Maternity care focuses on Mom and baby during pregnancy, birth and postpartum which is wonderful and necessary. However, Dads often get overlooked or ignored which I feel is a disservice to the family. Just as birth brings changes for Moms, it does for Dads as well. There are a lot of resources devoted to supporting Mom and baby, but not so much for Dads. So I decided to share my favorite resources for Dads.
While Dads are often more in the background in the immediate postpartum, their needs are no less real or important than Mom or baby. I hope one day to share a list of resources for Dads that has at least twice as many resources as this list.
- Childbirth classes- these help everyone understand how pregnancy and birth work.
- The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin. This is a great resource for ideas to help with labor support.
- Welcome to Fatherhood: The Modern Man's Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Fatherhood- written by David Arrell, a Dad to Dads. I love the suggestions and ideas in this book. It's written with a humorous touch but has rock solid advice.
- Dude, You're Gonna Be a Dad written by John Pfeiffer. Another great book to read, written by a Dad to Dads.
- The Sears Baby Book written by Drs Sears and others. If you are unsure of how to care for a newborn, or just want to get an idea of what that will be like, this book explains things well.
- welcometofatherhood.com offers classes on birth, and caring for mom and baby in the first 3 months postpartum as well as individual coaching.
- Postpartum Support International-because 10% or more of Dads will struggle with postpartum depression or anxiety after baby is here.
While Dads are often more in the background in the immediate postpartum, their needs are no less real or important than Mom or baby. I hope one day to share a list of resources for Dads that has at least twice as many resources as this list.
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