Planning Your Delivery Date
Tucson Dating & Marriage Advice Circa 1950

The day of delivery is considered a holiday for the father in all civilized business. Some skillful chaps can even stretch it to two. For this reason, the well-trained wife never has children on weekends. She tries, too, to have them at a convenient hour.

Persuade her to feel the first pangs of childbirth at about 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., on any day from Monday through Friday. It may take a few babies to acquire the proper skill, but you will find it worth the effort. You avoid interrupting sleep, and can catch yourself before leaving—and preferably before dressing—for the office.

If you do have time to choose your clothes, dress sim­ply. No need to be elaborate. A sport coat, flannel slacks of good dark gray and loafers or tassel oxfords are best a tie is optional if you wear a sport shirt. Better not shave. This creates an impression of boyish confusion.

WHAT TO DO TILL THE DOCTOR COMES

One has only to observe a Parent-Teachers meeting to see the appalling number of gray heads among relatively youthful fathers. How many of these turned gray overnight—and how needlessly! Your first childbirth need not be the shattering ex­perience it is for so many.

Too often, as the date approaches, the father becomes a trembling hulk, pacing nervously from room to room, checking the car for high-speed starting, and making trial runs to the hospital. No need for all this, no need to leave your motor run­ning or to sleep with your boots on. It takes longer than you can imagine to have a baby. Even if you dawdle in getting your wife to the hospital, she will be there for hours before anything happens.

Once you have put your wife in the hospital's hands, you will be treated as though you had no part in the enterprise, regardless of all you have been through in the past nine months. Go home, nurse your wounds. You will be telephoned when the baby arrives.

BRACE YOURSELF

The first sight of your child may be something of a shock. You will expect that he, or she, will be a mirror of your own fine qualities and that this will be apparent from the start. No matter what you look like, this will not be the case. Regardless of what enthusiastic relatives will say, during the first week or so babies do not look like anybody.

However he (or she) will be all yours—and so will all the joys and all the problems that go with him. Prepare yourself carefully. You are entering a dangerous period.

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