Pregnancy for Dads-to-Be

March 6, 2017
In this British import, Carpenter, a freelance writer for parenting magazines and a blogger for Working Mums, a U.K. website for working mothers, offers expectant fathers advice that goes from before conception—advising men on lifestyle changes to develop healthy sperm—to the postbaby relationship. While the writing style is accessible and the information is sensibly broken up with personal anecdotes from fathers, Carpenter’s tone is off-putting. Carpenter writes as if fathers-to-be are directors required to manage every detail of pregnancy, from what foods a pregnant partner consumes to purchasing breast shells for a breastfeeding mother. Often without qualifying statements such as “discuss with your partner,” men are advised to contact medical professionals on matters such as pregnancy-induced back pain or what skin creams the mother should apply while breastfeeding. Occasionally, the tone switches to treating readers as bumbling new fathers out of clichéd sitcom scenarios, urging them to learn the route to the hospital or encouraging them to jump right into the diaper-changing process. The British vocabulary—nappies and muslin squares—should have been adapted for American readers, as should descriptions of medical services and practitioners. Readers of either gender looking for a pregnancy guide should look elsewhere for advice.