It starts as a niggle in your tummy, maybe even a pain in your lower back, and you think, ‘It’s a tummy bug’, ‘Maybe I’ve just been overworking myself lately’, ‘It’ll pass’. But it never does. Weeks of throwing up becomes months, the awful smell of usually deliciously greasy foods becomes all the more unbearable and the back pain slowly but surely progresses to the rest of your body.
It’s a 9-month struggle. And it happens to more men than you’d think.
Yes, you heard me correctly, because men get morning sickness too!
The occurrence is known as couvade syndrome and defined as the “involuntary manifestation of pregnancy in men with a partner who is expecting a baby”. After publishing a story detailing everything we know about the syndrome, we received many responses from (soon-to-be) dads, and their partners too, saying that it’s real, they’ve experienced it first hand, and they even listing their symptoms to prove it.
Just so you feel a little less alone, here’s what our readers had to say about men, morning sickness, those crazy cravings and even... death?
- Read the full story here: Yes, dads can get morning sickness too, and it's called couvade syndrome
"It's definitely for real": dads and partners share their symptoms
The morning sickness
The fatigue and mood swings
Frequent trips to the loo
8l of yogurt and other cravings
"...and lots of bacon and eggs with our 2nd born," Daleen continues. "He craved it almost like a police dog after a criminal. It was crazy and funny, honestly, but I never even knew that the cravings and that could happen to men equally as women during pregnancy."
- Also read: When fathers get morning sickness
Heartburn and chocolate cake
Death?
Fittingly, readers (we assume partners) jokingly responded:
- Also read: WATCH: A day in the life of a pregnant man
Would you do it all again? A wife’s response, at least
"My husband had bad morning sickness and I had absolutely nothing! We kept our pregnancy a secret till 12 weeks.
"He was so embarrassed as he literally had to run away from conversations to go throw up and not being able to explain to his friends why made it even harder.
"If he can guarantee me that he’ll have my morning sickness again, I might try for baby #2!"
– Andrea
Have you experienced morning sickness, or any other phantom symptoms, as a result of your partner's pregnancy? Tell us by emailing chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments on the site.
Read more:
- “Pregnant” men show phantom symptoms
- Coping with pregnancy nausea and morning sickness
- These dads' hilarious responses to their partner's first pregnancy will have you in stitches