Can men get the baby blues?
Yes, fathers are vulnerable to similar emotions. Many years ago, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that 62 percent of fathers felt blue some time during the first four months following the birth of their baby. That’s one of the reasons we know that the baby blues aren’t exclusively caused by hormonal changes. Many factors can contribute to these feelings. The most common are: fear of fatherhood or worries related to new responsibilities and loss of freedom, financial concerns or stress over added expenses and worries about whether his current salary will be sufficient, and role anxieties such as asking, “Will I be a good father? Will I father like my father did?” What compounds the stress is that men are encouraged not to share their fears. Instead, they’re often told to “take it like a man” and just deal with it. Unfortunately, keeping silent about your emotions can actually increase stress. Men should be encouraged to talk to their partner or to a pro
