This time Laura and Maana are joined by Emppu and Tomppa, two dads from East-Helsinki who host the Lähiöfaijat- podcast.

Traditionally maternity spaces have been signposted to be women-only areas. Modern fathers have challenged this discourse, and the conversation flows accordingly: Tomppa and Emppu share the origins of how the Lähiöfaijat podcast started during times when there was practically no Finnish peer support for fathers. The four talk about the necessity of including men in maternity processes to provide best care available and highlight the change fatherhood has been through: the stereotypical father figure is history, as the modern involved dad has taken over his share of family duties. Through the two men’s stories it becomes obvious that men go through the same changes within and among their social circle as women do, and involving them in the pregnancy, birthing and postpartum processes benefits the mum, but also the men themselves. Finally, the four theorise on what engaging dads could look like in practice.