Understanding your new role as a dad

Part 1 of 10: The 'Becoming a Dad' Series

This is part one of a ten-part series, Becoming a Dad.

Whether you’re an expecting dad, a new dad or a dad about to do it all again with your second or third baby, this series will help you to be confident and connected with your baby from day one.

Note that this series assumes you’re a new dad. Of course, that won’t be the case for a huge percentage of you, but please take the time to read it and share it with anyone you think might benefit from it.

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Part one

The immediate transition into fatherhood can be a challenging one. New dads experience a wide range of emotions, including joy, anxiety, fear, and sometimes even feelings of inadequacy or depression, and vocalising these emotions can be difficult.

🤯 Your partner is the one who has carried the baby for the last 9 months. Your partner is the one who has gone through labour. Your partner is the one who’s recovering physically from the birth. Your partner is the one who might have had to park their career to start a family.

So if you’re struggling mentally or feeling vulnerable right now, chances are you’ll keep that bottled up! Studies show that about one in 10 men experiences mental health difficulties in the first six months after the baby arrives, with first-time dads and younger dads particularly vulnerable. Although awareness is growing, dad’s well-being can get sidetracked for the above reasons.

Let me just say, that your feelings are totally valid and very common.

I wanted to start this series with this because I think it’s important to let dads know how common these feelings are, and if we start believing our feelings are wrong, then it could impact how we interact with our baby and how we kick off this exciting new role of being a dad.