Nursery World - Lack of support stops new fathers bonding with baby

A new study suggests first-time fathers are being held back from raising their children.

According to researchers from Oxford University, a lack of support from healthcare professionals, Government and society is preventing fathers from getting involved with their newborns.

New fathers are concerned that they won't be able to form a bond with their baby, and in some cases this is leading to symptoms of depression, reveals the research, which is based on the experiences of 15 first-time fathers, questioned two months before their child’s birth to six months after.

All the fathers reported being held back in a number of areas that meant they couldn’t be as involved with raising they child as they wanted.

One struggle experienced by the fathers was balancing being an involved father while working to support the family, particularly when the mother was on maternity leave.

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