From Bachelorette Winner to Dad, Husband and Accidental Author: How Did That Happen?

If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd end up writing a book, I'd have laughed, finished my beer and asked what the hell you're talking about.

Most people still know me as "that bloke from The Bachelorette." Fair enough. But a lot changes in a decade.

These days, I've got a wife who keeps me grounded, a little girl named Stevie who somehow calls all the shots despite being barely three feet tall, businesses that keep me constantly on my toes, and the only thing disappearing quicker than my free time is my hairline. Dead set, if I let it grow for more than a week, I look like a used tennis ball.

The funny part is, I never planned on writing a book. It all started as a boat load of random notes in my iPhone that somehow snowballed into what's now known as hashtag DADLIFE.

The idea came from one simple frustration. Most of the information out there seemed to be talking to mums, or about dads—not actually to dads. What little I could find either contradicted itself or confused me. Mind you, that wasn't exactly a difficult task.

So, I did the only logical thing for a bloke who'd never even read a book cover to cover.

I wrote one.

Not a parenting manual. Not a textbook. Just an honest, chronological account of stumbling my way through conception, pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

The brief was simple: cut through the bullshit, have a laugh, keep it real and, hopefully, help a few other first-time dads feel a little less clueless than I did.

If there's one thing I'd say to any first-time dad, it's this: stop stressing about having all the answers... because you won't.

No one knows what they're doing. Some blokes are just better at looking like they do.

Ask the dumb questions. Lean on your mates who've already survived it. Laugh at the stuff that goes wrong. And when you're completely out of your depth—which, trust me, happens more often than you'd like—just keep turning up. That's half the battle.

hashtag DADLIFE isn't a parenting bible, and it's definitely not written by an expert. It's just one ordinary bloke sharing the highs, the lows and everything in between of becoming a dad, like he's chewing the fat with a mate down the 'Rubbery Dub' [pub]. 

So, if you enjoy sinking a few tins and you've got a tin lid on the way, hashtag DADLIFE might just be the only parenting book you'll actually read.

About the Book

hashtag DADLIFE – A Bloke's Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond by Sasha Mielczarek is available now in paperback and eBook at hashtagdadlife.com.au/shop. Follow @hashtagdadlife_ on Instagram for more laughs, stories and the occasional reminder that none of us really know what we're doing.