A new baby enters the world. Flowers arrive, cigars are passed and then poor Dad is left in the dust. Despite the fact that today more dads are equally sharing the new baby "burden" with moms when it comes sleepless nights and crying jags, very rarely do people focus on his "postpartum" time. Just because the new mother is the one doing the major recovering doesn't mean that Dad can't use a little TLC, too.

"A woman has the advantage of a progressive preparation for motherhood over the course of nine months," says Sylvia Brown, author of The Post-Pregnancy Handbook (St. Martin's Griffin, 2002). "She carries the child not only in her body, but also in her heart and in her mind. The father-child relationship, however, is external and more abstract. Once home from the hospital, the baby and its supplies seem to take over the house. He is expected to stand close by the mother-child unit, but cannot enter into it; to instinctively take over all the housekeeping; and to have a sudden and burning desire to change diapers. It is hardly surprising then that he feels left out of the magic bubble surrounding Mother and Child."

For new dads who could use a little pampering (but would probably never admit it) there are a variety of things you can do to help ease him into parenthood. We're not talking about a golf weekend in Myrtle Beach, but rather a selection of low-cost treats to help him relax and recover, too.

For easing muscle pain and relaxing in the shower, Bigelow's spearmint and eucalyptus massage soap makes a great gift. The soap is molded with rounded bumps on one side to help massage sore muscles while you bathe. The soap is available online at www.bigelowchemists.com.

And for post-shower muscle relief, holistic skin care expert Dr. Hauschka offers a therapeutic body oil that combines the invigorating scent of birch with the muscle-calming properties of arnica to moisturize and improve the condition of your skin at the same time. It can be used directly out of the shower in place of your regular lotion or on problem areas anytime.

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