[Sprite]

I had never even heard or thought this existed until the last few weeks just was wondering if anyone had suffered from this or had any thoughts on it.

Im sure it can happen. Im knee deep in a pretty bad post partum depression myself but im female. Many hugs cause I know it sucks.

[Rhapsody]

I too can see this happening...... as a man goes thru a lot of emotions when a baby comes into the relationship and his needs are placed on the back burner for a while as the new precious little one requires a lot of mommy's time and body if she is breast feeding.

[Liberada]

Interesting. I never thought about it before... (so I googled, I love me some google lol)

http://menshealth.about.com/od/relat...Postpartum.htm
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10% of fathers depressed after birth

According to research published in the journal Pediatrics, almost as many men suffer depression after the birth of a child as do women. Postpartum depression in women is well documented but until recently very little work has been undertaken regarding the psychological effects on men following the arrival of a new baby.....

....The initial high that many fathers experience after the birth of a child can give way to feelings of isolation and depression.

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[ozzie]

I've heard of this and even warned my son when his daughter was born. Guys can often feel left out and let down after the birth of a child. Mom naturally needs to give most of her attention to the new baby. Giving as much help and support as you can to the new Mom might help the man to feel more a part of what's going on and perhaps less down.

[trippinmickey]

Thats crazy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

[Razzleberry]

It's not crazy...it does happen. It's more psychological than physical, however. For women, our hormones take a steep dive after giving birth, and that is what can set things out of whack. For the daddy, it's still possible to have the same kind of feelings - just not so much physical.

[Sprite]

All the research I have found says that fathers have a different reaction. They become very angry and aggressive. I found myself very angry at my wife and blamed her for anything and everything that happened. I thought that it was her fault for leaving me alone when she went back to work and felt very anxious being alone with my daughter. Like i said I never believed it but I wouldn't wish it on anyone after living with it.

[LMo]

If anybody is liable to run into this problem, it's my husband. I am not super-worried, but a bit worried that it could happen (and I'm due in 2.5 weeks with our first). He gets overwhelmed and depressed quite easily.

One thing that we've decided to do is to put the baby's co-sleeper on HIS side of the bed. When the baby wakes up to be fed or changed, my husband will be the one to pick her up and place her for nursing, and we will take turns changing her. That way he gets to bond with baby both before and after nursing, and really be a part of the process. I'm hoping that this will help him feel left out.

He was absolutely overjoyed when I suggested it - he said that it would make him really happy if we arranged it that way.

[nothemama8]

yes this is a real thing, alot of my friends even have Daddy Showers cuz the Daddy feels left out otherwise

[Sprite]

Signs of Male Post-Partum
While women often show signs of frank sadness when they are depressed, men may be more likely to be irritable, aggressive, and sometimes hostile when depressed, he says.

"The best thing for somebody to do when they notice signs of depression is to talk to a doctor, counselor, psychologist or social worker who can make an affirmative diagnosis that there is depression that needs to be treated," he suggests.

The new findings do not surprise New York City psychoanalyst and father Leon Hoffman, MD. Hoffman is also director of the Pacella Parent Child Center. "We see this very commonly," he tells WebMD. "It's very important for pediatricians to be on the lookout for signs of postpartum depression in men."

In addition to not interacting with their baby, a depressed dad can't be supportive of the mother, he says.

[LMo]

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nothemama8 said:
yes this is a real thing, alot of my friends even have Daddy Showers cuz the Daddy feels left out otherwise

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I am really sad about what happened to us last week. My husband was going through a very, VERY rough week, psychologically, and was highly anxious and depressed for 5 days solid. My client had a huge baby shower for me, and he was looking forward to going, but we got into an enormous fight an hour beforehand, and it would have continued if I didn't have to leave for the shower. He was in no condition to go, emotionally or physically (he hadn't bathed in 2 days due to a major plumbing problem at our house, but he could have done so at the gym if he hadn't been picking fights with me). I was so sad to be at the baby shower without him, because I know that he really wanted to be there for it