Public health minister Anne Milton was set to launch
Reaching out: Involving Fathers in Maternity Care at the RCM’s annual conference in Brighton.
She said: ‘Becoming a parent is hugely exciting but it can be a challenging time.
‘Fathers want to feel involved throughout their partner’s pregnancy and this guide is a step to making that happen.
‘We’ve worked closely with the RCM on this to make sure midwives recognise their unique role so fathers feel welcomed and supported during this special time in their lives.’
The 16-page guide, funded by the
Department of Health, calls for fathers to be more involved in maternity and post-natal care.
It says that men are often excluded by the current maternity services set-up and many feel ‘uniformed and unwelcomed’.
Cathy Warwick, RCM chief executive, said: ‘A father’s role should not begin and end at conception.
‘There is now substantial evidence of the benefits resulting from fathers being involved in their partner’s maternity care. Most women want their partners to be involved in their pregnancy.
‘NHS policy is to increase engagement with fathers and encourage them to be involved in their partner’s maternity care in order to foster positive parenting and family relationships.
‘Midwives play a vital role in engaging with men during antenatal care, labour and birth and the postnatal period.’
She added that the new guide will’ increase awareness of the importance of fathers being engaged in their partner’s maternity care, as well as assist local maternity services and midwives to develop their own local practices and guidelines’.
The guide, jointly published by the RCM, the DH, RCOG and the Fatherhood Institute, reports that many mothers feel their male partners receive little or no support.
It also states that fathers can be ‘left traumatised’ after their partner has given birth.
It says: ‘A few fathers, most of whom were vulnerable in some way before the birth, can experience psychological and sexual scarring after the experience of watching a partner give birth and there is little support for these fathers.’
The guide says that midwives and maternity services staff can offer valuable support and encouragement to both the mother and the father, which will help them with their new role and responsibilities as parents.
It recommends ‘actively preparing the father to be a helpful and knowledgeable birth partner’ and making the father the main care provider during mother-baby separation.
Several NHS trusts have already pioneered the guide’s advice, including a maternity unit at University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust.
Here antenatal classes are available on Sunday afternoons and evenings to fit round fathers’ working lives and to avoid the football fixtures.
While at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, there is a pilot project for partners to stay overnight to help support their partners and be involved with their new baby.
Update
16 November 2011: The guides
are now available here
on the RCM website after the launch at the RCM conference.
