Ryan feels his struggles are part of a wider failure to communicate amongst men, who still internalise harmful perceptions of masculinity.
Men, he says, often feel they must be "the harbour wall that just gets smashed and remains standing every time."
"It's not a show of weakness to ask for help. I didn't do that quick enough," he explains.
Clinical psychologist Dr Jill Domoney, a researcher specialising in mental health pre and post childbirth, says men often don't want to accept they're struggling.
They can feel they are "not a legitimate person to be asking for help" - especially ahead of a mum and baby - but she emphasises their mental well-being is just as important to the family.
Ryan's conversation with his dad gave him the space to ask for a break - taking a few days abroad, away from the home environment, to gain perspective.
He realised he needed to make a shift to focus on his and his partner's emotions as well as the practical tasks of taking care of a new baby.
When he opened up to Louise, he realised he'd missed "what she was yearning" -holding her hand and listening to her.
That realisation has reshaped how Ryan sees fatherhood.
He's now writing Leo weekly letters about his experiences as a dad, which he hopes his son will read as he gets older.
Ryan hopes these will help his son better understand the language of emotion and make sense of his parenting choices.
The idea of "self-parenting" is something rapper and songwriter Professor Green - real name Stephen Manderson - has also felt keenly since fathering his son Slimane, who is now four.
As a child Stephen lacked consistent male parenting. Despite having an "incredible" bond with his dad, deep-held trauma meant his father struggled to cope and was "in and out" of his life, complicating their relationship.
Stephen says suppressing feelings led him to make "terrible decisions" when younger to alter how he felt, finding solace in drink and drugs as escapism from the pain.
"You find your way to things that don't help," he explains. "They may temporarily change how you feel, but they will ultimately make things worse."