Tales of a Pregnant Dad: The Father of Jacques Cousteau

How cool is that moment for a couple right before their baby is born? Really cool, that's how.

Is there anything better than the excitement of a new dad? Because I’m not sure that there is, I’ll be interviewing a new-dad-to-be from time to time in the hopes that this happiness that comes with being on the precipice of something amazing rubs off on the rest of it. This week, it’s Scott Ackman, Health Care Futures manager and all-around good guy, who – with his wife Andrea – is expecting his first child.

Alright Scott, when is this baby coming?

The due date is March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day). I’m hopeful it turns out to be another day though, as I think it would make for a rough, albeit fun 21st birthday for him 21 years from now.

So, it’s a boy?

Yes, Andrea and I are nothing if not planners and I think we felt there were a lot of positives to finding out and not many negatives. At the end of the day we felt it would be a surprise at some point and whether the surprise occurred at 20 weeks or 40 weeks was relatively insignificant. Personally, I’m really glad we found out as I think it has helped me (and I think Andrea) bond with him, think about names and end rampant speculation on gender.

How do you refer to him in fetus form?

We refer to him as Jacques Cousteau given he’s spending a fair amount of time “underwater” at the present time so we’ve had a good time with it.  Although, this Jacques Cousteau alias did create some confusion as we did have a family member tell someone we were naming the baby Jacques Cousteau.

Do you have an actual name (or names) picked out? How did you decide?

We are down to a select few. Andrea and I talked through several criteria beyond my “playground smell test,” which significantly whittled down the possibilities. Given my last name is Ackman the name shouldn’t end in N – which ruled out Colin, Ethan etc. We definitely can’t select a name with an “ck sound which ruled out Patrick and Cedric and a bunch of others. Additionally the name shouldn’t be overly common as we wouldn’t want him to have the same name as multiple classmates/friends which ruled out anything that was in the top 100 of the current boys list.

Have you accompanied your wife to her OB/GYN visits?

I’ve attended the majority of visits. We had a fairly bad experience at our first clinic, then ended up switching to Clinic Sofia. I’ve learned quite a few things, most notably that I didn’t know much to start with and that the entire process is pretty incredible. Overall, the clinic has really been great. Even though they deliver hundreds of babies a year it’s been very personal and I feel like they’ve experienced the pregnancy with us, which has made it fun.

What’s been the best part of your wife’s pregnancy?

Definitely the “journey” of going from not pregnant to today. Given that this is our first child, everything has been new and a surprise. Hearing his heart beat and seeing the ultrasound pictures for the first time were amazing.

And the worst?

The worst part of the pregnancy is watching my wife go through the physical hardships associated with carrying a baby to term (nausea, back pain, sleeplessness). I definitely don’t envy her or other women for going through it. It’s tough and really an amazing accomplishment.

What kind of father do you plan to be?

I’m thinking a cross between Bill Cosby and my dad. Bill Cosby’s humor and logic with my dad’s support/encouragement. As my dad would say, this child is the person who will select our nursing home – we better do a good job!

What part of fatherhood are you most excited about?

Having the opportunity to watch and help our son experience life.

That’s totally a dad comment. I think you’re ready. Best of luck to you guys and your St.Patrick’s Day baby!

Do you know an awesome new-dad-to-be worth recognizing? Shoot me a quick note at scott@newdadtobe.com.

Read More “Scott and the Tiny Human” >>

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