This Morning viewers praise father Mike Simms for opening up about his experience with male post-natal depression

THIS Morning viewers rushed to Twitter to praise a male guest for discussing his experience with what he believed to be post-natal depression.

Post-natal depression is a common problem that affects around one in ten women with a year of giving birth, but it is also known to affect fathers and partners.

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But this is much less common and for fireman Mike Simms, the experience came as a complete surprise and made it difficult for him to bond with his daughter.

Speaking to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, Mike explained: "You think you’ll make this instant bond and be a picture perfect family. We have planned for this baby and we were excited.

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"The birth came and I’m not going to  say it was traumatic for me because for the lady it was horrendous. As I watched, I felt like it was my fault she was in pain. It was horrendous to watch."

He continued: "Afterwards you get this small pink  person. Effie had already been making her bond in her pregnancy. But for me this was the first time I met Monroe.

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"I thought I would feel a huge rush of emotion and this intense connection. But it was just like meeting any other person. I felt totally disconnected. I felt like there was something wrong."

Mike explained: "I was jealous of Effie and Monroe's bond and it affected me. I felt like the baby hated me because she was always crying around me but with Effie she would go quiet.

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"I went to a GP and he said if you go NHS it will take 6-8 weeks, but I went private and they were able to help. I do have a bond with Monroe now and I was able to have the normal bond with our second child."

Dr Jonty Heaversedge commented: "Men don't like talking about their feelings, whether it's after a birth or any other time. Men don't seek help, and it's really important to talk about it.

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"The act of sharing is a huge relief and often that's the most important thing you can do. It's so important that we acknowledge this as a real issue."

Viewers praised the fearless fireman for raising awareness on the issue as one wrote: "Interesting story on #thismorning about fathers suffering with postnatal depression. Great to see #dads speaking so honestly! #dontforgetdad."

Another tweeted: "Huge respect to Mike for talking about fathers experiencing Post Natal Depression #breakdownthestigma #thismorning."

One commented: "Cannot believe how disbelieving everyone appears on #thismorning about men having post natal depression!"

Some viewers were sceptical about the experience being labelled post-natal depression as one wrote: "Dad post natal? I always thought that postnatal ishormonal. I would say it's more of a depression going towards selfishness."

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