Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
5 Talks
The role of place of fathers in the birth room is a time-old question, leading to partners often feeling like a spare part. Increasing evidence demonstrates the family-wide benefits of fathers as an integral part of the perinatal period. This boxset explores the challenges that birth partners face in involvement in the birth, the benefits of engaging fathers in the perinatal period, and initiatives to promote family-centred care.
Dad matters to mum, to baby, to everyone
2019 | 26 mins | Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
Evidence shows that connection with fathers is important for infant development. However, dads often feel like a spare part within pregnancy, birth and postnatally, with the focus being on dyadic care. In this talk, Dad Matters Project Manager, Kieran Anders, discusses the unique needs of fathers, and the ways healthcare professionals can work with organisations such as Dad Matters to engage fathers. The talk concludes with a video exploring the lived experience of fathers, and a discussion on inclusivity and diversity.
Kieran Anders, Dad Matters Project Manager, Homestart Oldham, Stockport, Tameside
‘Becoming dad’: identifying the support needs of fathers in their transition to parenthood
2020 | 17 mins | Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
Between ten and 50 percent of fathers will experience anxiety and depression perinatally, however, there is a lack of support and intervention for them. Evolving from Mind’s Mum Matters project, Liz Glyn-Jones, Midwife and Shelly Higgins, Consultant Midwife, discuss their co-designed study exploring psycho-emotional and social impact of the transition to parenthood in 15 men. Their overarching theme was the varied challenges surrounding the continuous change and transition into parenthood. Participants wanted tiered support, with universal, enhanced and targeted options for support. Recommendations included ensuring flexibility and inclusivity, specialised antenatal education, and a focus on understanding relationships and empower access to support.
Shelly Higgins, Consultant Midwife, Powys Teaching Health Board
Elizabeth Glyn-Jones, Community Midwife, Powys Teaching Health Board
Introducing partners overnight stays to the maternity ward
2019 | 16 mins | Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
Partner’s involvement across the perinatal period is paramount to supporting a positive transition as a new family, including improve maternal mental health. However, partners often report feeling unwelcome and not involved, particularly in the postnatal period. Senior Midwife at NHS Tayside, Donna Brough, discusses their quality improvement project to promote partner’s engagement and involvement postnatally through overnight stays. Donna discusses managing the challenges, including facilities, health and safety and security, defining respectful rules, and the feedback from the project.
Donna Brough, Senior Midwife NHS Tayside
Maternity Care: Engaging with fathers and families around the world
2019 | 27 mins | Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
Opening with a time-old question, should fathers be at the birth?, in this talk, Duncan Fisher and Mary Steen discuss how we can engage with fathers and families from a global perspective. Considering anthropology and biology, fathers form an essential element of family wellbeing. Duncan and Mary explore the evidence, policy and preferences surrounding the benefits of paternal involvement into care including maternal and neonatal health outcomes, breastfeeding rates, improved mental health and reduced domestic violence. They conclude with a discussion of current initiatives to promote engagement with fathers and a family-focussed approach.
Dr Mary Steen, Professor of Midwifery; Chair of the Mother’s Babies and Families Research Group; Professorial Lead for Maternal and Family Health, University of South Australia (UniSA)
Duncan Fisher OBE, Head of research, policy and innovation, The Family Initiative
Partners at births by caesarean section under general anaesthetic
2021 | 28 mins | Supporting Fathers and Birth Partners
There are a variety of reason that partners are not present at births, a small percentage of these being due to a caesarean section under general anaesthetic. Beginning with an exploration of the reasons for partner’s exclusion from caesarean section under general anaesthetic, in this talk, Ian Kemp discusses his research using interviews to explore partner’s feelings about their involvement in caesarean sections where a general anaesthetic is used. Seven themes emerged from the interviews: the missing piece of birth, bonding with baby, feelings of abandonment, communication, antenatal preparation, father’s presence and a risk averse culture. Ian goes on to explore the benefits of including fathers in these scenarios, including skin to skin, bonding and promoting early feeding behaviours.
Ian Kemp, Midwife
