Dad-to-be pregnancy calendar

Weeks 21 and 22: First kick and baby talk

You baby will be starting to get more active, moving, kicking, stretching and punching. You should start to feel your baby kick if you place your hand on your partner’s tummy. Try patting your partner’s tummy or talking to the bump. This might encourage your baby to kick. Get talking to your baby as babies can more easily pick up deeper male voices than higher pitched female voices. If you’d like to know more about what your partner is experiencing then check out our guide to fetal development at week 21.

Week 25: Paternity Leave

Now’s the time to start thinking about paternity leave, and there are a few things that you need to do in order to make sure that you qualify. For example, you must tell your employer in writing 15 weeks before the beginning of the week of the baby’s due date. Make sure you find out what other things you need to do in order to qualify for paternity leave.

Week 28: Antenatal class

As a dad-to-be you’ll probably want to join your partner at antenatal classes and there are lots of reasons why you both should go. There usually run for about 8 weeks in the last three months (the final trimester). They help you prepare you both for childbirth and get you to think about important aspects of labour for your partner, like pain relief.

Week 35: Birth plan

It’s good for you to get know what your partner’s birth plan is, so you are clear what your and your partner wants. Make sure the birth plan answers the important questions, like do you both want a hospital delivery? What sort of pain relief does your partner want? It’s also good to write a list of emergency numbers including friends and family so you have them to hand.