ready to go to the hospital by week 35 because you just never know what is going to happen, even in the most low-risk pregnancy. That being said, this job doesn’t have to completely fall on you!
Consider making an activity out of packing together. There are some items like snacks, drinks, and comfy clothes that you will need to purchase and this is something you can do together. Patrick and I went out shopping for these items during my early labor. We were both so giddy with excitement about the coming baby we had such a great time doing these mundane errands.
While I’m not saying you should necessarily wait that long to buy your snacks and drinks, plan a time when you two can do this together.
This is an awesome way for dad to get in on the baby preparations and for you two to bond in the process. Cooking with your partner will allow the two of you to prepare for baby together in a relaxed and fun way.
It is a chunk of time spent uninterrupted by technology or the hectic stress of life, and the result is a freezer full of delicious and healthy meals ready to eat when the baby comes. While I have sworn by meal prepping for years, since we have had our baby my husband can now really appreciate all of the time and money it saves us by doing this. I am here to tell you not to wait to get in on this amazing time saving activity!
Using recipes from the Complete Freezer Bundle will mean your grocery lists are pre-made and there is no cooking involved. This will help you maximize your time and prep the most meals possible.
Lastly, don’t forget to celebrate your due date! Remember that due dates are only an estimation, and you may not have baby for another week or more.
But this is still worth acknowledging! It can feel like a bit of a bummer to see our due date come and go. So be sure to celebrate pregnancy and baby’s arrival being so soon with a special night out.
You are now armed with 13 tips to get your husband involved and excited about pregnancy, and 10 different expecting date nights to plan. With this advice you are sure to have a husband that is more excited and ready for baby.
All of these things help to include him and remove some of the abstractness of pregnancy for him. Most importantly, have a blast really connecting and bonding together during pregnancy.
How are you involving your husband and getting him excited about pregnancy? Which of these ideas are you most excited about trying? Leave a comment below! I love to hear from readers <3
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