Becoming a father, a dad, can be a painful experience. One in 10 men experience anxiety or depression within the first 6 months of the birth of their baby.
In today’s society, there is still a stigma around men talking about their mental health, opening up vulnerably about their emotional experience of fatherhood.
In this episode, I speak to Elliott Rae about his experience of PTSD following the traumatic birth of his daughter (trigger warning), and how this led him to his purpose of making an impact around fathers’ mental health, gender equality, masculinity and representing a diverse picture of fathers.
Elliott Rae is the founder of MusicFootballFatherhood (MFF), the parenting platform for dads to share the ups and downs of parenting and promote a positive representation of diverse fatherhood. Elliott’s first book is called ‘DAD: untold stories of fatherhood, love, mental health and masculinity’.
BBC article: ‘I got PTSD after witnessing my daughter’s birth’ - BBC News
Book: DAD: Untold stories of fatherhood, love, mental health and masculinity
www.musicfootballfatherhood.com
Insta: @mffonline_, @iamelliottrae
We cover:
- PTSD from a traumatic birth
- Lack of support for new dads
- Avoiding talking about it
- Accepting what happened
- The need for community groups for dads
- Screening for mental health problems in fathers
- Liberation from toxic masculinity
- “Boys don’t cry” - socialised pressure
- Black fatherhood, diversity and inclusion
- A wake up call around workaholism
- Being present in the moment
Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here
Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk
Instagram: @the_thomas_connection
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection
Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay
This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media