My kid was less than a year old then. I sometimes feel many men miss out on these early moments of absolute bliss because they assume child-rearing is a predominantly mother's job. 
Yes, the bigger problem with it is the asymmetric burden that it places on the new mothers, but I'm going to talk to the men about what some of *them* are missing out on. I want to share a tiring but rewarding period of my life, as a hands-on father.
The Indian tradition of sending a mother to be to her parents home for first delivery, for instance, denies many fathers the pleasure of holding their newborn baby, many times. Men sometimes don't even see their babies for week/months (thankfully changing).
Of course, sometimes it's unavoidable, but the normalisation of that absence of the father from early child-rearing, is something I'm not comfortable with. Men should be resisting that where they can.
We had to opt for a c-section due to some complications, and my wife was resting, the first night, when I got comfortable with changing the cloth diapers, and I would not trade those early days with anything. It's darn tiring, and sometimes stress inducing, more reasons why...
if you love your partner, you would want to share it - the anxieties, the sleepless nights, and yet, the sheer joy of holding your tiny baby, taking care of them. And this is not meant as humblebrag. In fact I think this is something every father should do. For themselves.
Those early bonds will go a long way, and will contribute to your growth, like very other experiences in life can. Being a parent is optional. I don't mean to say you have to be one. But if you're choosing that, why would you want to miss on that beautiful enriching experience?
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