The present longitudinal study aimed at understanding the transition to fatherhood, investigating the expectations and feelings of fathers during pregnancy, and the experience of fatherhood after the birth of the baby. Twenty married fathers, aged between 20 and 40 years, all married and primiparous, took part in this study. They answered a semi-structured interview of the end of pregnancy and two months after the birth of the baby. The interviews were examined through qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that pregnancy was felt as an emotionally intense period, with feelings of joy, anxiety and conflict. Worries about the health of the pregnant woman and the baby and feeling of exclusion were shown. . During the second month of life of the baby fathers showed positive feelings and satisfaction, although the feeling of exclusion were still present. The participation of the father in the care of the baby was not so effective as planned, although father-infant relationship was very close and affectuous.
Fatherhood; Pregnancy; Father-infant relationship