Patrick Houser, author of Fathers-to-be Handbook tells us about the importance of father for women in pregnancy, birthing and breastfeeding along with thought-provoking suggestions for how children will remember their fathers.

Patrick M Houser is a grandfather and father of 2 sons. It was the birth of his first son which revealed to him the need to understand birth more fully. Patrick’s second son’s arrival, in 1980, was the first documented waterbirth in the USA. This has informed his life’s work and led him to nearly 25 years of passionate advocacy for birth choices. He has a degree in marketing, has owned a natural health centre and for 10 years ran his construction firm in Austin, Texas. Patrick is a speaker, holds workshops for childbirth professionals and parents, writes articles and is the author of the Fathers-To-Be Handbook, published in the UK and USA. Patrick has just returned to Austin after 16 years in Europe.