Perinatal Support
Welcome
Grantly Dick-Read the founder of antenatal education said, “The totally unprepared man has no place at the birth of his child”. He said this nearly 80 years ago!
I founded Birthing Dads to dispel the myth that men have no functional role in childbirth and to give them the
Steven Kennedy,
Founder of Birthing Dads
Transforming the Transition to Fatherhood
Birthing Dads helps fathers support themselves, their partner and baby through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Fathers are now at 96% of births, however, they are rarely given any preparation, guidance or support for this role.
Continuous perinatal support is linked to better birth and health outcomes for both babies and parents, reduced maternal death, less domestic violence, fewer relationship breakdowns and generally - happier, more resilient families.
Birthing Dads will facilitate cultural shifts towards optimising childbirth outcomes by revolutionising the way men transition to fatherhood.
We engage, educate and empower expectant fathers with an evidence based approach that cultivates confidence in their ability to make a positive impact.
Involving fathers in maternity care saves lives. It is our view that nurturing a healthy masculine relationship in the perinatal period will strengthen the family unit and result in wide ranging social benefits. To that end Birthing Dads aims to:
–Improve ante and post natal mental health
–Reduce medical interventions
–Reduce gender based violence
–Improve breastfeeding outcomes
–Reduce maternal mortality
–Reduce perinatal relationship breakdown
–Reduce pre term birth rate
–Reduce in premature hospital arrivals
Birth Wisdom for Blokes
Engage
Educate
Educate
Birthing Dads will develop:
- Online modules with pregnancy, childbirth and newborn experts
- Birth stories from dads
- Mothers sharing what worked and what could be improved
- Care providers sharing what worked and what could be improved
- Podcast, Blogs
- Interviews with dads about the challenges of fatherhood
- Online support forums
- Peer Support Groups
Educate
Educate
Educate
In 2020 Birthing Dads will release an evidence based series of videos focussed on perinatal support. Topics covered include:
Perinatal Hormones
Backing Yourself
Building Team Confidence
Pregnancy Support
Birth Support
Advocacy
Perinatal Fatherhood
Expectations vsReality
In addition we are developing a midwives program
Empower
Educate
Empower
Birthing Dads will partner with care providers and other not for profits to provide knowledge, motivation and tools to be more informed and involved in pregnancy and childbirth support.
It's our wish that men are comfortable with gaining confidence and sharing the journey into parenthood - joining their partners in preparation for the b
Birthing Dads will partner with care providers and other not for profits to provide knowledge, motivation and tools to be more informed and involved in pregnancy and childbirth support.
It's our wish that men are comfortable with gaining confidence and sharing the journey into parenthood - joining their partners in preparation for the birth
- and fearlessly facing it together!
We want to empower men to make a positive contribution to the birth and the healthy development their child.
Including dads in Maternity care
Extensive research espousing the benefits of engaging expectant and new fathers in maternity care has resulted very little progress over the past 5 decades.
“In my 3 years at university I don’t think I was taught a single thing about dads. We learn a lot about our role in woman centred care but nothing about dads.
(Australian midwifery student, Rominov 2016).
Many dads, especially first-time fathers, are underprepared for experiencing the birth of their child. They are aware they have to provide support but have little idea of what that actually looks (or feels) like in practice.
"Men experience “uncertainty, exclusion, fear and frustration. There are also feelings of helplessness, uselessness and anxiety“ (K. Hasman 2014).
Birthing Dads supports woman-centred care by supporting dads in the transition to fatherhood. We inspire men to reach their full potential as partners - for the wellbeing of the whole family.
About Us
Steven Kennedy, Founder
When I suffered depression and trauma after the birth of my son in 2017 I turned to academic literature to research the experiences of expectant fathers at birth.
A common theme was the suggestion that expectant fathers need to be better prepared to support themselves and their families in the perinatal period.
I began working with new and expectant fathers through the Beer and Bubs, Baby Makes Three and Family Foundations programs and as a volunteer with the charities The Fathering Project and Dads Group.
My professional background is primarily in policy, regulation and stakeholder engagement as a senior public servant with the Australian and Victorian governments. Between 2000 and 2015 I also moonlighted as a writer, director and award winning actor in theatre and TV. (http://stevenkennedy.com.au/)
I founded Birthing Dads to raise awareness of the positive impact that supportive partners can have in perinatal health if they themselves are informed and supported.
Jessa Boanas, Communications
Jessa Boanas is a socially-focused entrepreneur and communications advisor. Jessa has founded and is the director of two Australian companies, Toot Sweet Consulting and Bon Collective. She brings a wealth of experience, curiosity, creativity and rigour to her approach to communication and strategy. She's also a writer and is currently writing a non-fiction book about human bodies and connection.