[Father involvement in childbirth]

Recent initiatives have promoted the participation of fathers in the early care of their children.

To assess the results of a program to encourage parental involvement in childbirth. Parents of healthy term newborns were randomly allocated to participate either in the birth experience or control.

The protocol included: to dry the skin, umbilical cord cutting off, weight, height, and finally give him/her to the mother for the skin-to-skin contact. Heart rate (HR), respiratory (RR) and temperature were evaluated one hour later. In the first outpatient clinic assessment, mothers completed a questionnaire. 127 fathers participated either in the birth experience or control.

62 followed the protocol and 65 the control. Both newborn groups were comparable. Also were fathers in age, education and rurality; mothers in primiparity. Significant differences: night care (37/62, 10/65 59.6% vs 15.4%, p<0.01); post prandial assistance (50/62, 14/65 80.6% vs 21.5%, p<0.01); participation in bathing (38/62, 61.3% vs 15/65, 23.1%, p<0.01); newborn visit upon arrival at home (46/62, 74.2% vs 22/65, 33.8%, p<0.01); helping in crying episodes (42/62, 67.7% vs 17/65, 26.1%, p<0.01). There was stability in HR, RR and temperature one hour postpartum. Only one case of complication among parents (fainting).

There were more cases of early care behaviors among participating fathers at birth, even belonging to a discouraging socio cultural environment.