Nine months... in the mind of a man

When you're pregnant, the presence of your child gradually becomes a reality. Not just psychologically (your baby is growing inside you; you make plans and think about your relationship with your baby...), but physically as well.

> A mother feels her child moving inside her. She has nine months to experience the joys of pregnancy, as well as the more difficult bits (sickness, tirednesss and sometimes complications).

> For men, things are different and ironically, they're even more complex. The father remains on the outside, no matter how hard he tries and how much he wants to be involved. He has to use his imagination, communicate with his partner and ask questions so that he can get a sense and feel for the unborn baby.

Advice
With everything seemingly focused on women, it's up to mums-to-be to take their partner into account and include him in the pregnancy at every step, talking to him about the baby and making sure he's there for appointments, exams, scans, etc.
"The father should learn to enter into the reality of the child's presence and he should be present right from the beginning of the relationship with the baby", explains child psychiatrist Daniel Bailly.