Elliot Dixon is surrounded by nappies and sleepless nights at the moment.
But he only has to look at his own rugby career to realise it does get easier.
Dixon, who is the father of Huxley, born a couple of months ago, was very much a baby when he arrived in the South in 2011.
But after a few growing pains, he has blossomed in the past couple of years and is now maturing into a quality loose forward.
He will play his 50th game for the Highlanders in tonight's final and is one of only three players - hookers Liam Coltman and Ash Dixon are the others - to have played in every game this year.
Dixon is looking forward to the occasion, and a win would be the icing on the cake.
''It has almost worked out perfectly for me - to get 50 games and into the final. Friends and family are coming up so it should be a good day,'' he said.
The loose forward said there was no magic recipe for the final.
It would be foolish to go away from a game plan which had worked so well over the competition.
''We are just going to be doing what we have to be doing for the last 19 weeks. We are just going to do our roles.
''When you look and see what their pack has done and what our pack has done, both of us are willing to go week in, week out and put our bodies on the line.''
Dixon, who is unsure whether he or departing co-captain Nasi Manu will lead the Highlanders out, said his more consistent play over the past two seasons came back to more minutes on the paddock.
''It's just regular game time and time in the saddle. You can't beat that. I think that has helped me a lot. Getting to know my role, talking with the coaches and getting down pat with the game plan.''
Dixon said the side would be buoyed by the past two weeks. In do-or-die games, the Highlanders have come out on top.
''We have not had an easy run in. We've had to work in every game. We've had to sharpen every game ... I think all the boys knew [last week] we could do it but actually over there in Sydney was another awesome occasion and gave us a bit of confidence.''
The 25-year-old admitted the last couple of games had been tough both mentally and physically.
''Even about two or three days later, you are drained mentally and physically drained. You have really worked hard. The past couple of weeks we've had Mondays off, which is different from the rest of the season.''
Dixon said Huxley would be in the crowd tonight, as he watched his dad play the biggest game of his career so far.