Dean Rogut recounts the challenges faced after the birth of his son Max, who spent 121 days in the NICU. While he took on a supportive role for his wife, he experienced significant emotional detachment, feeling neglected in terms of support. Despite appearing to manage well, Rogut struggled with his own mental health, ultimately facing clinical depression. This narrative shines a light on the imbalance in the support systems focused on maternal mental health, often ignoring the psychological challenges that fathers face during this transition.
But it felt as though he was in a sensory deprivation tank. He became detached from everything and anything.
Staff would check in and ask, How's mum doing today? No one asked about how Rogut was doing unless his forthright wife told them to.
I didn't realise how bad I was until about November, December when I hit the wall. He became clinically depressed, suicidal.
For decades, after years of advocacy, researchers and health systems have recognised that the arrival of a baby can also be a challenging, traumatic, disorienting thing for new mothers.
Up to one in five mothers experience perinatal anxiety or depression.
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