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The Challenges and Joys Across the Transition to Fatherhood: A Qualitative Study on Low-Income Father’s Perinatal Experiences

The transition to fatherhood is a time filled with mixed feelings and experiences for many men, and low-income fathers are no exception. The current study qualitatively examined both the challenging and joyful moments low-income men experience as they transition into becoming a father, with a focus on the prenatal and postnatal periods. Common themes, such as financial problems and concerns about their partners’ and babies’ health, emerged across these two perinatal periods. Themes that were specific to each period emerged as well. During the prenatal period, the most common challenge theme was related to fathers feeling unprepared to have a baby and experiencing negative feelings. The most common joy theme was related to men’s experiences going to prenatal visits (i.e., ultrasounds) and seeing their unborn babies and developing a bond with them. During the postnatal period, the most common challenge theme was related to men having to make lifestyles changes to adapt to life with a new baby. The most common joy theme during this period was related to engaging in play activities with their children, especially when they became a little older. Our findings suggest that low-income men undergo both negative and positive experiences from pregnancy to postpartum and that professionals and programs serving parents can be intentional about helping low-income men mitigate some of these early challenges and support them in experiencing the joys of becoming a father.