June is Men’s Mental Health Month — and at ATTA, we’re shining a light on the fathers who often stand quietly in the background of preterm birth stories.
When a baby arrives too soon, the world often turns its attention to the mother and child. Rightfully so — both are fragile, both are healing. But there’s someone else quietly holding it all together: Dad.
The father rushing between hospital wards, Googling feeding tubes at 2 a.m., calling family with updates while carefully filtering his own panic — and standing silently by the incubator, watching his newborn who is too small to hold, yet too precious to leave.
I didn’t know where else to turn. My wife was fighting for her life, and my baby needed milk. When someone told me about the ATTA Breastmilk Community, I didn’t believe such kindness existed — but that milk helped save my child.
~ a father supported by ATTA
In our work, we’ve met countless fathers navigating this hidden grief. Many tell us they didn’t feel they had permission to break down. Some never spoke of their fears, worries, or emotional toll — even months after the baby came home.
There’s a cultural silence around men’s mental health, especially when it intersects with caregiving. It’s expected that men will be strong, practical, emotionally steady. But the reality is: many fathers of preterm babies experience stress, helplessness, anxiety, and depression — they just rarely say it out loud.
These are the quiet struggles many fathers in Uganda face during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives — when their baby is born too soon. Their voices often go unheard: the father who stays strong in public but breaks down in private, the one juggling financial strain and emotional weight, the one left outside neonatal spaces yet expected to “be a man.” These aren’t isolated experiences — they’re stories we encounter often in our work.
As a community, our role in supporting fathers is just as crucial as our support for mothers and their babies. At the ATTA Breastmilk Community, we are committed to going beyond breastmilk support to foster emotional and practical care for the entire family. During our milk drop visits, we often meet fathers — quietly navigating the challenges of having a preterm baby. These moments create space for real conversations, where fathers can share their experiences, fears, and hopes.
Through our work with hospitals, health workers, and communities, we strive to build inclusive neonatal care ecosystems where fathers are not just present, but truly seen, involved, and supported. We train health workers to actively engage both parents in neonatal education, ensuring that fathers are equipped and empowered. We advocate for father-friendly spaces in NICUs and Kangaroo Mother Care units, making room for men to be part of their baby’s healing journey. Our storytelling, community dialogues, and advocacy efforts intentionally include fathers, highlighting the emotional realities they face — especially the roles that often go unseen or unspoken.
At ATTA, we believe that supporting preterm babies means supporting everyone who loves them. And that includes the fathers who stand strong — even when no one checks on them.
As we mark Men’s Mental Health Month, let’s commit to creating space for these fathers — to listen, to support, and to include them in every part of the neonatal journey. We believe no parent should be left to walk this path alone. If you’re a father in need of support, or a health worker, policymaker, or community member ready to make a difference, we invite you to join us. Let’s build a more compassionate, inclusive system — one that sees and supports every voice around the incubator.
A community of parents dedicated to making donated breastmilk equitably accessible to all newborn babies who need it to survive.
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