Fathers' birth attendance, early contact, and extended contact with their newborns: a critical review.

Research concerning fathers' birth attendance, early contact, and extended contact with newborn infants is reviewed in this paper. Relationships between fathers' early history with infants and subsequent patterns of involvement are discussed. The methodological challenges of studying the effects of fathers' birth attendance and early contact with infants are considered. In contrast to popular belief, no conclusive statements can be made at this time concerning the effects of paternal birth attendance, early contact, and extended contact on father involvement in infancy. Implications for future research and policy-making are discussed.