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The Pregnant Man?

Couvade Syndrome in Expectant Dads

By Laura Paul

Another way men change during the pregnancy is by becoming more sensitive and fond of babies. "You find a lot of guys, all of a sudden when their wives are pregnant, have much more interest in babies than they did before," Brott says. "When I take my daughter for a walk, 90 percent of the time it's women who smile and look at the baby. Women are more naturally drawn to babies before they actually have them. When a guy's wife is expecting, all of a sudden they start looking at them and forming an attachment to babies before they have their own."

Brott says toward the end of the woman's pregnancy, a man's testosterone levels begin to drop. As the levels drop, the man may feel less energetic, lethargic and put on weight. "There is a suggestion in some circles, the reason why testosterone is going down is to encourage men to be more around their wives and newborns so they won't be propelled by a big surge of testosterone to go out and do something else," he says.

Brott's advice to menwho experience sympathy symptoms is to think about what is really going on beneath the surface. "What are you thinking about?" Brott says. "Are you feeling left out or trying to take on some of the pain? The left out part is an important discussion you have to have. Men tend to stuff their emotions during pregnancy. They don't want to bother their wives by saying they are worried or scared or left out or how can we afford this? They don't want to bother the wife about it because she is going through enough already."

Want to see more?

• Coping With Morning Sickness: How to Help Your Partner
• Going the Full Nine: How to be a Model Husband From the First Day of Pregnancy to the Last
• Putting Yourself in Her Shoes: Sympathy-Building Exercises for the Dad-to-be
• Talk about it!

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