When should a child begin to train, and why the old fear was wrong
Most parents think lifting weights is dangerous for children. Twenty years of paediatric consensus disagree, and the reason has more to do with the nervous system than with muscle.
Issue 2
Maternity Services Are Failing New Fathers. This is How We Fix It
For decades, hospitals have treated fathers as bystanders. This doesn't just isolate men - it actively harms the mother and baby, too. We explore the hard data behind this post-natal oversight, and the new clinical trials finally bringing dads into the fold.
7 min read
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10 minute listen — Listen to this feature on the go. (AI-voiced for accessibility; 100% human-edited and checked).
It usually starts at the first prenatal appointment.
An expectant father walks into the clinic with his partner, but the physical layout of the room sends a clear message. Two chairs face each other: one for the pregnant mother, one for the doctor. The pamphlets on the desk are for women. The doctor's questions are directed only at the woman.
The father is physically present, but the medical system does not treat him as an active participant in his child's arrival.
Fathers have noticed being sidelined for decades, but they rarely discuss it.
Now, global research published between 2023 and 2026 confirms what many fathers have experienced: maternity care systems are simply not built for men. And that has consequences.
Leaving fathers out measurably impacts the health of the father, mother, and baby.
Crucially, this exclusion does not end at birth. The habit of treating fathers as an afterthought persists throughout the post-natal period, extending through visits to doctors and healthcare workers and isolating men during the most vulnerable months of early parenthood.
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