Dad's the word to make happy families

Now a raft of Government proposals aim to get fathers more involved in their child's upbringing from before birth and beyond.

The Government's Families and Relationships green paper is behind a drive to educate new fathers and fathers-to-be about the best way to support a new mother, and how to keep children safe and healthy.

Every new father in Britain will be given a Dad's Guide, written by the Fatherhood Institute with tailored advice and tips for fathers ahead of their child's birth. The guide, which is to be included in the Bounty Packs given to every new mother, will offer tips on parenting, legal information for fathers, information on juggling work and childcare, looking after the family's health, and communicating with babies.

It also plans to offer fathers more access to ante-natal classes run by midwives and health visitors, to learn about childbirth and breastfeeding.

It could boost mothers' chances of succeeding with breastfeeding, as research shows they're twice as likely to continue if their partners have been taught about its benefits before the birth.

And fathers-to-be won't be the only ones to benefit – mothers will gain valuable support if their partner knows more about the birth process, and fathers involved with the birth of a child are more likely to stay involved in its first three years of life.

Adrienne Burgess, research manager at the Fatherhood Institute, says that when fathers are well-prepared the whole family benefits. "If they understand what practical and emotional support they can give, it makes a really positive difference to the whole process," she says.

She adds: "It's clear that when fathers intervene in the breastfeeding discussion and understand why it's important, mothers' breastfeeding rates are much better."

The moves have also been welcomed by the National Childbrith Trust, which says that fathers-to-be should be actively involved from the moment they know that their partner is pregnant.

Elizabeth Duff, the NCT's public policy officer, says: "Services should engage new dads as soon as the pregnancy's confirmed and encourage them to learn about the stages of development, and how they can be of support during the labour and birth."

She says a father's presence during the birth makes mothers feel more secure, adding: "For many fathers, being present at the birth

allows them the opportunity to bond with their new baby and to feel a part of the baby's life from the start."

Duff also says fathers learning about breastfeeding can be crucial, because their influence can decide whether mothers start to breastfeed in the first place.