Do dads have any major role to play before , during and after pregnancy and delivery?

Hello lovely members of this wonderful motherhood community, am glad to be part of you here, as this is my first time of writing here and I hope I will enjoy everything.

Today I will be giving us some tips on the importance of dads during preparation for conception, during the period of pregnancy and also after delivery and I hope you will learn something from my post.

Preconception (before pregnancy)

So the care rendered during this period is called preconception care and just as the name goes it's any medical care rendered to couples that are within childbearing age,in preparation for pregnancy or conception, so as to promote the health of the mother, correct any problems that can hinder or affect conception, as well as Prevent complications during pregnancy and any abnormalities in the baby.

Couple undergoing preconception counseling

During the preconception care,there are certain informations or histories that are of utmost importance some of which includes

the past and present medical and surgical histories of both couple, history of there occupation, social life, lifestyles, area of residence as well as any hereditary conditions in both families.

All these informations will help the healthcare provider in identifying early any risk factors that will prevent or affect the pregnancy, as well as pose any risk to both the mother and the fetus(baby) and how to proffer solution to them.

Aside the history taking, there are other important investigations that are necessary to ensure both partners are fit to conceive. Health education as well as counseling is also done for both the man and woman on several topics like sexually transmitted diseases, personal hygiene, lifestyles like smoking as well as cultural practices and several other issues of concern that will affect conception and the ones that can also cause abnormalities in the baby.

Least I forget, this preconception care is usually commenced 3months before time of conception, though it may also start before then.

Roles of dads
So in this pre pregnant phase,dads are expected to make themselves available with mums for this particular phase to be a success, as their supports will be needed to encourage the other partner as well as to agree in making decisions that will help them become ready.

Period of conception (Pregnancy)

Period of pregnancy

This period is basically when fertization and implantation has taken place with the fetus(baby) already growing inside the womb. The care rendered is majorly channelled to the woman and the unborn baby at this stage and to some extent to the man as well because it's usually said that as the woman is pregnant so also is the man 😂 that's on a lighter mode. So this care is called the Prenatal or Antenatal care.

Here history taken especially about the woman will be carried out, to identify any risk of the pregnancy to the mother and baby like rhesus incompatibility, postparturm bleeding,hypertension etc. She will be educated on healthy nutrition and lifestyles, proper exercises, laboratory investigations will be carried out, vital signs will be checked,immunization, physical assessments of the abdomen to note the age and condition of the baby as well as rule out any complications.

Roles of dads
The major role of the man is to make out time to accompany the wife to the hospital for antenatal checkups, be active during the health education so as to learn how pregnancy affects the mood of the woman, some changes he should expect to see physically in the wife, what to encourage the wife on and also areas or lifestyles to discourage the wife from doing.

The man will also help in reminding the wife to adhere to her routine medications,give her foot massage when she requires it as well as all the necessary support and understanding she needs during this period for everything to be a great success and also to promote bonding between both parents and their unborn baby.

The man's roles continues even till the point of delivery in the labour ward, though most times some usually shy away because they can't stand the site of the whole process 😊 but it's necessary for them to be actively involved at that point.

If he is present the man may be able to assist in making decisions that may be required at various junctures in the childbirth process for example, regarding the use of epidural, accelerating delivery, dealing with medical problems and other matters.

Post natal period (After birth)

Just as the name is, it's the period after delivery of the baby which usually last till 6weeks. During this period attention is basically channelled to the mother and baby by everyone around and most times our dads usually feel neglected 😊 even though that was never the intention. So the care rendered is called post natal care.

Roles of dads
Fathers have vital roles to play here that is why most countries have approved the peternity leave 😂 not for them to go and enjoy and rest, but so that fathers will have ample time to spend with their new born babies so as to promote adequate bonding between babies and their dads as well as mums and also for the father to assist the mum in the home where necessary to reduce pressure on her so that she can recover fully.

A dad feeding his baby with a syring

Having discussed these tips, about what is expected of our dads during this periods, I hope it will be of help to us here.

At this point, I will draw the curtain for today, thank you very much for your time and I will be happy to receive positive response and supports from you all.
Anticipate more interesting and educating posts from me.

Reference

Preconception care

Pregnancy/childbirth

Role of men in child birth