From prenatal care to puerperium: a longitudinal study on paternity

Abstract Objective To analyze the experience of fatherhood in primiparous men, as well as to understand the process of fathers’ identification with their wives and to analyze the impacts of the pandemic. Method The method was qualitative and longitudinal, with interviews conducted during the prenatal and postpartum periods. The participants were five married men of legal age. Results Five thematic categories were developed to describe the analyses performed, named as follows: expectations versus real fatherhood; from invisibility to the leading role of the father; from identification with the mother to envy; the pandemic: from isolation to the need for privacy; and the appreciation of this new father. Conclusion The participants expressed a desire to also be protagonists of actions in the interaction with their children in a similar way to mothers. However, a lack of information and interventions was perceived, mainly by mental health professionals, that included husbands in the preparation for the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. Finally, the pandemic was felt as a possibility of protecting family privacy due to isolation and added economic concerns depending on the participants’ employment relationship.