Fathers-to-be are most worried about getting a parking ticket and being able to find a cup tea over the long hours of labor, according to research by Britain’s National Health Service.
The health service conducted a study to learn more about parents’ views on the maternity journey and early parenthood, and have summed up their findings and recommendations, reports UK’s Telegraph.
While women are more interested in seeing the delivery room where they will give birth, and the maternity ward where they will spend the first few hours with their newborn baby, men are more worried about getting a parking ticket or enduring hours of labor without a cup of tea.
The guide suggests orientation visits to the delivery room be offered in the evening or on weekends, so that working fathers can attend, and that medical advice should be culturally-sensitive.
Fathers “may not feel their relationship with the baby starts until it is six months old,” may need help understanding their feelings, which can range from “confusion and denial to excitement or anxiety of practical issues.”
In summary, the report recommended that first-time parents need more help than those who already have children, and in general, the best way for health professionals to build trust with parents is by “understanding and empathizing” with them.