As we know, often support for young families is aimed at mums and ways to support the child. Dads can sometimes be the missing piece. Adam explains, “The idea for the show came about from us wanting to create a space where dads could find some really easy, hands-on, practical advice. We knew from our own experiences that often millennial dads wanted to be involved but didn’t really know where to start.”

The Dads and the Docs

“It’s a space, particularly for new dads out there, provide some information which is targeted at dad's. Right from the immediate moment of when you have a child and it really dawns on you that you have a screaming potato that you've now got to look after!”

Adam smiles as he remembers his own experiences as a dad, “You literally have absolutely no idea what to do as a new dad. For mums out there, there's podcasts and there's books, which is great but

as dads, it can be hard to hear from a male voice and the male perspective.”

The podcast launched late October last year and it's broken down into two parts to help out dads really simply. The first part involves interviewing a doctor for a certain stage. Followed by a second part where Adam and his co-host Matty Fahd, reflect on their memories of that time as well.

Adam explains, “For us, it was really important for the show to have that evidence base and include advice from people who are experts in the field - so we're not getting anecdotal advice. We're getting really science-based advice from experts in the field of obstetrics and paediatrics to give the tips on how dads can help out. Because these doctors are working day in day out with dads in this time of their child’s life, their the best people to ask for that advice.”

"For us, it was really important for the show to have that evidence base and include advice from people who are experts in the field - so we're not getting anecdotal advice"

Translating the evidence into practice with stories and reflections are what many listeners love about the podcast. Adam explains, “After the Doc has given the advice in Part 1, Matty and I then give little tips about things like how to change a nappy, and what some of the best things we remember and the mistakes that we made during that time.”

“Once you learn the advice, it's really not as useful as it could be because you've already ticked that box and you moved to a different stage. To help this, we broke the podcast down into the stages of pregnancy, labour in the hospital, first week at home, first month at home, and first three months at home, just to be really, really digestible and easy to follow.”

“We've had a whole lot of feedback that couples tend to listen to the show together when they're in car rides which is a really great way to engage both mum and dad.”

Some of the most useful tips

New parents benefit from advice on the podcast such as it actually can take a full minute for the baby to start crying after it's born. Adam shares, “This can feel like forever because when you watch the movies, you see the baby come out and it starts crying straightaway. Hearing it can take a full minute has had feedback from listeners that it’s really reassuring to know.”

What have been the biggest things that you've learn't as a dad?

“Making sure you pull the elastic wings out of the nappy so you don't have any poonamis going everywhere!” Adam jokes. “Seriously though, as well as that and a few of the basic tips and tricks, is the impact it has on your relationship.”

“One of the huge things that changed was the relationship change between Rachel and I. We describe it as we went from being in a line where we were looking at each other, to then in a triangle where we're both looking at the point of the triangle – our baby. We've really found that we've had to work on our relationship more than we ever thought we would and the support that is required for that to happen. So I think that's hugely important to be aware of.”

"YOU're NOT ALONE"

“I think one of the most helpful pieces of advice is that any thought that you've had, or any feeling that you're experiencing as a parent, someone has felt that before. I think it's just very reassuring that whatever you're doing out there, you're not alone and you're not the first person to do it, you're not the last person to do it.”

What have been your most rewarding and the most challenging moments so far?

“The most challenging thing was the podcast was working out the logistics of finding a time with the doctors that I could go in and interview them. To be honest, they're busy, which is a good thing because it means that they're in demand and they're experts in their field.”

“In terms of the most rewarding for me as a parent, I mean it's got to be that first six weeks, when the first smile comes, because you feel like in the first six weeks you're just investing and you're giving and you're giving and you're giving, you're not sleeping that much. You're like working out this brand new thing that you've got, how to do it and how to function and you're working out feeds and you're working out changes and you're working out routines and all that kind of thing and you're like mate, just give me something back. Then after about six weeks you get a smile and then your whole world just flips.”

You can follow Adam & Matty on Instagram, Apple podcasts & Spotify for more 'The Dads And The Docs' content.

The Dads and The Docs PODCAST

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