“Fatherhood changes a man in many different aspects. I wish I had prepared myself for the experience.”

The words of proud dad Alex Croucher.

In January his wife, Claire, gave birth to their first son, Fraser.

It was a long and traumatic birth with Claire, 35, in labour for more than 40 hours.

As she was rushed into the operating theatre in the latter stages, surrounded by medical staff, Alex watched helplessly.

And a thought which had been in his head for months began to crystalise.

Alex, a mindset coach, said: “In the lead up to the birth Claire and I had been on the courses to get us ready for the birth of Fraser.

“Quite rightly the focus was on the mums-to-be. That, of course, is how it should be.

“But what became quickly apparent was that there wasn’t a lot on the course which was focused on dads.

“Yet when the dads were grouped together and chatted we all had the same questions, thoughts and concerns.

“At the time I thought it would be good to have a workshop for dads but it was a passing thought.

“Seeing Claire in theatre really brought it home to me.

“For me it was a scary time, watching on the sidelines and not sure what was happening.

“It demonstrated how I was under prepared for the birth and, indeed, the first three to six months of my son’s life.”

Now – ten months later – Alex has launched Dad360.

The online business will support expectant fathers through workshops and coaching.

Alex, 40, pictured left with Claire, and Fraser, at the couple’s wedding in September, said: “I’m passionate about the need for this.

“There is a massive gap in support and resources for dads.

“I have worked to fill the space with information, tips, skills, techniques and workshops to focus on the needs of new dads.

“As men we aren’t always the greatest talkers and, when it comes to becoming a new dad, it’s not always easy to talk to friends or family.

“When you connect with like-minded dads to be, there is a common ground to help each other.

“I have created ‘dad to be’ workshops to help prepare to be a dad with other dads in the same place.

“I also offer one to one coaching sessions to create dad specific plans for the birth and the months after your little one arrives.

“I find that one to one sessions in the first month after the birth are a great space for dads to debrief the birth and the first few weeks of fatherhood.

“It is very important to talk through your experiences and feelings around the birth.

“Some births are very easy and some are hard, either way it is good to talk.”

Alex, who lives in Christchurch, is to continue with his main job as a bike brand ambassador and account manager.

His coaching business, Fluid38, which now includes coaching three American football teams, and Dad360 occupy the rest of his hours along with, of course, Claire and Fraser.

The Dad360 workshops cost £80 to include two two-hour group sessions and a one to one.

Alex said: “I have worked tirelessly to launch Dad360.

“Creating that strong family bond is so important going forward.

“It’s about giving a service that will help people have a better life.

“I only launched the business in October and everyone I talk to thinks it’s a good idea.

“Being a father is so important in so many ways.

“I just hope Dad360 will help others prepare for one of the most exciting and amazing experiences of any man’s life.”

• www.dad360.co.uk