Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990 TAG: 9004190130
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DONNA KATO LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
His wife, Darlene, also is getting heavier, but she has an excuse. She is pregnant.
"I've been trying to control the desserts and sweets because I do attempt to stay in shape," said the father-to-be. "But [Darlene's pregnancy] has become a convenient excuse for me to eat more."
In primitive cultures, couvade describes the ritualistic practice of the father mimicking his mate's pregnancy and going as far as simulating the pain of labor with her.
In modern society, it is a syndrome where the expectant husband may feel waves of nausea, experience insomnia, food cravings and weight gain. No matter how he tries to ignore it, or suppress it, he feels . . . pregnant.
"It's a sign that the man is plugged in and expecting a life change along with a baby," said Katharyn May, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn., and a doctor of nursing science who has published several articles on expectant fathers. "It's not a new phenomenon; I just think men are more comfortable with talking about it now."
That was not the case in the Polidoros' childbirth-education class. Of the dozen couples, only Polidoro was willing to admit that he had what could be described as a symptom of couvade.
Although it may not be something men want to confess to, studies show it is healthy and could be an indication that these fathers-to-be will be better prepared when the baby arrives.
According to researchers Diane Carol Longobucco and Margie S. Freston, whose article on couvade was published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing last winter, men who experienced symptoms generally were more involved in their wives' pregnancies and were more apt to make the transition to parenthood smoothly.
Medical experts say couvade is psychosomatic, and most of the so-called mysterious "pregnancy" symptoms do have explanations, although unproven.
Nausea, abdominal cramps, backaches and sleeplessness in men might be caused by the stress and anxiety they feel about their rapidly changing lives, observers say. The food cravings and weight gain may be the result of nervous eating and indulging - along with their pregnant wives - in more than pickles and ice cream.
by CNB