A transition to fatherhood is a great experience in the life of a man which begins as the first baby takes birth. It is often said that the birth of a child marks the birth of a dad. According to Evan Bass Men’s Clinic, under the transition phase particularly from a few months before the baby’s birth and during childcare, today’s fathers undergo lots of hormonal and brain-centric changes with unfamiliar responsibilities, childcare, and lots of tasks. Studies establish that fathers of the 21st century are three to six times more actively involved in child care compared to their fathers. To explore the changes that take place with the life-changing incidence of becoming a father.
Hormonal Changes in New Fathers
New moms undergo numerous physical, hormonal, and emotional changes during pregnancy as well as after childbirth, however, that necessarily doesn’t mean during that period before the birth of the little one, new fathers remain unaffected. Research finds that fathers of the 21st century go through several bodily changes during the transition to fatherhood, too.
When it comes to hormonal changes, women during their pregnancy and after giving birth to the child experience radical changes in their hormonal functions and levels. These changes are natural making them fit to let the fetus grow in their womb and equally feeding a newborn after its birth. During the transition to fatherhood, men equally go through several hormonal changes, even though those are not as intense as experienced by women.
According to Evan Bass Men’s Clinic, starting from nearly four to five weeks before the first child takes birth to around a month or two after birth, new fathers undergo a decrease in their testosterone, cortisol, and vasopressin hormone levels while oxytocin hormone levels in them marginally escalate. Noteworthy, all these hormones play a significant role in the life of men.
While testosterone is characterized as the driving power of man making them masculine, and responsible for their sex libido, during the transition to fatherhood- its level drops. Studies show that new dads who get more involved in childcare and household chores experience a greater decline in testosterone levels than those who are less involved. Similarly, a drop of vasopressin makes them more alert and responsive to the infant’s crying sounds.
Cortisol, which is a stress hormone, diminishes as the father holds the baby with great care while it becomes high under stress. Precisely the skin-to-skin touch (father and baby) causes dropping in cortisol levels. The upsurge of oxytocin hormone is fairly natural in new dads as it is the love hormone and responds due to child-dad bonding and fatherly love.
Changes in the Brain
Taking care of the ‘little one’ reshapes the brain of a new father due to their emotional and cognitive involvement with the child as seen in the brains of moms. Studies show that a new dad’s brain undergoes three-fold changes including the structure of the brain, activity in the brain, and networking in it.
- Brain structures: The brain framework is perceived as the hardware of the human body. Studies find certain changes take place in a new father’s brain structures during the first month after the baby’s birth.
- Activity in the brain areas: Research has established that some regions of the brain in new fathers get triggered as they listen to the crying of the infant and because of child-associated stimuli.
- Brain networks: The more new fathers get involved in child care, the changes in the brain network connectivity become evident.
To conclude, Even though it is usually perceived that the ‘ maternal instinct’ makes new moms incredibly caring to embrace their baby on crying good, studies shows that fathers are simply as caring as moms and undergo similar changes although not that intensely.
