How To Involve Dad During & After Mom's Pregnancy
2 min read
Date Published: 03/09/2017
Last Updated: 10/29/2021
National Fatherhood Initiative Blog / Latest Articles
2 min read
Children do much better physically and emotionally when dad is involved right from the start. In fact, dad's physical presence at the birth of his child increases the likelihood his child will be a healthy newborn. It also means mom is likely to be healthier. On the other hand, when dad is absent, baby and mom are less likely to be healthy.
But what about after the child’s birth? How involved is dad at the earliest stage of his child's life? These are two vital questions, because based on research, a child with an involved dad is more likely to grow up healthy physically, emotionally, and socially.
The children of absent dads are more likely to have a range of health complications and low birth weight. And moms are more likely to have had complications during pregnancy.
Research shows when a child grows up in a father-absent home, he or she is at two times greater risk of infant mortality, four times more likely to live in poverty, more likely to face abuse and neglect, and seven times more likely to become pregnant as a teen. And unfortunately, there’s more to this list; view more father absence data at www.fatherhood.org/statistics.
Based on the above, it’s important that your organization and staff take this research to heart and do everything you can to involve fathers right from the start.
Here are a few ways you can leverage National Fatherhood Initiative resources to do just that:
NFI offers a myriad of resources for engaging fathers and encouraging father involvement. You can browse the above resources and more at fathersource.org, or for call us at 240-912-1263 for phone assistance. We’d be happy to recommend which resources are the best fits for your organization!
Date Published: 03/09/2017
Last Updated: 10/29/2021
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