In this course you will be offered a forum to develop skills and experience in working with men who are becoming fathers. Most men are at the birth of their children and many struggle to make the connection with effective preparation for this important life event. Learning to acknowledge men’s experience as valid can help bring them into a more dynamic and truly supportive relationship with what’s happening. You will explore how to create points of contact with fathers that allow for a more inclusive experience, benefiting the whole family.

Through sharing information, research, role play and exercises to identify needs in the family, this workshop supports a secure base of knowledge and experience for educators and service providers that will develop your skills.

This workshop will help you:

• Gain increased confidence in working with men/fathers.
• Gain increased skills for welcoming fathers into the pregnancy and birth process.
• Understand ways to support a man’s “low adrenaline” presence at birth itself.
• Learn how to help fathers manage their expectations in a way that contributes most effectively to the families needs.
• Experience articulating ‘gender issues’ for yourself as well as parents and increase your ability to communicate.

This workshop is suitable for any professional in the fields of pregnancy, birth, and early parenting.

In an industry that mostly focuses on women during pregnancy and birth, there are few resources available to childbirth professionals with regard to supporting the other half of the parenting team. We are fortunate to have Patrick Houser of UK-based Fathers-To-Be to facilitate this valuable workshop.

Continuing Education Credits: 3 DONA CEUs

View this video to learn more about Mr. Houser and Fathers-To-Be:

More About Patrick Houser and Fathers-To-Be:

Patrick Houser is co-founder of Fathers-To-Be, an organization based in the United Kingdom. Fathers-To-Be is an organization in the United Kingdom that supports new and expectant fathers through reinforcing their relationship with themselves, their partners, their babies, and the healthcare professionals caring for them. In addition, Fathers-To-Be also provides educational opportunities for professionals who serve men during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.

Patrick is a grandfather and father of 2 sons. It was the birth of his first son which revealed to him the need to understand birth more fully. Patrick’s second son’s arrival, in 1980, was the first waterbirth in the US and led him into nearly 25 years of passionate advocacy for birth choices. He has a degree in marketing, has owned a natural health centre and for 10 years ran his construction firm in Austin, Texas. He is the director of The Source Foundation International a UK reg. charity, promoting health and choice from preconception to birth and throughout life. Patrick is also a speaker, writer and author of Fathers-To-Be Handbook.

Learn more about Patrick and Fathers-To-Be at www.fatherstobe.org

For questions about the content of this class, please email Patrick directly at info@fatherstobe.org.

For any other questions, please email Darlene at info@centexbirthnetwork.org.