Building the Father-Infant Bond: The Experience of Fathers

Abstract The purpose of this article was to discuss the subjective experiences of men during the establishment of the father-infant bond. We conducted a qualitative research, in which we interviewed eight men who recently became fathers, aged between 24 and 36, members of the middle class from the city of Rio de Janeiro. Eight theme categories emerged from the analysis of the interviews: mother is mother; being a “solo father”: conflicting demands; patriarch and caretaker; the pregnant man; ultrasound as a rite of passage; the birth of the father; the construction of a bond; and from individuals to family. In this paper we will discuss the last three categories, which are directly related to the purpose of this article. We verified that fathers are increasingly asserting their desire to participate during pregnancy and in the birth of their children and that the daily exchanges between father and child, since birth, facilitate the establishment of the father-infant bond.