This article explores the social support needs of African American men as they become fathers in early parenthood. Although becoming a father is often viewed as a common life event, it can be a stressful for fathers---especially for those lacking adequate social support. Social support is defined as emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. Using the Critical Incident Technique, qualitative data was analyzed to identify helpful and unhelpful types of social support received by fathers. The findings highlight the importance of health care providers and social systems in offering meaningful supportive care in early parenthood.