Men, when they are expecting a child, experience a true mental revolution and even hormonal!
HOW DOES THE FUTURE DAD FEEL?
Thinking that pregnancy and childbirth only affect women is not entirely true. Man also lives a true revolution, a vital crisis that is an excellent opportunity for personal work and growth.
Concerns, fears and joy
Many men experience the gestation of their partner immersed in a whirlwind of strong and contradictory feelings.
The enthusiasm coexists, sometimes, with other less pleasant sensations, such as being excluded, the fear that the new being will change life as it was before, uncertainty, panic at childbirth, economic insecurity…
The most frequent concerns have to do, of course, with the responsibilities of parenting.
As a man, you may doubt if you will be able to financially and emotionally support your family, if you will be able to care for your child, etc. Calm down, this is normal, and is part of the process of adapting to a new situation.
Your role: take care of your partner so that she can take care of the little one inside.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Offer support and containment to the couple
- Express how you feel and your fears
- Inform you to help in the different stages of parenthood
MANY EMOTIONS
Not everyone is comfortable with this role, nor with the emotions that invade them during pregnancy. They may have difficulty expressing how they feel, what doubts and fears they experience.
Also, there are times when your concerns are interpreted as a lack of commitment, so it is important to maintain good communication between the couple. On the other hand, not all future parents are directly involved …
HORMONAL CHANGES
As recent studies have shown, women are not the only women to experience hormonal changes during pregnancy. Men experience an increase in estrogens and a decrease in testosterone, an old trick of nature for them to also take care of the nest and their partner.
Another very common problem is that the man feels out of the bond that is so strong between mother and son, or even that he feels jealous.
GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR PARTNER
In addition to having a place to vent or share your concerns, be it a group of men in the same situation, a good friend or a specialist, at this stage communication with the couple is also essential.
It is basic to be able to live this experience through the body of your partner.
You can too…
- Attend preparation for delivery and visits to the gynecologist
- Go to ultrasound
- Read about it
- Take a walk with your partner
- Talking a lot as a couple
- Prepare together for what’s to come
- Negotiate different points of view
- Think of plans for childbirth
- Parenting methods
Take into account that pregnancy is a very intense experience that removes many emotions, both mom and dad.
How long have you and your partner been together?