Male Pregnancy Symptoms?
Posted on Apr 17, 2012 | Blog Posts, Pregnancy Symptoms Category | | Print This Article
photo credit: Sigfrid Lundberg
As you’re plenty familiar with by now, pregnancy takes its toll on your body. You have morning sickness, sore breasts, you get tired fast, and more. What you may not know, however, is that your partner may also be experiencing a number of pregnancy symptoms. No, he doesn’t have raging hormones or a growing fetus to contend with, but there are some things that often happen for men whose partners have become pregnant:
- Moodiness. The news that you were pregnant probably sent him on a roller coaster of emotions. He’s excited, but he’s also scared as hell. For most men, the anxiety and moodiness tend to subside after about the eighth week of pregnancy. If he’s a bit cranky, hold out for a couple more weeks and he’ll probably be fine.
- Weight gain. It’s not uncommon for dads to gain weight as you gain weight during pregnancy. This phenomenon has been observed in many cultures worldwide. Dads are less likely than moms to lose the post-pregnancy weight, however.
- Nesting. Just like you tend to organize your world around you the closer you get to birthing your baby, your partner may go into a type of nesting mode too. Don’t be surprised if he picks up a hammer and decides to build an addition on the house, fix up those leaky faucets, or even take to working on cars.
- Attentiveness. If only men could always be as attentive as they are during pregnancy. There’s something about being pregnant that makes a man listen to what you’re saying. Psychologists have actually studied how men listen to women, and found that they heard and retained greater amounts of information when it came from a pregnant partner.
- Changing activity rhythms. Believe it or not, just like you have to adjust your schedule somewhat to your unborn baby’s activity level, dads also tend to naturally get in sync with the baby’s activity and sleep patterns.
So, what about you? Did your partner experience these or any other symptoms during pregnancy?
Top of Page
