QUESTION

Dear Mr. Dad,
My girlfriend and I are about to become parents. She wants to get married before the baby is born, but I don’t really see the point. Can’t unmarried parents be just as committed as married ones?

Do not wait for depression to clear before seeking help. Your husband may need medical attention and a counselor can advise you. You should see improvement after 2 weeks of counseling.

I am 16 and found out am having a baby. How do you think my dad will take the news? But the question of how your father will take the news isn't nearly as important as the questions you need to ask yourself.

The "Being Dad" DVD is the perfect gift (even to yourself!) for all expectant parents. Dads-to-be will appreciate hearing the truth from those with been there, done that experience! Moms-to-be will find it a terrific way to engage their partners in their pregnancy with humor, candor, and a refreshing frankness sure to capture their attention.

An additional benefit? Expectant mothers can get a glimpse into what their partner may be thinking. He isn't an insensitive clout after all!

On top of the rumpled sheet were two long white things, which I mistook for thermometers. She had been sick lately, and I figured she had been taking her temperature. Twice, for some reason. When I blinked, the thermometers turned into something more interesting: home pregnancy tests.

QUESTION

Dear Doula,
My girlfriend is pregnant. I have tried to talk to her but she does not want to talk about it. She is sad and embarrassed and says she can't take it. I don't know what to do. I mean I don't want to be a dad. Well, I do but not now.

The opportunities for fathers to participate in the early years of their children's lives appear to be becoming more important to men today. In the father's group I facilitate, many of the men comment on how they never had any close contact with their own fathers, and how that has made them painfully aware of how important being present in their children's lives is. Others express that given the opportunity to choose between potential career advancement or spending time with their children, being with their kids feel like the more creative option.

Congratulations, your partner (and you) are now pregnant! Your baby is beginning its life inside the womb. All the care and nurturing your baby needs is happening in your partner's belly! The transition to parenthood and becoming a father is slowly starting to take hold of you.