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Key practice: Male involvement in pregnancy and child care
Raising a happy and healthy family together
• Ensure that men are involved in the process of offering care to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and after birth.
• Ensure that men are involved when accessing family planning services.
Why is male involvement important?
- After delivery of a baby, men can support by ensuring women get time to rest and recover, through taking on some of the household tasks like:
- Bathing the baby
- Fetching water
- Taking time to hold and care for the baby
- Visiting the family planning unit with together to learn more about responsible parenting - A father can support the mother while she breastfeeds by caring for the household and other children or by caring for the newborn while she rests.
Here is what some fathers have to say
What are the benefits of male involvement?
- Men who participate in household work are confident, caring and respected.
- Men who support their wives are good examples to their children.
- Working together encourages proper planning for the family’s basic needs such as food, health care and education and use of the available land to grow enough food, including fruits and vegetables for home consumption.
- When men help women during and after pregnancy, their families are happier and healthier.
Here are some of the things men can do
Watch this video
Learn more about male involvement in child care and development
