London: As per a recent study, antenatal depression affects men too, revealing that a first baby is a reality check as dads suddenly find they are no longer the centre of attention.
The study reveals that an astonishing number of fathers, nearly 13 percent, experience depressive symptoms during their partner's pregnancy, the Guardian reports.
Very little research has been done on male reactions to pregnancy and childbirth.
Becoming a first-time father is many things - terrifying, joyful, nerve-racking, exciting - but unconflicted it is not.
Although most men eventually come to savour the fantasy of being a father, they also dimly anticipate the reality - and for a father, childbirth is the bonfire of the vanities.
As childbirth approaches, men have to face this simple fact: they are not as important as they thought they were, at least not in the way they thought they were.
The arrival of a first baby from the point of the view of the father is a massive shift, just as it is for the mother. Antenatal depression is rational enough and the solution is to keep reminding yourself what it can sometimes be hard to believe when you find yourself suddenly living on the fringes of your own life.
