I was never a cut and dried person on the 'your job, my job' bit but I think, like other guys, I grew up believing that women had something in them that us guys don't; maternal instinct (sounds logical enough) which made it really easy for them to be a Mum.
This is certainly true in so many ways, thus this picture of Wonder Woman. (I always thought she was pretty hot when I was a kid). Maternal instinct or mothers instinct however, does not mean that a mother, especially with their first child, knows what to do, or if she does, has an easy time of it.
Having been involuntarily conscripted into mum and dad duties I have a good idea why new mums are tired all the time. (Thank God I didn't have to give birth!). Considering it may have been a tough pregnancy with some complications, lugging around the extra nourishment the baby needs (is that a great way of saying extra weight?), perhaps feeling nauseous the whole time, and to finish, a great big YEOOOW (like Lieutenant Drebin in Naked Gun and the exotic fish scene) as the baby is delivered. When she gets home with the new baby, there's no massage and a 12 hr sleep. It's straight into action and sleep deprivation 24/7, maybe a hormone roller-coaster and anti-climax feelings, struth.
Wonder Women or not, most new mothers don't know it all, can use help, put lots of pressure on themselves to be the perfect mother (after all she is a woman and therefore expected to know) and have to go pretty hard at getting everything right. So for the Dads who think their job is tough; think again. Depite the incredible pain and suffering us Dads go through holding their hands in the delivery room, it just doesn't count in the giving birth arena or when you go home to start your new life with a new, small, squeaky human that might cry a lot of the time. New mums suddenly have this full-time responsibility on their shoulders; some without much help at all. For those Dads who think they've had a tough day at work, swap places with their women for a week or two and see how you go. Put in the same hours and duties and you'll find it a real eye-opener.
I received a request recently from a soon to be Mum, Kristen. Her baby should be here by now. Kristen said that her hubby knew nothing about babies but wanted to learn so he could help and be involved; she was going to teach him but wondered about alternatives (family, friends etc). Good for him and for Kristen. It's good for lots of other reasons as well (eg. sick wife). Kristens plans to teach her hubby sounded good straight off so I just added my thoughts on alternatives that might suit and be available where they live.
It sounds like Kristens husband isn't one who expects his wife to get him off to work early in the morning, no matter what. An amazingly self-centred and embarrassingly strange expectation by some guys; do they want a wife or mother?
Despite being a woman and new mother, Mums have to work hard to fulfil their own (and others it seems), expectations. Some mothers don't have a clue and can find themselves in difficulty right from the start. Getting some theory and practical knowledge before starting as a Mum or Dad, is a great idea.
Without endangering our Mum or Dad roles, Dads can help out and ease the workload. Good insurance too. Just watch out for those crook jobbies.