Feeling anxious about being a good parent, particularly when it’s your first time, can affect dads and partners as much as mums.
Not getting as much sleep or time to relax and dealing with money worries or changes in your relationships, can also add to your stress.
Some partners/dads may also find themselves supporting a partner who is experiencing postnatal depression or recovering from a premature or difficult birth.
Signs that you may be experiencing depression, can include:
- feeling low, sad, guilty, irritable or hopeless
- loss of interest in activities you normally enjoy
- low self-esteem and loss of confidence
- withdrawing from family and friends and not wanting to go out to see people
- poor memory and difficulty concentrating or taking in information
- feeling overwhelmed by problems and struggling to cope
- expecting or looking for bad things to happen
- feeling negative about the future
Find out more about low moods and depression and when to speak to your GP.
From Dads to Dads is a website featuring real life experiences, useful facts and information explained simply by experts. It has information about dads’ mental health, how to support a partner with postnatal depression and the effects of a traumatic birth on both mum and dad.