postnatal depression in men?

[mollymay]

Has anyone ever heard of this? My dh felt that he suffered with this after the birth of our ds. My first reaction was to laugh in his face but I wondered whether there actually is such a thing. He was wonderful with my dd and still is but said he just couldn't cope with ds and his crying and felt so stressed to the point he wanted to punch something...(although he would NEVER have hurt baby.) I would add that after talking it through with him and offering his a sympathetic ear he began to make a conscious effort with ds and now feels he has made a connection with him and feel that he has finally bonded with him. He said he would never have admitted how he felt to anyone but me because he believed people would be shocked and think him strange.

i cant say ive heard of PND in men, but the stress and strain of having a new baby can affect the father just as much as the mother. but also men tend to find it harder to bond with their baby than it is for us, as they havent got the connection that we had when we were pregnant IYKWIM. but at least he has made a bond with him now and admitted it to you. i think most men find it hard to admit those kind of things xxx

My mum gave me an article back in April I think that explored an issue like this. Not sure they described it as PND but it seemed to be along the same lines. Think it is beginning to be recognised. Probably most blokes think the same as your DH unfortunately Mollymay.

Yes - my dh became quite depressed about 3 months after the birth of ds1. Since then I have seen several articles saying that PN depression does happen in men and is becoming a recognised 'syndrome'. Sorry couldn't tell you where I read it though. Hope all goes OK for you -have to rush -bath overflowing!