Is new fatherhood making you a fat dad?

Although moms still continue to do the lion’s share of baby care, dads also are hugely impacted by the new arrival. Lack of sleep and energy take their toll on dad too, especially if he’s helping with night feeds so mom can catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Paternity pounds can start to pile on when your partner is expecting. There might even be a reason for it too – it’s Nature’s way of ensuring dad has energy reserves in the way of stored fat that will prepare him for the higher energy expenditure that comes with being a father. But while that may be a great theory, it really only works for Cro-Magnon Man, who likely spent a lot of time hunter-gathering with his baby strapped onto his back!

So how does it happen? If a mom-to-be is craving certain rich food combinations, you as dad-to-be will be stuck eating the exact same thing unless you can be bothered to prepare a separate meal. Another big problem is the fact that pregnancy can make moms-to-be ravenous. Portion distortion takes hold and your plate is also likely to be piled high with extra food. The fact that you might be psychologically conditioned to clear your plate at every meal almost guarantees you a belly to rival your partner at full-term.

Any exercise routine you had established might also go out the window before your baby is born. Your partner may well have been hitting the sidewalks and power walking before she became pregnant and it probably inspired you to slap on your sneakers and pound along with her. Once she’s pregnant, however, that could all change. Although pregnancy exercise is great for moms-to-be and their babies, the fact is that some pregnant women just don’t have the energy for it, or feel too nauseous from morning sickness to haul out of bed at 6am every morning to fit it in ahead of work. So, even though it can boost their mood and energize them, many moms to be consign their sneakers to the back of the closet for the duration of their pregnancy. And on those chilly winter mornings, what dad-to-be wants to crawl out of bed and face frosty conditions on his own when he could snuggle down into the warmth for an extra half hour, feeling his unborn child wriggle and kick?

Once your baby arrives it may even get worse. If your partner has been walking the floor with your colicky son and heir all day, then a healthy meal isn’t going to be bubbling on the stove when you get in. Take out it is, more often than not, or, at the worse, a soda and a candy bar. You may well have the best intentions to squeeze in some strollercize together at the weekend but after a disturbed night and a hectic morning of feeds and diaper changes on the hour every hour, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get out of the house!

Popping to the gym at lunchtime might not be an option either if your newborn is stretching your finances to the limit – in fact, canceling that gym membership might be in order now the money could be better put to use setting your child up for that ivy league college a few years down the line! Although, having said that, gurgle’s tips for raising a baby on a budget might mean you can still afford the gym!

It takes a great deal of dedication to overcome these issues and may well involve mealtimes where you gaze disconsolately at your healthy pasta salad while your partner chows down on a many-layered bacon cheeseburger that might weigh the same as your newborn does once she arrives. But staying as healthy as you can will definitely help you when it comes to dealing with the demands of new parenthood – believe us when we say that for such a tiny thing, your newborn will expect and demand a huge amount of your time and effort.

Think about ways you can plan in a regular exercise routine that still allows you to spend time with your partner and your newborn – because you skipping out to the gym for an hour every evening when she has been by herself with your baby all day will not go down well. Try to fit it in during your lunch hour or get up 10 minutes earlier and jog around the block – even just that ten minutes will make a difference. And you could even wait until after that first feed of the morning, strap your baby in her sling and take her with you for a brisk walk while your partner gets ready for work. Bonding with your baby sure takes the sting out of exercise!

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.