The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months Expanded 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Marcus Jacob Goldman MD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2000

Month-by-Month Developments in Your Baby, Your Partner, and You
"This first-rate, father-friendly manual answers questions you didn't even know you should be asking!" — Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
The expanded edition of The Joy of Fatherhood is for today's dad, touching on timely and relevant subjects from pre-natal care through year one of being a dad. Whether detecting an infant's illnesses, assessing a baby's development, or learning appropriate ways of playing with the newest member of the family, author Marcus J. Goldman, M.D., takes a down-to-earth, month-by-month tour of the first year of daddy's new life. Written for dads by a dad, the author applies his fathering experience and medical knowledge to cover all of the basics—from changing a diaper to feeding your baby, from packing a diaper bag to choosing the right babysitter—and enlightens you on hundreds of subjects, including:
·Important physical, emotional, health, and developmental milestones for your baby
·Identifying the feelings often experienced by new dads, and ways to cope with them
·Maintaining a healthy relationship with your partner through your new experiences
·And much more!
Written to fit in the busy lives of new fathers, The Joy of Fatherhood is a concise, practical guide loaded with essential tips, in-depth analyses, and important checklists. Full of valuable information, refreshing humor, and priceless wisdom, it is sure to enhance the joys of fatherhood.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Joy of Sex may have landed you here, but The Joy of Fatherhood is something else entirely. This well-indexed guide to a baby's first year walks fathers through everything from taking a child's temperature to processing complicated emotions with their (exhausted) partners. Written by Marcus Jacob Goldman, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, the book efficiently addresses nuts-and-bolts concerns such as bathing, diapering, feeding, and child-proofing. These topics are the mainstay of the "what to expect" genre, but Goldman's manual is distinctive when focusing on Dad's own feelings and development during this exciting year. He is particularly smart about how to invite pals into a new, baby-centric life: "Teach them how to hold your baby," he advises. "Get them acquainted with your new life by involving them in it." If there is a flaw, it's that Goldman consistently assumes Mom is the primary caregiver, which will probably put off some full-time dads. On the other hand, the book abounds in personal testimonies, so most fathers are bound to find a voice that reminds them of their own. And with regular features like "What Is Your Baby's Day Like," which offers concrete, unbiased information that makes for fun reading, this book will be a valuable resource for new dads with lots of questions. --Kathi Inman Berens

Review

Month-by-Month Developments in Your Baby, Your Partner, and You

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 2nd edition (May 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076152424X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761524243
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Fatherhood

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved this book!!!!!, March 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months Expanded 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This book was great. As a new dad, I was completely overwhelmed. But as I lay in bed at night between my colicky baby's frequent awakenings, I would read Dr. Goldman's book. He has a great way of being truthful, sensitive and funny. I loved the wit, cartoons and advice. Very easy to read. This book is not censored and does speak frankly about some important issues not covered in other like books. Since so many books are written for women (although my wife loved this book and laughed outloud dozens of times) as a man, I appreciate that. Dr. Goldman taught me how to easily save money for my baby, how to engage my friends in my new life with my baby and how to love my wife and new family in all sorts of ways I did not even imagine were possible. He answered all my questions-even some I was fearful of asking my friends or my doctor.

There are differences between men and women--in all sorts of ways--this is an indisputable fact. This book helps bring husband and wife together. Since having a baby will change the nature of your relationship with your wife or partner, Dr. Goldman points out how people can get into trouble if they aren't in-tune with each other. It is a "relationship-failure prevention" book too!! There are many dimensions to having a child-Dr. Goldman gets at all of them with humor and professionalism. It teaches a team approach to raising a baby and is comprehensive medically and psychologically. I highly recommend this book to men and women--if you buy one book on being a new dad, this is it!!! Thanks Dr. Goldman for such a real book!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly entertaining and practical !!, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months (Paperback)

How could one book be so chock full of practical tips and humorous views of what fatherhood is all about? Dr. Goldman is full of loving observations of what it means to be an involved dad and a sensitive spouse. This book offers tons of suggestions for dads on how to bond with baby, care for baby's needs and safety, understand baby, and more. In short, this is an invaluable map for charting a course that, for many men, is in mysterious territory. Buy one for yourself and for a friend or two!!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks from the temporarily reluctant dad!!!!!!!!, August 16, 2003

By 

Bill (utica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months Expanded 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Well, I really think I needed this book. I was anxious to say the least but when the baby arrived, i had no idea what to expect or what to do. My wife's books did not apply to me. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the whole thing but could not tell anyone about it. Dr. Goldman's book was the only one that seemed to let me feel what I wanted or needed to feel. I wasn't filled with joy automatically. A lot of people have been attacked for having one feeling or another or not having certain feelings-especially in the delivery room. I am in love with my baby now but I'm glad that it's ok to let those feelings develop without the guilt. That's not to say that the book is full of doom and gloom--it's NOT--it was ME that was full of doom and gloom...at first. There were some things in the book that made it ok for me to have mixed thoughts for a while. The book was a breath of honest, fresh air!! What a relief. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!