Walk with me. Good soil makes healthy plants, right?

I’m not a botanist but I think that’s how it works. I guess humans are the same way, well, childbearing humans at least.

Women are amazing biological marvels when they are pregnant, so the least we can do as guys is like, be prepared to make sure everything else is all right.

You’re going to be a dad! A whole human (or two, or three) is going to rely on you, and eventually think you’re some type of great person.

Shouldn’t you try to make it at least seem plausible?

Well, one step towards that goal is to be the best-prepared parent you can be. Which means you should know everything. Yes, that was a complete sentence. Read it again.

Knowing everything is a good start for fatherhood because, well, it’s not like you could withstand the pain of childbirth so you might as well be good at something.

Also, being a support person for the mother of your child is good in itself, but being a good parent because your child needs a caring father is something different. Children are owed that, I think.

So what does “know everything” mean? I can tell you it doesn’t mean “know everything”, for starters. Have you ever tried to write a research paper and become stuck in the research vortex?

It’s where you become paralysed from writing because you think you need to know more before you start. It’s a terrible place. Don’t do that to yourself when reading about parenthood otherwise you might miss the birth of your child while reading about childbirth in the delivery room.

The paradox of knowing; the creeping realisation the acquisition of knowledge bestows — you actually know nothing. Couple that with the literal unknown of a new child and it’s very understandable that you’re freaking out. You’ll be responsible for another human being. Everything could go wrong. The hitch; everything probably won’t go wrong, and you don’t need to be an expert to keep it that way.

What I’m learning is that talking to experts like doctors and nurses will do wonders to focus your energy and time on the things that are necessary for the health of the mother and baby.

Making time to visit the obstetrician with you significant other, preparing questions beforehand, talking with your family about any history of mental or physical illnesses, all these things will help guide your conversations.

Following through on a healthy mentality with healthy decisions is just a step toward a healthy baby. There are many pitfalls — from conception to birth — that have nothing to do with the decisions parents make. Hopefully the baby you love has a better chance of a healthy delivery and childhood because you made good decisions!