Maternity Maternity

Information for midwives, paediatricians, obstetricians and other professionals working in the maternity services: helping expectant fathers to support their pregnant partners, and supporting new fathers in the transition to parenthood.

FI Research Summary: Fathers, care-taking and hormones
FI research » Maternity
6 January 2014
Men are not ‘biologically’ less suited to caring for children than women: • when similarly supported, both sexes develop childcare skills at the same rate (Myers, 1982) • through what they learn they can have similarly positive effects on their children and on family functioning (Cia et al, 2010; Melnyk et al, 2006;. 
Program P: A Manual for Engaging Men in Fatherhood, Caregiving, and Maternal and Child Health
External research » Maternity
Practice » Maternity
14 November 2013
Program P (“P” for “Padre” in Spanish and “Pai” in Portuguese, meaning “Father”) provides concrete strategies for engaging men in active caregiving from their partner’s pregnancy through their child’s early years. 
Case study: ‘Husband schools’ in Niger
31 July 2013
Écoles des Maris (‘Schools for Husbands’) in Niger is a UNFPA-funded project based on the theory that men‘s social power can act as a brake on rates of improvement in maternal and child health. 
‘Invisible Fathers’ Working With Young Dads Resource Pack
FI research » Maternity
Practice » Maternity
23 July 2013
Young fathers (aged 16-24) are some of the most invisible, marginalised and vulnerable parents in the UK. Many – though by no means all – have grown up in difficult circumstances, are on low incomes or benefits, have few academic qualifications and relatively poor career prospects. 
Fatherhood Institute Research Summary: Young Fathers
FI research » Maternity
22 July 2013
‘For too long, our culture has treated boys who become fathers . . . as detached misfits who are the architects of many of our nation’s problems, rather than seeing these youth for who they really are: young men trying to navigate a complex array of difficult life circumstances that place them at a tremendous disadvantage’ (Kiselica, 2008). 
POLICY & LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKS requiring engagement with fathers
Policy » Maternity
16 February 2013
Many policy documents and some legislation require family, health and education professionals to engage with ‘parents’. This should, of course, mean that they engage with fathers as well as mothers – but research show that this tends to happen all too rarely.