Would-be fathers must endeavor to accompany their wives to ante-natal clinics as a way of supporting them to nurture the unborn babies and know what to expect during delivery.
Ms. Rosemary Fosuaa, a Senior Midwife at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) in Tema, said when men joined their partners at antenatal clinics where pregnancy schools were held, they would also have the knowledge of what to expect and the precautions to take.
Speaking at the Ghana News Agency’s health communication platform in Tema, dubbed; “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility,” she said it was important to properly prepare both women and men ahead of delivery and post-natal care to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby.
“When the men have the needed knowledge, they will be in a better position to support the women well in the various changes throughout the gestation period,” Ms Fosuaa said.
Going through antenatal school enables men to understand that pregnancy brought minor changes in the physical being of the woman to accommodate the growing fetus.
“Men should also attend antenatal school; it is very important that we plan with the men and encourage them to attend all antenatal clinic sessions before joining in the delivery room.”
She said that helped eliminate shock as they were able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the men as to whether they could withstand the delivery process.
“We have had issues where some men signed in to be with their partners during delivery and ended up fainting on us,” Ms Fosua said.
She said to attract more men to attend antenatal care with their partners, the IMaH ensured that women accompanied by their partners received early care.
“Ideally, both the father and mother should have some psychological care after every delivery due to the numerous challenges that pregnancy and delivery expose them to, especially the women.”
