Men's Psychological Transition to Fatherhood - Published in the scientific journal: Birth, December 2009 [part 3 - Postnatal Period]

Welcome to Part 3 of our 3 Part Series on Men's Psychological Transition to Fatherhood

Overview

In a recent article published in the journal, Birth,Genesoni and Tallandinicompleted a comprehensive analysis of literature from the past 20 years on fatherhood. Needless to say, the transition to fatherhood is a large step in any man's life and understanding it can be beneficial both to a father, his child and his partner.Genesoni and Tallandini break down the transitions into three distinct time frames: the prenatal period, labor and birth and the postnatal period. In the last postings we discussed the psychological changes that occur in the father to be in the prenatal and labor and delivery period period. The last period that we will explore is the postnatal period, where the new parents to be adjust to the homecoming of their new baby.

Postnatal Period Findings

The biggest transition for a father after they bring their child home is the "social transition". The authors describe this as the time a father needs to make large transitions as they relate to his role in his family. During this time many fathers are trying to juggle 2 roles; one as a provider for his family and the other as participant in the care of his newborn child. This results in a struggle between desires and responsibilities that the father must grapple with and can become easily frustrated. The authors found that the most common issues included:

1. The feeling that there isn't enough time to be with the newborn baby with other commitments

2. Deterioration of lifestyle and other relationships

3. Feelings of inadequacy in infant-care

Personalized Findings

As a new father, one can't help but feel overwhelmed. There is no easy solution and no matter what you do there will be bumps along the way as a father learns the basic of parenthood. A few things to do to help the transition to full fledged dad include what I like to call the 4 P's:

1. Preparation: Prepare for the new lifestyle of a new baby by hedging back on other commitments before the baby arrives. If you're overextended before the baby comes, once he/she arrives, it could spell disaster.

2. Practice: Mom's don't inherently know how to do the innumerable tasks that taking care of a baby require; they just usually have more experience in doing it (whether through taking care of other babies, or spending more time with your child). In order for a dad to "catch-up" to the skill that mom's typically possess, it takes plenty practice. Don't be discouraged if you don't get it right away, keep volunteering to take on additional responsibilities, it'll come easier with time.

3. Partnership: Raising a child is at least a two person race, and in order to be most successful helping each other out and being there for each other is very important. Be sure to have open lines of communication and regularly discuss needs/wants and frustrations.

4. (Don't) Panic: You won't be a perfect parent, and that's okay. Accept that, and there will be a lot less stress in your life. Roll with the punches and take the time to learn from your mistakes, rather than beat yourself up for them.

Men's Psychological Transition to Fatherhood - Published in the scientific journal: Birth, December 2009 [part 2 - Labor and Birth Period]

Welcome to Part 2 of our 3 Part Series on Men's Psychological Transition to Fatherhood

Overview

In a recent article published in the journal, Birth,Genesoni and Tallandini completed a comprehensive analysis of literature from the past 20 years on fatherhood. Needless to say, the transition to fatherhood is a large step in any man's life and understanding it can be beneficial both to a father, his child and his partner.Genesoni and Tallandini break down the transitions into three distinct time frames: the prenatal period, labor and birth and the postnatal period. In the last posting we discussed the psychological changes that occur in the father to be in the prenatal period, this post will focus on the shortest, but still important piece: Labor and Birth.

Labor and Birth Findings

The authors labeled the labor and birth the "biological transition" to fatherhood. This stage was found to be challenging mostly because the father, although wanting to participate in the labor and delivery process, felt "out of place, vulnerable, unprepared" and needing their own support. One study did find that fathers that had a positive experiences during the labor and delivery process had lower rates of depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. Lastly, it is interesting to note that the authors found that fathers described their babies with less positive attributes if their baby was delivered via cesarean section.

