The comments follow a request by Bridgend-based charity Fathers Reaching Out, for all new fathers to have the same mental health checks as mothers.
Traci Lowden-Stoole, Care for the Family’s national representative from the Isle of Man told Premier’s News Hour the charity was aware of the negative effects difficult or traumatic births can have on men.
She said: “Having a baby affects both parents and at Care for the Family we’ve been helping families for over 30 years.
“One of the key issues is the mother normally in most circumstances has a mummy chip that comes on when she finds out that she’s pregnant. So she is preparing for this birth the whole time she’s pregnant.
“Baby is telling her when she can go to the toilet, what food she can eat…for nine months, whereas dad only really gets a glimpse of actually how it’s going to change his life once it’s come into the home.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said there were no plans to change its guidelines on the issue, according to the BBC.
Currently, all new mothers’ well-being is gauged using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale – a questionnaire which asks women to assess their mental state.
At least 10 per cent of women experience some degree of anxiety or depression after giving birth but men also can experience the baby blues.
Lowden-Stoole highlighted the importance of parents sticking together both during and after…
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