With all 3 of my wife @hunterpremo ’s postpartum experiences, I’ve gotten better at supporting her the best I can. Here are my top 5 ways that I’ve helped her along these healing journeys and hopefully these can help you too!
1. Nothing you do is conditional. It’s easy to fall into the trap that everything is 1-for-1. We made a pact that we would never keep a scorecard. Just do what needs to be done, stay positive, and do it with love.
2. Your presence is your greatest gift. Imagine you just went through the trials of birth and then imagine what it would be like to feel alone in that time. Physical, mental, and emotional support are foundational. Simply be there when she needs you and keep smiling.
3. Share the nightshift. You’re both sleep deprived, but you are in this thing together. Step up and lend a helping hand. When the baby wakes up it’s my time to shine. I change their diaper, unswaddle them and pass them off to Hunter so she can nurse. Once feeding is done, I’m back up to put them back down. Mom needs her rest.
4. Everyone has to eat. The early days will look like meal trains, DoorDash and endless amounts of snacks and waters. Handle all the plating, dishes, water refills and everything in between. Don’t let her get hangry!!!
5. Document it all. Whether it’s candid phone photos in the hospital or little video clips, no one ever regrets having a camera roll full of God’s greatest gift. It’s so simple to preserve memories. Take full advantage so you can look back in the future and relive it.
This isn’t rocket science. You two are in this thing together so act like it. As strenuous as these times can often be, that stress will be multiplied tenfold if your wife feels like she’s on her own. Your relationship will only benefit from this, I promise!
Dads, drop your best tips below!
Love these moments with the boys and their grandpas. My dad ran multiple bass boat companies for over 30 years and Hunter’s dad was a fishing guide for most of her life. Creating the memories that we will all look back on 🎣
Montana memories ⛰️ ⛷️ 🐎 @naturalretreats planned the best family getaway for us. Loved staying at @lastbestchalet and already dreaming up a ski trip next year. #bigsky #montana #hosted #familytravel
🎂 17 birthdays together and I still learn more and more about you every year. Watching you walk through life and handle anything thrown your way with such grace and poise is inspiring. The way you parent, how you motivate me and the kids, and how you wear so many hats (figuratively and literally) but still maintain your presence is something to behold. As we get older it just continues to get better. This life we have built means everything to me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
You are my best friend, the one who picks me up and keeps me in check, and above all you love me unconditionally every single day. I couldn’t have imagined a life this rich in my wildest dreams. I love you more than all the stars Hunter Bear!
Making the time to do the things you love is so good for the the soul. Work life & parent life all add up; and it’s those moments that we allow ourselves to recharge that let us come back better than before.
Over the past 10 years hunting has been the thing that recharges my battery. Alone with my thoughts or laughing with friends, I feel at one with God and nature. It just feels primal. The quiet of a cool morning watching the world come alive, the stillness as I sit and simply exist, or the views at the top of a mountain where you can’t catch your breath…these are the moments I find myself deeply inward that help me be a better ME.
The photos & animals on the wall aren’t trophies but rather the keepers of the stories, memories of the journey, and a reminder of the moments in between.
Make time in your life to be a better you.
Thankful to share this moment with my father-in-law @donny_wayne and the best guide there is @reis_ladd_hunts .
Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) - 35.25” - West Texas
