When my best friend was pregnant with her second child, her husband gained weight right along with her.
She started to feel like she wasn’t the only pregnant person in the house.
It’s fairly typical for a man to mirror some of his wife’s pregnancy symptoms, but if he has too many sympathy symptoms, it could be the husband has Couvade Syndrome.
The French term literally means “couver” or “to hatch.”
Expectant dads are under a lot of pressure. A woman might have headaches because of the pregnancy, while a man experiences a headache worrying about his wife’s aches and pains.
Here are five of the signs my friend’s husband exhibited, which led her to believe he had a full-blown case of Couvade Syndrome. It’s not a mental illness as much as a syndrome, in which men experience pains and physical symptoms associated with pregnancy.
Feeling nauseated
My friend’s husband grew nauseated during the labor because he was upset by the pain she was experiencing. But even the occasional nausea did not stop him from packing on the sympathy pounds.
Aches and pains
Experts say if men experience aches and pains during a woman’s pregnancy, it could be that they are trying to get attention. They feel left out. My friend’s husband constantly complained of itchy skin, backaches and toothaches. We suspect he was jealous because she spent all her time decorating the baby’s room instead of going out.
Hormone changes
My friend’s husband was especially “hormonal” during the end of her pregnancy when experts say men’s hormones change anyway to mirror their wives’ hormone levels. It’s Mother Nature’s way of getting everyone on the same track with the imminent arrival of a bundle of joy. A man’s testosterone drops which makes him more of a nester at a critical time.
Highly perceptive
My friend’s husband was an agnostic who had a skeptical view of the universe before she became pregnant. But during the pregnancy, he started having sudden intuitions about things. Once he “just knew” to wait to put dinner in the oven one night because he had a feeling she was stuck in traffic. He was right. Just the fact that he was making dinner was unusual since he only started becoming more domesticated during the pregnancy.
Crazy for that baby
My friend’s husband was never particularly crazy about babies. In fact, when his sister had a baby, he didn’t care to hold it and was annoyed when the baby cried. However, as his wife became pregnant, he was drawn to babies like magnets.
My friend was annoyed at first that her husband seemed to be stealing the attention. But in the end, he was a more nurturing and caring father. Since he had suffered a bit himself, and packed on more than just a few pounds, he could sympathize as the two teamed up to lose weight after the baby was born.
More from this contributor:
My Super Sized Pregnancy
Can I Skip Breakfast when I’m Pregnant?
Too Pumped for Pregnancy
