Concerns lockdown baby boom will lead to surge of new dad's in Liverpool needing specialist support

With Liverpool's hospitals predicting a lockdown baby boom - there are concerns a big increase in births will also lead to a surge in new dads needing specialist supprt

With more of us spending last year at home - experts think as many as 12,000 babies could be born across the city in 2021 - that's up a third on a normal year

That's sparked fresh calls for more awareness around male post natal depression

Dr Chris Dewhurst works in the Neonatal unit at the Women's :

"You've got this dream of what it's going to be like and all of a sudden it's four o'clock in the morning, the baby's waking up and it's not feeding very well, your wife is emotional, she's crying and the baby is crying, you're trying to calm things down but inside you want to cry as well.

"You feel because you are the man you have to man up. Well actually, what does that mean? Maybe, man up means talking about your emotions.

"One in ten father's will develop post-natal depression after their baby is born so it's really important we concentrate on not only mum's mental health but dad's too. We know that the biggest killer of men under 45 is suicide so the biggest thing that's going to kill me is me".

To help, LFC Foundation are working with the Hospital, every baby born at the hospital during the club’s anniversary month of June will receive a gift pack to celebrate their birth.

The pack includes a special letter penned by Sir Kenny Dalglish himself to congratulate parents on their new arrival, along with complementary gifts, a photo frame for the baby’s first LFC photo, a free Anfield stadium tour and various discounts to help get them started on their journey.

To support these new parents as they start this new chapter, LFC Foundation will be running a mental health workshop in partnership with Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The workshop will be aimed at new dads to guide and support them through the unique journey into parenthood and help them get to grips with their new role. The sessions will take place every Tuesday between 5.30pm-6.30pm via Zoom.

Having experienced first-hand what it’s like to become a parent, Liverpool FC first-team players Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota spoke to the midwives at Liverpool Women’s Hospital about what it means to be a new dad, watch the video here.

Matt Parish, CEO of Liverpool FC Foundation, said: “Becoming a parent is the start of an extraordinary journey. As we mark another year of being Liverpool Football Club, we wanted to take this time to celebrate Liverpool’s newest arrivals who will also be sharing our June birthday.

“Not only that, utilising our strong relationships with our partner Joie and also the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, which share our important family values, we wanted to provide a support network for our fans who are beginning their lives as new parents. This is why we have created our mental health workshops as a way for our supporters to come together, share their experiences and learn with each other along the way.”

Kate Davis, Head of Fundraising at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, said: “We are delighted that LFC Foundation has chosen to celebrate the club’s birthday with us at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The initiative to provide baby bundle gift bags to all babies born in the month of June at the hospital is wonderful and a lovely gesture for our new families. The hospital sees on average 24 babies being born each day – so we are looking forward to sharing the birthday fun.”