{"id":95513,"date":"2023-06-23T06:40:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2023\/06\/23\/fathers-day-men-share-challenges-of-being-a-dad\/"},"modified":"2023-06-23T06:40:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:40:09","slug":"fathers-day-men-share-challenges-of-being-a-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2023\/06\/23\/fathers-day-men-share-challenges-of-being-a-dad\/","title":{"rendered":"Father’s Day: Men share challenges of being a dad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A father who suffered a breakdown after witnessing his son’s traumatic birth says the impact a new baby can have on fathers is often overlooked. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mark Williams, 48, said both giving birth and supporting his wife during postnatal depression had a “massive impact” on his mental health. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“The first time I had a panic attack was in the maternity ward because I thought my wife and baby were going to die,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mark, from Bridgend, said he had been quietly suffering from depression for years. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Then, in 2004, when his wife went into labor, he saw her in constant pain and helpless as she was taken to the theater. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When their baby was young, his wife was diagnosed with postnatal depression. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Obviously I’ve seen my wife go through those things too,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“I was really down, drinking and avoiding situations.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He began looking for support but struggled, noting a lack of conversations about young fathers and mental health. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He was eventually diagnosed with anxiety and depression and later attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said therapy, medication, and learning coping skills through cognitive behavioral therapy all helped improve his mental health. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Today he is an advocate for fathers’ mental health and wants more support for new and expectant fathers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“If the father is suffering from mental health issues or lack of confidence, whatever it is, it can affect the relationship and of course the child,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“So it’s really important that all parents have our support.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mark supports the group For Dads By Dads in Torfaen and educates new and expectant men about the challenges of the early years of fatherhood. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The group was started by another dad, Jacob Guy, who said, “There were times I felt a little isolated and needed more information about being the best dad I could be.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When Jacob, 41, from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, became a father, he felt he didn’t have a network of people who were going through the same thing and would understand how he felt. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He looked around for dad groups but couldn’t find the support he was looking for. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In 2022, he decided to create a 10-week program designed to provide a safe space for fathers and to educate new and expectant fathers by conducting workshops on a wide range of topics. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The group offers fathers the opportunity to share experiences, build a support network and address the challenges that fatherhood brings. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And that support is vital: According to the British Journal of Midwifery, postnatal depression affects one in ten fathers, which is about the same rate as mothers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to social enterprise DadPad, developed in partnership with the NHS and real life fathers, up to 38% of new dads are concerned about their mental health and would like more support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Welsh Government said it was investing in the development of perinatal mental health teams and networks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“We remain committed to improving perinatal mental health services and will evaluate what further action can be taken,” it said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jacob said he’s seen the positive impact that being with other dads can have on new dads. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It gave her confidence to know that we’re not always going to get it right,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“If we make mistakes, we brush ourselves off and start over.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Mark Williams, 48, said both giving birth and supporting his wife during postnatal depression had a “massive impact” on his mental health. “The first time I had a panic attack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education-family"],"yoast_head":"\nFather's Day: Men share challenges of being a dad - Tahrir News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2023\/06\/23\/fathers-day-men-share-challenges-of-being-a-dad\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Father's Day: Men share challenges of being a dad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A father who suffered a breakdown after witnessing his son’s traumatic birth says the impact a new baby can have on fathers is often overlooked. 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