Husband in the Delivery Room

A discussion about husband's in the delivery room made me remember why I absolutely wanted mine in the labour room. It was a mutual agreement. Horror stories apart, he knew he was capable of being the strong one (and so did I) until the actual day when I was half-way through labour and no one could find him! and when they finally did, I yelled so loud for him to "get there in a second or else..." He told me later that he was so sure I wasn't going to deliver anytime soon and he was just getting himself prepared for what lay ahead. 

To this very day, I remind him of this "great escape" and sometimes go a step further to call him a "chicken" (of course he vehemently denies it and says he was right there, taking a breath of fresh air, haha). But now that our son is almost 19 months we can actually look back and laugh at some of those moments that seemed so serious then. We also feel we should have talked about it more, prepared ourselves a bit extra and spoke to other new parents about their experiences. Our experience however, did make our bond stronger.

Now I know of several stories where the husband became overwhelmed with all the activity and fainted. How some went ballistic as they could not see (darling wife) in such a state. While many cried with joy, a handful were content to pace the halls until the nurse screamed out the final outcome. In fact a survey of men who were in the delivery room with their wives agree that it was the most beautiful experience, a moment that changed their lives forever. 

Research and statistics however have a different point of view (and I find it funny that it's mostly men who have written about this). The disagreements (though quite valid) seem isolated to a few men who are not comfortable seeing or hearing what goes on in the labour room, have no idea what to expect, are nervous and don't know what exactly to say (imagine the poor husband who asked his wife if she'd like another child, while she screamed through contractions!).

Times have changed and many hospitals now allow the husband to be part of the birthing process. I find this incredibly special and no matter what statistics or ancient tradition says about "what happens in the labour stays in the labour room" and that a husband should not witness the birth of his child, I feel otherwise and could not have had anyone other than my husband with me.

Whatever you decide, and after my own hilarious experience, I think planning and talking (and I'm not implying Bollywood or Hollywood movies) are sure to make your husband more comfortable and confident of what's  expected of him in the delivery room. If nothing works, just convince him how smart he'll look in those scrubs (and cap).

I wish you a good birthing experience.  Don't forget to share your stories with me and thanks for reading!