Dad Chats Live – Equal Parental Leave. Today we were joined by Rob Simpson who works for @avivauk. Aviva have scrapped paternity leave, two weeks just aren’t enough – Aviva recognised this and have an excellent new policy. At Aviva all staff are entitled to equal parental leave when they have a child. This means that fathers can take up to…
A Fathers Grief - The Impact of Baby Loss
8 Mins read
Baby loss and grief is something that society doesn’t talk about. I understand why – nobody wants to think about losing a child. It is a tragedy that no parent should ever have to experience. But sadly it is a tragedy that impacts thousands of families every year. In 2003 my twin baby daughters died. A father’s grief and the…
Dad chats live: This week we talked about baby loss, grief and it’s affect on our mental health, with special guest Gary Anderson (@gary_secure_mind_solutions ). This is another subject that is so important to talk about, and we couldn’t have done it without our special guest. Gary talked openly about discovering his twin daughters had Twin To Twin Syndrome – a…
Let’s be honest. Anxiety is a nightmare. However it shows up for you, the rising panic, sweaty palms, hyperventilating, the torrent of mental chatter, 3 am pacing. It’s horrid to deal with and it’s utterly debilitating. It undermines our self-confidence, our ability to make decisions and to move forward. What’s more, anxieties grow. We start by panicking about a situation with…
Dad Chats Live – Talking about Coping with Anxiety with Saleema Davies. Saleema is a clinical hypnotherapist and founder of Papalona. A company that creates audio recordings to support children and parents’ mental health easily and effectively. We talk about the impact of anxiety on our lives, and how to cope with it. She shares some brilliant tips like: Use…
Everything You Need to Know About the 'DAD' Book
6 Mins read
There’s a new book on the block. And this one is for the dads. It’s not the run of the mill ‘expectant dad’ book that spells out the basics of pregnancy. Nor is it a patronising ‘dad jokes’ book that portrays dads as nothing more than a bumbling clumsy men trying to figure out what to do next. This book…
If you’d asked me 13 years ago when my son was born if there was a need for a community to support dads I would have said ‘No I’m good’. But in hindsight the need for fathers to have a support network is immense. The narrative for men has, for far too long, been one that perpetuates a bravado and…
Outdoor Play – the real reasons why it is great for your children, and for you! When you think of the outdoors, you might think of sunny days, rainy days, big cuddles or wet socks. Fighting with your little ones to put on their coat or breathing in that fresh air! But did you know that there are many other…
Mark Williams talks about his own experiences with post natal depression, why dads need more perinatal mental health support and how to get it. As a new dad, I had no idea about post natal depression. Nor did I know about why dads need more perinatal mental health support, or how to get it. In 2004, I suffered my first…
Dad Chats Live – This week Nigel discussed Men’s Perinatal Mental Health with Mark Williams from @fathers_mentalhealthMark is a well known figure in the UK when it comes to mental health and men. He is the founder of Fathers Reaching Out – an organization with a mission to prevent, treat and spread awareness about fathers’ mental health. Mark is also the…
