Portsmouth midwives support information cards for dads

Midwives at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust are supporting the launch of an information card for fathers produced by the national organisation, Dad Info.

The Dad card is a fold out z-card that provides information about the role of the father in supporting the health of mother and baby.  The card covers breastfeeding, normal birth and postnatal depression. It provides signposts to a variety of other information services and helplines, on-line and off-line – on family finances, family relationships and a number of new websites for fathers.

The Dad card provides midwives with an easy way to provide something positive for fathers, when there is very little else of this kind.  The cards are very small and are delivered every three months – so there is no storage problem.  The cards are free too.

Duncan Fisher of Dad Info, awarded an OBE in the New Years Honours this year for services to children, said: “During my wife’s first pregnancy, I promised both her and myself that I would do something to improve information for mothers and fathers who really want to share the responsibilities of caring for their babies.  My daughter is now in secondary school and I am still working on it!  It has been great fun phoning round all the maternity units in UK – midwives have been so very positive.  The cards are now in distribution in over half the maternity units in UK and more are ordering every week.”

Donna Ockenden, the Trust’s Head of Midwifery said: “Here in Portsmouth we are very aware of the important role of fathers. We very much encourage dads to have an active role, from supporting their partners in pregnancy and delivery and caring for their newborn baby.”

Click here to view the Dad Info card

2 March 2009