Creating a prenatal partnership

With the mood swings, the nausea, the weight gain, the sore breasts, the aching back, and the myriad of other complaints, pregnancy is not exactly a walk in the park. But through it all, we as women, get to experience the wonder of human nature first hand, and at the end of those agonizing nine months, we're presented with a beautiful, breathtaking reward.

For our partners -- until those agonizing nine months go by and they get to hold that beautiful breathtaking reward -- their participation in the pregnancy is somewhat limited to bearing the brunt of the mood swings, cleaning up after the nausea, and listening endlessly about the weight gain, the sore breasts, the aching back and the myriad of other complaints.

How can your partner be more involved in your pregnancy? "The most important thing my husband has done to become a part of the pregnancy is show me how excited he is to be having this baby with me," says Melanie Richter, who's expecting her first child in July. Here are 10 more ways to include your partner:

1) Pain, pain go away
It may seem like a strange time to get to know your each other better, but now's the time to talk about certain topics, like pain, explains Tasha MacDonald, a registered midwife in Toronto. "Knowing that when the person is in pain they like to be left alone or really pampered is helpful when it comes to the labour."

2) Here's baby
You'll also want to discuss what will happen after your beautiful newborn makes his or her first appearance, says MacDonald. "Talking about what the pregnant woman might need or want postpartum, like help with meals, keeping visitors at bay, those kinds of conversations make the partner feel more involved and a part of the process."

3) Picture perfect
Taking a photograph of your belly-in-progress is not an easy task, making it the perfect gig for your partner. "We took pictures of my wife starting from month four or so, every month, with a sign near her belly showing the month we were in," says David Bercovitch, a father of three. "It was a cool way to show progression of the pregnancy. Eventually, with the next two pregnancies, the older kids got into the pictures, too. They thought it was a hoot."

4) The name game
For Rosanne Shpayer, a mom of two who's expecting her third child in November, picking a name has been the burden. Luckily, her husband's been a pro at it. "After two children, I was convinced I had run out of names I liked. But he came up with some good names once again (he came up with a great name for our first child and we had a very easy time on the second). It may sound small, but it's a big help."
(Discover 7 myths about predicting your baby's sex.)

5) Natural beauty
Nothing can perk up a person like a compliment, and when you just don't see that "pregnancy glow" everyone else does, a few kind words can go a long way. "My husband loves pregnant women, he adores them," says Hsiang Fei Lu, expecting her first child in October. "He thinks I am sexier than ever and spoils me with attention."