When anything related to pregnancy is talked about, the one person who is always considered is the mother of the child. No doubt that the mother is the most important part of a child’s health and growth during pregnancy, but one person who is often forgotten is the father of the child. It is often taken for granted that the health of the mother is what affects the baby but with further studies, it has become clear that the health of the father plays a vital role in the health of the baby too.
It is important to consider the health of the father before conception so that the baby is hale and healthy. In studies conducted, it was often found that when the father’s health was not in the best condition, infants were born underweight and also needed to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (1).
What Is The Connection?
Since time immemorial society has often laid the entire burden of childbirth on mothers. They are scrutinized and bombarded with various techniques to deliver a healthy baby. Apart from bearing the child for nine months, a mother has to be sure that she takes care of herself before and after childbirth. Because every bit of nutrition, blood, and hormones is transferred to the infant from the mother, she is under immense pressure to be at her best health before conceiving, during pregnancy and postpartum.
It might be surprising to understand that a father’s health affects a baby. You might even wonder, what is the connection? While it has not been proved that a baby’s health is affected by its father’s bad health, what studies have found out is that there is an association. Taking a closer look, it was found that chronic illness on the paternal side increases the chances of health conditions that require the baby to be admitted in the NICU (2).
In the earlier days, only the mother’s health would be taken into consideration when a couple was trying to conceive. But recent studies have found that the father’s health accounts for the infant’s health too. Illnesses like cancer, high blood pressure, anxiety, diabetes, and depression that the fathers had played a role in the health of the baby. Although there hasn’t been a lot of information about how the health of the father before conception affects the newborn babies, it has been understood there is one which often leads to preterm birth and low birth rate (3).
Why Dad’s Health Should Be Considered
In most cases, wives whose partners had a chronic illness had complications in their pregnancies (4). Therefore, not only does the health of the husbands play a role in their child’s health but also their wives’ health. All these studies prove one thing – men have to be educated more about the role they play in pregnancies. Sure, mothers have a bigger role to play because they carry the child in their womb for nine whole months but that does not imply that husbands have no part in the health of the mother and child.
Some studies found that mothers suffered from preeclampsia and seizures when their husbands had chronic illnesses (5). Being pregnant is no joke, it comes with its set of challenges. But for a long time, women were always in the center of it and were even blamed for it if something went wrong. With the advancement of science and further research and studies, it is now clear that men’s health is an important aspect of conceiving too. So the next time you hear your husband or any other man saying that they do not need to take care of their health when they are trying to conceive, you know what to do. Teach them, educate them, and let them know that their health is just as important during the time of conception so that both of you are blessed with a happy and healthy baby.