Your Dad’s Arms: A Great Place To Grow Up

We all know that few places are as safe, affectionate and important for a child’s development as a mother’s arms. But a dad’s arms then?

Even if men do not breastfeed or give birth, their closeness, affection, voice and even skin contact are incredibly important for a newborn baby. Today, there are hundreds of hospitals that have integrated fantastic delivery protocols, such as kangaroo care.

When a mother is still recovering from the painkillers after a caesarean section, fathers, for example, are given the choice to try kangaroo care.

With some embarrassment, excitement and a little fear, they take off their sweaters to get the newborn baby on their chest. There are few things as soothing as that image. The newborn regulates its temperature, relieves its stress and makes the first skin contact with a person that will form a large part of its life.

It should undoubtedly be performed in all medical facilities. A dad’s arms are a safe, warm and important place in the baby’s life.

We invite you to explore the subject a little more.

There is a lot of talk about the hormonal changes that women experience during pregnancy and breastfeeding. We all know that, and many readers have experienced the same thing.

It may seem incredible, but dads’ brains also have a hormonal and emotional carousel that spins during the same process.

Less testosterone when you are a parent

These are interesting numbers. According to a study from Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, testosterone levels decrease significantly when a man becomes a father.

• This hormone fulfills its function in courtship, passion and intimacy. The highest peaks occur at the first moments of seduction, when each person must try to attract the other.
• But when the couple begins the pregnancy process and the woman finally gives birth, the father’s brain needs less testosterone. His only function now is to guarantee the child’s safety and survival, take care of it and take care of it.

The “mother instinct” is not exclusive to women

To a large extent, we are all born with a natural instinct to give care, attention and affection to our children.

You can spend large parts of your life in the belief that this is not the case, but giving birth and feeling your child in your arms activates what is called the “paternity network”.

• Brain structures such as the amygdala, insula and accumbens nucleus participate in this inner circuit.

• For women, it is an almost “primitive” instinct. Men, on the other hand, develop this process by feeling close to their baby.
• According to research from the University of Bar-Ilan in Israel, a man’s brain becomes more “motherly” if he is responsible for more tasks in the home.

Things like sleeping with the baby, giving it the bottle, bathing it or rocking it in your arms reinforce this instinct.

Against dad’s skin

We know that the “skin to skin” method is just as beneficial if the father has the baby on his chest. This fantastic connector will always be better than a cot. It soothes more fears than a simple sheet can ever.

The kangaroo method is no longer exclusive to mothers, because nowadays fathers know that they are more than just spectators. Raising a child requires teamwork: when the mother is breastfeeding, the father can offer his breast so that the child can sleep on it. It then feels the security of a heart that will always be by its side.

It has someone defending it from all dangers, who will encourage them to achieve all their dreams.

Many studies promote the need to practice this fragile art of love and care when it comes to caring for premature babies.

• It regulates temperature and respiration
• Reduces infections
• Promotes nervous maturity
• Increases the quality of sleep for the child
• Offers tactile, sonic and motor stimuli
• Promotes weight gain
• The baby cries less and will also adapt better to life outside the womb

We know that there is always talk of the mother’s weight in a child’s life, especially during the first stage when the baby only needs three things: breast milk, affection and routines.

But dad’s arms also come in handy, because in addition to breastfeeding , he can do all the chores and contribute to the baby’s healthy development with his hugs, his affection and his attention.

Let us all be active protagonists in the upbringing of our children – mothers as fathers.