Anticipating Fatherhood: “She is the One who is Pregnant”

Abstract

This article seeks to understand how men that are going to become fathers for the first time in Chile, anticipate fatherhood. To achieve this purpose, 14 men that were close to having their first child were interviewed. Three topics are studied in depth: 1. The expectations surrounding fatherhood, 2. The masculine experiences of pregnancy and 3. The experiences surrounding antenatal health care. The men want to be involved and caring fathers, but still consider that their primary role is to provide. They are very conscious of the protagonism that pregnancy gives to their couples and see themselves as companions in the process. They feel their couples have a physical and direct relationship with their future child, while they can only have an indirect experience mediated by the female body and technology. They value the moments in which they have been able to ‘feel’ the baby (listen to its heartbeats, see it in ultrasounds, feel its movements). They believe it is natural that their couples are the center of attention during prenatal checkups, but some feel patronized by the healthcare professionals. The men perceive the process of waiting for the baby as profoundly differentiated by gender.