The involvement of young fathers in maternity care

Sean O’Sullivan, Head of Health and Social PolicyRoyal College of Midwives

30th September 2015

Benefits of engaged and active fathers“The involvement of prospective and new fathers in a child’s life is extremely important for maximising the life-long wellbeing and outcomes of the child (regardless of whether the father is resident or not). Pregnancy and birth are the first major opportunities to engage fathers in appropriate care and upbringing of children.” National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (2004)

Benefits of engaged and active fathers“The involvement of prospective and new fathers in a child’s life is extremely important for maximising the life-long wellbeing and outcomes of the child (regardless of whether the father is resident or not). Pregnancy and birth are the first major opportunities to engage fathers in appropriate care and upbringing of children.” National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (2004)

Source: PHE (2015) Getting maternity services right for teenage parents and young fathers

Why young fathers matter

Source: Alison Hadley, Presentation 10/12/14

Young fathers have a strong influence over young mothers’ attitudes and decisions about smoking and breastfeeding

A good relationship with the baby’s father and supportive behaviour by him is a protective factor for postnatal depression

Highly involved fathers (even if the couple don’t remain together) is associated with better outcomes for the child - emotional, behavioural and educational

“When we showed them our birth plan and I was going to be there, the midwife said, “I expect you would rather be out with your mates”.”

“I can understand that midwives don’t want to assume that dad is on the scene. But my partner came to every appointment and we told the midwife he was keen to be involved, but still no one took a note of his name, invited him to appointments or groups, or talked to him directly… in his own right.”

“It was our first baby and we didn’t have a clue what to do… tell us if we are not doing it right but do it a bit nicer”

“It always seemed to be three o’clock in the morning when I left the hospital after the birth of one of my children . . . You wander aimlessly through those night streets until you arrive at home, or some other destination that ought to have meaning. But the real meaning is locked away in a bed in a ward in a building where you are not welcome.”

Young dads: risk to be managed? Or committed, caring parent?

Top tips for midwives Introduce yourself and explain

what you doAsk how the father likes to be

addressed Involve him in discussionsEncourage him to ask questionsProvide both parents with your

contact details

Respecting and valuing young fathers

Clinics in locations accessed by young people

Specific resources for young parents

Dedicated antenatal classesTeenage pregnancy services and

midwives Refer to voluntary organisations

Tailoring services to teenage parents and young fathers

“The key to the trainings success is using the dads, they really did feel empowered to share their experiences, and the dads-to-be didn’t feel as if they were being lectured by experts. It was by their peers on a level playing field. I remember, one of the dads-to-be had never held a baby and didn’t want to because he had a phobia that he’d drop it. One of the dads who had his baby with him let him pick his baby up, showed him how to do it and showed him it was safe and that he could do it. And that was the pattern, experience being shared. “

Evaluation of Hit the Ground Crawling Antenatal Programme, Fatherhood Institute

“As the Expectant Fathers share their views and knowledge and describe their intentions to be a good parent there is overwhelming evidence of different lifestyles, uncertainty and seeking of affirmation. In an environment which values diversity the Fathers have embraced the opportunity to safely unpack and discuss their value base and different parenting styles, sharing common factors of fatherhood.”

Testimonial, Expectant Fathers Programme, Working With Men

Fathers supporting fathers

We initially presumed that to reach dads we needed to create resources just for dads and target them directly. This was partly true: dads definitely liked the idea of advice tailored just for them. However, through our work we realised that many dads access a lot of information and advice about being a dad through their partner. We also heard that they may be more likely to read something that their partner gives them, because they want to be seen to be trying to help. Many online book reviews talked of how mums bought books for dads, and the dads we met at children’s centres said they had found out about the service through their partner. We know from our direct services for parents that mums can often facilitate and support dads’ involvement in group programmes. This is why we considered how it could be useful for resources for dads to be given by midwives to mums who then encourage their partners to take a look.

NSPCC All Babies Count: The Dad Project

Don’t forget Mum!