About the book

A brutally honest, laugh-out-loud guide to new parenthood. The first book by a father to chronicle the entire journey from conception to birth and the insane first year of parenthood.

With humor and raw honesty, Waking Up Daddy takes readers step by step, from the moment in Shanghai the author learned he was going to be a dad, to his first clueless interaction with a newborn, to his (comparatively) expert-level parenting on his baby's first birthday.

From the madness of endless baby preparations and the unpredictability of sleep training, to baby name debates and visits to the gynecologist's office, this book captures both the universal and wildly unique moments of new parenthood.

You’ll learn:

• The first two fears that go through a man's head when he learns he's going to be a father
• How a person who never even babysat can be trusted to change a diaper
• A first-hand view of the delivery room, playing the pivotal role of: staying the f*** out of everyone's way
• Why men who say “we're pregnant!” ought to be subjected to a level of pain equivalent to that of giving birth
• What percentage of the endless, convoluted baby preparations has any relevance to actual reality
• What a Chinese mother-in-law thinks of this whole fiasco

Who it's for

Expecting parents get a raw, uncensored view of new parenthood and a humorous companion for the journey. Mothers get some insight into what their partner is going through.

Parents who are past this stage get the safely distant version: anecdotes that are mostly universal and occasionally oddly unique.

Interspersed with top-10 lists (“Ten Thoughts About: Gender”, “Fifteen Thoughts About: Pregnancy”, “Six Thoughts About: Baby Gear”), the book is an easy and fun read. Less like what you’d hear in a parenting class and more like what you’d overhear at a bar afterward, Waking Up Daddy is an unfiltered, hilarious take on fatherhood, because no matter how much you prepare, aren’t we all just winging it?