Becoming a father is an exciting, challenging and amazing opportunity to experience. In reality there is nothing that you cannot do as a dad that mums can do, apart from giving birth or breastfeeding, the more you do with your baby and to support your babies mum, the more your baby will bond with you.
Your baby will respond to your moods, voice, actions and interactions with them, the calmer and more you do with your baby the more settled they will be with you. Bringing up a baby is new and learning experience for all new parents, and part of this is how your work with the other parent, whether you live with or are in a relationship with them or not. Strong teamwork is about give and take, good communication, learning from and listening to each other, and being supportive to the other person, we are all good at different things.
It is good to talk to other people about being a dad, friends, people you work or are at college with, your bosses or teachers, wider family, workers, they will want to know and can support you in being a dad. It is also good to find out who the babies Health Visitor is and hopefully you will have had some contact with the midwife at the hospital. The health visitor is there to support your baby to grow and flourish, so if you have any questions or worries you are welcome to contact them, or it may even be just to introduce yourself if you have not been able to meet them when they have visited your baby.
Many young dads who have been in your position say that becoming a father has been the making of them and the best things that ever happened to them. You can be an awesome dad; dads can have a special relationship with their baby and provide experiences that are unique that only you can provide. For example, it has been shown that dads (men) often play in a different way with babies and children, to Mums. There are lots of way you can be involved with your baby and be a supportive dad. If you have a partner, you can discuss how you can best support them both. If your partner is exclusively breastfeeding there are lots of other ways you can bond with your baby. Skin to skin contact is just as important for dads as for mums. Dads can recognise their own baby blindfold, just by touching their hands – after only an hour spent cuddling them. When a dad bottle-feeds an infant, he does so just as sensitively as a woman – and the baby drinks the same amount of milk. The quality and quantity of dad-baby contact has a direct impact on how secure children feel growing up. Being involved with your baby helps them with their language development and social development and helps them to get on better in school and with other people. So don’t hold back get involved, your baby needs you.
