Did you know that new fathers can also be affected by postpartum depression? As a new family is born with a baby, all members of the family need to find their place in the new family. Dads are no exception.
In this article, we will learn about the importance and the different aspects of a new dad’s mental health from Doula Laetitia Bricout.
Laetitia took a deep dive into the mental health impacts of parenthood with her first child. As she embraced a new career of Sophrology Therapist (a psycho/body method to balance emotions/mental and body wellbeing), she became aware of all the shifts happening with parenthood and committed to improve parents wellbeing, in birth and postpartum.
Born and raised in France, the doula now supports French and English speaking families in Berlin. As a mother of two and the wife of a Korean/New Zealander, she is also experienced in multicultural families and how it can influence parenthood.
She volunteers for awareness around postpartum depression and mental health struggles in parenthood through Association Maman Blues. Finally she specialized in Aquatic relaxation and is trained in swaddled baths, perfect for babies and their parents to release tensions and emotional knots.
Father’s postpartum mental health is a topic that (unfortunately) is not talked about a lot. Can you tell us how many men are affected by postpartum depression?
Pre- and postnatal depression affects 10% of dads, according to a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2020. In addition, more than 1 father out of 10 will experience severe anxiety. Up to half of the men with depressed partners show signs of depression as well.
How are men affected mentally and emotionally when they become fathers?
Men are not affected much differently than women, except for the hormonal part. Fathers also experience hormonal changes (specifically a testosterone drop) but it won’t affect their overall mood and mental health as much. In some cultures it might be uncommon to express anything other than joy or commitment, but fathers too can be overwhelmed, doubting, anxious or depressed.
Having a baby is a major event for the couple and their family life, implying strong responsibilities and commitment.
Men too are impacted by the lack of sleep, baby crying. It can also bring back traumas from childhood or ignite mental health latencies.
(You can refer to our article about postpartum depression (PPD) to find out if you are experiencing signs of PPD. )
How and where can new fathers get help for postpartum depression and mental struggles (especially international fathers)? Is treatment covered by health insurance?
Depression treatment is covered in Germany, but again it might take time to find the right therapy, treatment and to be heard since it is even less considered than mothers’ postpartum depression.
If you experience signs of severe anxiety or depression before or after the birth of your child, don’t hesitate to talk about it to your GP or a psychologist/psychiatrist and your partner. You don’t have to go through this on your own and most of the time if it is depression, you can not overcome it on your own.
Finally, the non-profit organization Afloat has a great online fathers’ support group as well.
How can you as a doula help families in these situations?
Doulas are here to take away the mental load, from emotions, from stress, from everyday tasks. In these situations, doulas should be able to encourage parents to express their feelings, create a safe and non-judgemental space to talk about mental health around birth. They also help parents get some rest or a proper meal.
If they are trained on the subject, they can also prevent, inform and help families by researching/providing what they need (such as professional contacts, organizational help, time off) to overcome the mental health disease.
They can also provide care for the baby/family or help with the house chores to give time off to parents to rest and go to therapy.
Anything else that new or expecting dads and couples should know?
Embrace your parental instinct and emotions! Mental health struggles for new dads can also emerge because they feel like outsiders, left alone in the strong relationship between the baby and its mother. Dads are resourceful and they know how to do it as well!
Thanks Laetitia!
