让怀孕的另一半保持愉快的心情
Upheaval is all part and parcel of becoming a parent. But new mums and dads aren't always prepared for the huge lifestyle change that comes with the arrival of junior. Mum blogger and author Amy Ransom has had three children and spends a lot of time with new mums thinking and talking about the experience. She met up with First Time Dads podcast presenters Steve Myall and Richard Innes to discuss what fathers can do to help mum and improve those traumatic early days. You can hear the full episode here: Amy also said aside from increasing their share of domestic chores new dads should also look after the health of mums particularly their mental health. She said: "Most new mums suffer the baby blues in the immediate weeks after giving birth but with post natal depression it gets worse. But it's not uncommon for a mum two years in to be diagnosed with depression. It's important for dads to be there for their partners as much as they are for the new baby. Things to watch out for are low mood, being teary, being lethargic, not wanting to get out of bed and irrational thoughts." "The symptoms stay around. Not someone who is teary for a couple of days and then OK for weeks at a time. I do think dads are very good at picking up on it but think addressing it is incredibly difficult because they don't know how to do it." Amy children are now aged three, five and eight, has suffered for depression herself had some illuminating tips for new dads. She said: "Dads maybe scared of it and it could be a difficult question to ask 'are you ok?'. It could sound like a judgement about how good a mother is. I think it's important for dads to seek advice from someone in the friendship group perhaps, one of his female relations, or her mother if he has a good relationship with her." "If you are really really worried about it you should have a conversation with a health visitor or doctor because once someone starts getting help they get a lot better quickly. I remember I just wanted to hear 'you are doing a good job' and be reassured." |