Contents
Male pregnancy, myth or reality?
The covade, also called nervous pregnancy, indicates the psychological disorders and the psychosomatic manifestations which agitate some men during the pregnancy of their partner. Disorders that cover the entire prism of small ailments experienced by women throughout these nine months : digestive problems, insomnia, cravings or, on the contrary, loss of appetite, weight gain (up to a good ten kilos sometimes!), nausea, diarrhea or constipation, headaches, lower back pain, hives attacks … In some men, there is even an increase in the level of prolactin (lactation hormone), while their testosterone (the male hormone) decreases!
The Couvade, where does it come from?
The covade as experienced by our Western men seems the psychosomatic equivalent of primitive fatherhood initiation rituals. Almost everywhere on the planet, in traditional tribes, the passage for man from the status of young man to that of father is symbolically marked by a ritual of convent. Very often, men remain bedridden during their partner’s pregnancy, and even after. In some tribes, the man stretches out and imitates the pains of the woman at the time of childbirth. Once the child is born, he is also the one who lies down with the baby and provides him with first aid, the mother only serving to breastfeed. In the Amazon, the new father does not work for six days for the child to grow well, because it is believed that if he works, the newborn can get sick. He therefore remains in his hammock and follows a specific diet …
Causes of the Couvade
In our society where the image of the strong and virile man predominates, these ancestral rites have no place. Failing that, the future father expresses his doubts, even his suffering, in a different way, by showing various physical ailments. These manifestations can cover various ailments. A very (too?) Strong involvement in the pregnancy of his partner first: the father lives the gestation of his wife so intensely that he thinks he is in her place. Incapable of carrying life, man thus compensates for his feeling of emptiness, of uselessness. The covade can also express a deep anguish of the man : on the state of health of his partner and his child, on his capacity to become a father, on the place also that this baby will take, potential rival, alongside the one he loves. Finally, the convent can be, in an unconscious way, the desire to be noticed, to exist in front of a future mother for whom everyone is very caring.
The Couvade, scientifically explained
The covade does not often make the headlines: it is a subject still unknown and often considered disturbing. Male pregnancies are not, however, a myth. A study conducted by St George’s Hospital in London and relayed by the Washington Post in 2014, confirmed that the father’s body could react to the announcement of the baby’s arrival. Another even more recent American study found hormonal changes in the father linked to the pregnancy of his campaign. And this phenomenon would not be isolated: he would touch one in five future dads. Although the extent of the symptoms varies greatly from person to person, these symptoms usually appear at the end of the 3rd month and gradually increase during the 3rd trimester. Until often reaching its peak on D-Day, when some physically share the pain of contractions with their wives!
Can the Couvade be treated?
No, well not more than the pregnancy itself! In the vast majority of cases, these symptoms disappear with the birth of the baby.. All that remains is for the happy dad, like his companion, to arrange, if he has gained weight, to quickly fit into his old pants … However, it would appear that some fathers are also struck by baby blues… If the symptoms persist for too long or worry you, you can talk to a doctor or psychologist anyway. You can also urge your spouse to join a discussion group between fathers, sometimes organized within maternity hospitals. Verbally discharging his anxieties and his questions, his hopes too, can only do your man good. And free him, at least in part, from this “nervous pregnancy”.