It's hard to find one's father's place when a child is born and the baby has already lived 9 months in the womb. If the mother-child bond seems more obvious, the father-child bond is sometimes less obvious. Yet, if the baby needs medical attention and can not stay with his mom in the birth room, dad plays a crucial role. It is he who becomes the privileged interlocutor of the team. He can follow the newborn during his hospitalization (the mother is still in the birth room or in her room after a cesarean section). In these more delicate medical situations, the father is also the one to whom the medical team (midwives, pediatricians ...) gives the first information on the condition of the infant. He is the one who makes the link between his wife and his newborn and who eventually manages the rest of the family .
It's normal for dads to feel lonely, helpless and anxious about these many tasks. Especially since the link with the baby remains to be built. Each year in France, about 75 000 newborns (out of 800 000 births) are hospitalized, including 60 000 premature infants. This figure shows as many families in the doubt of the future of his child, whether for the mother as for the father. This is why SOS Préma , the association that has been working since 2004 to better deal with prematurity , is proposing a new booklet written by its teams: " The hospitalization of the newborn, father's side " to support at best these dads whose infants are hospitalized. This 36-page guide covers the following topics:
- The neonatology department
- Prematurity
- You and your baby
- You and your companion
- You and your elders
- You and your entourage
- The word of the shrink
- Jobs and rights
- Find help
25,000 copies are distributed from March to September 2016 (the first booklets are being sent and will be published from March 10) in public hospitals accepting the booklet. It will be self-service in neonatal services. Other SOS Préma booklets such as " Your baby has arrived early " on prematurity are regularly reissued and are also available in the neonatology departments who wish.
