Postnatal depression as a new dad – and how nurses can help

An assistant professor of nursing describes his own experiences as a first-time father, and how stigma and guilt can make it hard for men to discuss their feelings

I had postnatal depression as a first-time father in 2018.

For the first nine months of parenthood, I thought it was normal to struggle the way I did, but then that changed, and I remember saying the words ‘I don’t belong in this world’. That was the moment I realised that my daily struggles were not normal, and they would not simply go away.

Parenthood: expectation versus reality

My expectations of being a father were so different to the reality.