Couvade Syndrome

I’m a first time father. So this is the first time my wife and I are experiencing paglilihi symptoms. I’ve always thought the concept was exclusive to Filipino culture and families. I was mistaken.

This is interesting. Read on:

Couvade Syndrome
Sympathetic Pregnancy

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By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com

Pregnant Women painting by Steve Gribben

Dads, have you ever noticed that you were gaining weight along with your partner’s pregnancy? Do you find yourself feel queasy at certain times of the day? Have you experienced appetite changes? Then you may be experiencing Couvade Syndrome.

Couvade comes from the french word couvee meaning “to hatch”. It has come to mean a man having a

“sympathetic pregnancy.” Yes, ladies, this means that your partner could start to vomit, gain weigh

t, and have many of the “joys” associated with pregnancy.

Generally, couvade syndrome begins in the end of the first trimester and increases in severity until the third trimester. The only known cure for couvade is — birth.

Some people have doubted the reality of couvade syndrome. These doubters say that the weight gain that the father may experience is caused by the eating habits of the mother, nerves, or other changes that pregnancy makes in one’s life. The vomiting? Of course, that is blamed on nerves, too.

What do the dads have to say about this? They don’t know what to think about vomiting, weight gain, and changes in sexual appetite. How can you tell everyone at work that you need to lie down because you have morning sickness?!? And, of course, they would stop vomiting if they could.

This is something that has been researched and found to be quite real. Some men are more susceptible to couvade than others. For instance if you and your partner have experienced infertility or if you were adopted, you could be more likely to experience couvade syndrome.

So, guys, know that you are not alone, and that you have the medical community backing you up. Eat some crackers, get out of bed slowly, drink some ginger tea and try to get a bit of rest and know that birth is right around the corner.

And don’t shove her out of the way of the toilet!