'The last 12 months have been bananas but we’re very lucky': pandemic dads speak

Ahead of Father’s Day, we ask four men about the challenges and rewards of being a first-time dad during the Covid crisis

Derek Collins with his daughter Grace 11mts from Tramore. Co. Waterford. Picture: Patrick Browne

The pandemic has halted the celebration of many milestones, but for the thousands of new fathers who have been left waiting outside maternity hospitals this past year, some of those special moments had to be skipped altogether.

According to research by babyboo.ie, 82% of Irish men who became new fathers in the pandemic felt they had missed out by not being able to visit the hospital after their babies were born, with 94% believing their mental health had not been taken into account in lockdown.