Rivers Corbett, a gregariousentrepreneur from the Maritimes,always wanted a daughter. He waselated when Ashley was born, butstarted to feel overwhelmed after hisfamily arrived home. “Life changed,”Corbett says.
The baby blues is common inwomen and symptoms include one totwo weeks of tearfulness and extremefatigue after giving birth. Dads andpartners can also experience thestress associated with the seismicshifts of parenthood. “Society says
Even fathers get the baby blues
Dads can feel the stress linked to becoming a parent
you’re supposed to be happy,”Corbett says.
“On the inside you think: ‘Thatbaby has taken everything from me.She won’t talk to me. She only yellsat me. She needs my attention all thetime,’ ” Corbett says.
There is a pressure to succeedas a provider while taking on thenew responsibilities of parenthood.Plus, his daughter had colic and noone was getting much sleep. “Andthe ego kicks in and I would think:‘ I’m a big guy; I’m a grizzly bear;
I’m a Canadian; I can handle this.’Outwardly you try and convey it, butinwardly it’s a huge struggle.”
Patrick Dillon is the provincialcoordinator of the Alberta FatherInvolvement Initiative, a groupthat promotes and supports men inparenting. “We need to promote thatit’s a strength to ask for help andnot a weakness,” he says, explainingthat stiff-upper-lip stereotypes ofmasculinity still hold back manynew dads and partners from talkingabout how they feel and getting
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Building a support team and connecting to others can help dads deal with the baby blues.
