Support for Pregnancy and Parenting – Don’t Forget the Dads

It may be easy to think of pregnancy as a time to focus on the mother-to-be, but new research is showing that dads need a bit off attention throughout the process, too.

As part of her University of Gothenburg thesis out of Sweden, midwife Asa Premberg interviewed fathers-to-be and new fathers to get their take on pregnancy and child birth. She found that with so much attention placed on the mother, many men reported feeling marginalized or had felt their concerns trivialized by midwives and health care professionals.

“Some dads said that they'd ask the midwife questions only for the midwife to direct her answers to the mum," Premberg noted in a university news release.

Her study also showed that men face complex issues not only in the time leading up to birth, but also during their baby’s birth. They are expected to be a support for the mother as she delivers, all the while keeping their own concerns and fears under wraps.

Finally, once the baby has arrived, many men  reported finding it more challenging to create a relationship with their baby, while still maintaining their own identity. They struggled with learning to care for a baby on their own without the support and resources that are given naturally to mothers from family, health care professionals and other sources.

According to Premberg, focusing attention and providing information on the man’s role in pregnancy, child birth and parenthood could help put some of the issues and fears that arise in men to rest. “This will benefit not only the man himself, but also the whole family," she stated.