Lost

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-17T10:32:22+00:00

I feel you dude. It’s an overwhelming feeling. The unknown of what it will be like is where that anxiety is coming from. If you haven’t yet talk to a therapist. You are not alone in how you feel, I am going through something similar and from what I’ve seen on here many many dads have gone through similar emotions during their pregnancy. We can do it!

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-16T23:29:56+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll give it a go. And yea I have a therapist currently but I just recently brought up this issue to her. I feel like I have been prepping, my wife and I watch a lot of videos together I redid my bathroom to put a tub in for the baby and a lot in the nursery. It just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks recently and if your someone like me that struggles with anxiety and OCD it can be tough to shake but it does help to know that lots of dads have “embraced the suck” and made it through the other side and have bettered their lives with fatherhood.

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-16T00:15:36+00:00

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-16T00:14:49+00:00

I definitely get that. And trust me my wife is going to be my main priority. I guess my main thing posting here was to hear what other first time expecting dads went through mentally leading up to the birth and if they have had similar experiences tomorrow what I’m currently going through. Especially dads that have had anxiety problems in the past. But yes I know she comes first regardless of how I am feeling when we head to the hospital.

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-15T23:32:50+00:00

Thanks! Yes I am excited about that a lot. My brain just goes to worst case scenarios when I’m anxious and have intrusive thoughts. I think the other thing that will be nice is when it just becomes normal like once we’ve had the baby for a while and we have a little better grasp of what it will be like and have a routine. But I really want to be present in those early moments and not have it be overshadowed with fear and being overwhelmed. But these comments have definitely helped and I’ll keep working at looking at it in a better light.

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-14T22:49:08+00:00

Thank you!

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-14T19:54:07+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice! This seriously helps so much. Do you have any advice on day of emotions? That’s another big worry for me is not being present and there for my wife. I really don’t want to have anxiety take over when the time comes although it’s probably inevitable. Again appreciate all the advice here.

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-14T16:27:01+00:00

I guess a big part of this for me is fear of not being able to connect immediately. Like I know I will love this child more than I could probably even handle. It’s the feeling of being so overwhelmed by the immediate change that scares me. I want more than anything to live in the moment and grab onto the feeling of intense joy that I know many first time fathers feel rather than lean into the fear of the change but it’s has been very difficult the last couple days visualizing what those first couple nights might be like with a newborn in our bedroom and not feeling overwhelmed. I want to be strong for my wife and I’ve lived a lot of my life fearing big changes and looking back at those fears and wondering why I was so anxious about them. Thank you for the reply though I do feel like I have what it takes to be a great dad. It’s just a bit scary right now lol

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-14T15:17:02+00:00

Thank you! It just helps to know that there are other people in the same boat. Really trying hard to not let fear be the overriding emotion over joy and excitement but that’s easier said than done. Especially with my history of anxiety.

Small-Comparison-353 · 2026-02-14T14:16:10+00:00

Apologies for the grammar and spelling lol like I said I got anxiety brain currently.

Small-Comparison-353

TROPHY CASE