Let's Hear it for the Dads! With Drew from Dad Central Artwork

Perinatal Wellbeing - The Podcast about Prenatal, Pregnancy & Postpartum Health

Let's talk about Prenatal, Pregnancy and Postpartum health! This podcast is all about authentic conversations centred on Perinatal health and wellbeing; from mood and anxiety disorders, to breastfeeding challenges, to grief and loss in the Perinatal period and literally everything in between! This is the place to have real and honest conversations about these experiences so we can break down barriers to accessing treatment and crush stigma! I open these conversations up by sharing my knowledge as a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional, interviewing others with lived experience and talking with colleagues who also work in the Perinatal field supporting clients and sharing their wisdom. You will walk away with more knowledge and understanding of the Perinatal period and ideas for coping with the many challenges that can come up in this period. You are not alone and there is a community of support waiting for you! For more information about Perinatal Wellbeing visit our website www.perinatalwellbeing.ca. If you want to submit a question to be answered on a future podcast please email me at info@perinatalwellbeing.ca.

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Perinatal Wellbeing - The Podcast about Prenatal, Pregnancy & Postpartum Health

Let's Hear it for the Dads! With Drew from Dad Central

January 23, 2023 • Christine Cunningham • Season 2 • Episode 26

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I’m so happy to share this week’s episode with you, featuring Drew Soleyn from Dad Central and Connected Dads. We had a great in-depth conversation about the challenges of becoming a parent from a dad’s perspective, including becoming a parent to twins and a 3rd baby after twins. Drew also provided some excellent ideas for seeking support, trying to take care of yourself as a parent and learning critical skills to help us be the best parents we can be! Drew is the Director of Dad Central Ontario, Founder of Connected Dads, and a Career Coach at the Queen's Smith School of Business. As an International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Maxwell Leadership certified Coach, Trainer & Speaker, he helps dads show up at their best for the people who matter most.

Highlights:

4:30 – Review of studies about PPD in men, significant rates compared to the general population however it’s not talked about enough

10:05 - Drew didn’t share with friends and families about his experience of becoming a father

14:15 – Drew was in survival mode

15:21 – Drew’s experience of becoming a dad, first time dad to twins, fertility challenges

19:39 – Feelings of helplessness, being hard on himself

23:07 - Retuning to work after babies

Being the support person, having having support

27:25 – Welcoming a 3rd baby, the joys and challenges with having toddler twins at home

38:59 - Realizing I can’t handle it all, the challenges of therapy

47:13 - The importance of emotional and psychological safety in the partnership

48:08 - Building supports, resources, learning what a healthy relationship looks like, boundaries, communication, emotion management

1:04:00 – Resources for adults to learn skills

1:10:01 – Drew’s organization Dad Central, Connected Dads

1:13:40 – Drew’s advice – seek support, start with one step

Resources mentioned in this episode:

You can reach Drew by email Drew@connectedads.ca

Dad Central https://dadcentral.ca and Dad Central Podcast https://dadcentral.ca/podcast/

Connected Dads https://www.connecteddads.ca

Dr. Laura Markham, Aha parenting https://www.ahaparenting.com

Dr. Stuart Shanker Self-regulation courses https://self-reg.ca/resource-library/

Dr. Henry Cloud https://www.drcloud.com/books/boundaries

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email info@perinatalwellbeing.ca

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms discussed in this or any episode please reach out to me at info@perinatalwellbeing.ca and I can help you find support in your area or online.

Check out Postpartum Support International at www.postpartum.net for more information about Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders as well as free online support groups and a provider directory.

You can look for an individual therapist on www.psychologytoday.com.

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