Personalized Findings

Even though men have been encouraged to be in the labor and delivery room for the last 30 years, these studies show that many times they still feel out of place. Helping a father feel more comfortable in the labor and delivery process begins with education. Educating a father on what different things mean (i.e. dilation, infant heart rate, epidurals), can help a father understand everything that is going around him once he gets into the labor and delivery room. Take your partner with you to the OB/GYN and ask them to walk you both through the equipment and supplies to expect in the room, the stages of labor and delivery, and the process and procedures nurses would take, etc. This can go a long way to helping your partner have a positive labor and delivery process.

Lastly, the cesarean section debate will continue, probably indefinitely, into the future. We at Personalized Prenatal believe that it is a personal decision between partners and their physicians. Before you make a decision be sure to understand all the pros and cons of a cesarean delivery, including the effect on future pregnancies and deliveries, the risk factors associated with surgery and the safety of your baby.

Men's Psychological Transition to Fatherhood - Published in the scientific journal: Birth, December 2009 [part 1 - the Prenatal Period]

Overview

In a recent article published in the journal, Birth, Genesoni and Tallandini completed a comprehensive analysis of literature from the past 20 years on fatherhood.  Needless to say, the transition to fatherhood is a large step in any man's life and understanding it can be beneficial both to a father, his child and his partner. Genesoni and Tallandini break down the transitions into three distinct time frames: the prenatal period, labor and birth and the postnatal period. In each of the next three postings we will distill one section and provide our input on how the findings can be incorporated in your personal perinatal journey.

Prenatal Period Findings

During the prenatal period the authors noted that in the past 20 years there has been a trend towards men desiring to be more involved in the process, but three main issues continue to arise during this period:

1) Inability to grasp the reality of the pregnancy

2) Changes in the relationship between the man and his partner, arising from differing and changing expectations

3) Developing a parental identity; which requires the shift in mentality from partner to parent.

Interestingly, the authors found that the prenatal period is the most stress period during the perinatal (from conception through 1st year of life) process. They attributed this to the fact that fathers-to-be need to go through a psychological transition during this time.

Personalized takeaways

The prenatal period may seem like the "easy part," especially for a father. With the lack of hospital rooms, babies crying, and diapers needing changing, the tangible physical labor of taking care of a baby is not there. But just as with any race, preparation is the most important part, and there are few races longer than parenthood. So how can a future father (in conjunction with his partner) best prepare? Addressing the 3 largest struggles fathers deal with likely provides a good starting point:

1) Make it tangible. Make the pregnancy and the baby something the father can feel and experience. Involving the father in testing, doctor's appointments, and preparation (i.e. nesting), can go a long way in letting him know "the baby is really coming." Start early and continually reinforce; ultrasounds can start as early as 8 weeks, and at 12 weeks you can see the baby take shape.

2) A pregnancy changes any relationship, whether it changes for the better or worse is a function of expectations. Although you've likely talked with your partner about pregnancy before, having an open and honest discussion about individual needs and responsibilities has to occur early in the pregnancy. Each partner should independently come up with a list of questions and concerns, then come together and have an open and honest discussion. Create a "living document" that outlines the outcome for each question and concern; it's a "living document" because needs and desires will change, but laying out early expectations will help address any early disconnects.

3) The parent you want to be and you want your partner to be, develops during pregnancy. In one article cited by the authors there was a direct relationship "between importance attributed to father status by expectant first time fathers and both intensity and preoccupation with the fetus and quality of bonding with the unborn child." Given this, it is important that the father's role and importance to his child is not mitigated during the prenatal period; make sure he is involved prenatal care, he should have responsibilities related to the baby and most important, the partner should tell and show him how important he is to the baby. At the end of the day, this will help a father develop an identity of an engaged parent that will carry through to the postnatal period.

Welcome

Welcome to PersonalizedPrenatal.blogspot.com where we distill the most recent scientific literature surrounding prenatal and postnatal into basic terms and describe potential impacts on you and your family. We hope it is helpful!