Should the Father be at the birth?

[pirateofthecarolinas]

acepepper, thanks for the great laugh that I've had reading this thread. I can see we have the same sense of humor!

Yes, my husband was with me during all 3 of my deliveries. He didn't want to the 1st time but nothing could have kept him away from the other 2.

Lori

 

[browneyes]

With our first child, I insisted my SO be there to witness the tranquilty of me screaming my head off (epidural only worked on 1 side of my body). During the birth of our 2nd child, I would've given anything to have physically thrown my SO out of the hospital, and I wasn't in as much pain that time. He was a PITA during that laboring time.

 

[LScot]

I wanted DH with me. I draw a lot of strength from him. He, on the other hand, wasn't sosure if he wanted to be there. As a FF/paramedic, he'd seen it all before--only not his dearly beloved ) He agreed to come in with me and at one point I remember thinking he looked scared to death and I told him if he wanted to leave to go. Once my epidural kicked in, he seemed to handle it all much better and before I knew it, he was acting like Snoopy's DH and was next to the doctor talking childbirth, cutting the cord and viewing the placenta (ick).

As for who else I would have wanted in there? No one. I may have taken a girl I worked with but never my mom. She could never understand why women scream during labor, she never did and I shouldn't either...blah, blah, blah! No screaming here but if I WANTED to, I coulda.

As to the Skank comment. I think OCM and Saffron have said it all. I think Acepepper says a lot of things to get a rise outta people and I think the skank word was just that. But, that is never a funny joke and as pam said, I bet he doesn't get away with it in RL so he does it here.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Some people call their wives, mothers of their children, skanks, I call some posters trolls. So be it.

I wish I had the opportunity to have had the choice of seeing my wife birth my two children, I did not.

 

[bear74]

My DH was their for the birth of our DD. He chose to watch her come out instead of just looking at me. I was planning to watch her come out using a big mirror on a stand. But the pain was so intense that I was just focusing on pushing her out. FYI no epidural

He said it was the most awesome sight he had ever seen. watching our daughter be born.

So I say if you want to watch go for it.

 

[MHopkins2]

OP, I am right there with you. Disgusting doesn't even begin to cover it. I can't fathom why anyone would ever want to watch that! Ew!!!!!!

 

[totalia]

I don't know how you can say that. Of course the father should be at the birth. It's his child too. He put it in there, he can bloody well watch it come out.

 

[acepepper]

My use of the word "skank" seems to have caused more offense than anything else. Maybe it has a different meaning in the US than it does in England. Maybe someone could enlighten me.

 

[poohandwendy]

LOL, Ace...still up to the same tricks, eh? No matter... I still think you are a hottie....

(btw...the word skank, in the US, is used to describe a woman just a step lower than a bore...if you replace the b with wh....hope that helps with the lingo....although I suspect you already knew that, LOL)

 

[acepepper]

Originally posted by poohandwendy
LOL, Ace...still up to the same tricks, eh? No matter... I still think you are a hottie....

(btw...the word skank, in the US, is used to describe a woman just a step lower than a bore...if you replace the b with wh....hope that helps with the lingo....although I suspect you already knew that, LOL)

Hottie I like. Tricks.....you've lost me. What are you doing up so early, it must be 5am there!

And thanks for clearing that skank thing up. It honestly doesn't have the same meaning in England. A skank over here is someone, (not necessarily a woman), who's a bit dirty and smelly etc. Not a nice thing to be calling your wife, I admit (you should have seen her though) but nowhere near as bad as the American interpretation.

 

[poohandwendy]

What are you doing up so early, it must be 5am there!

Yes, it is....I woke up early...

Tricks.....you've lost me.

Just noting that you haven't lost the ability to rile the masses into a frenzy...

 

[acepepper]

Originally posted by poohandwendy
Just noting that you haven't lost the ability to rile the masses into a frenzy...

That was never my intention. I just put forward what I thought were some interesting ideas and I have to say, I've been quite shocked and even a little hurt by some of the responses.

 

[snoopy]

Originally posted by katerkat
When I was a teen, I had to watch a birth in Health class. It looked just like what Ace described!

For those of you who wanted him there for comfort, was there no one else? To be perfectly honest, I'd rather have my mom there! (Other than her stance on epidurals.) She's been through it and knows what to do, comfort-wise. DH does not!

My mother was not alive for my 2nd child, but she was for the first. and I really wanted her there with me. Who better to hold your hand when you are in pain than your Mommy, right? She flatly refused. She said she had 9 babies herself and had no desire to see anymore be born. Aside from my mother, there was no one else that I wanted there with me. I honestly would have been o.k. doing it by myself too --- I surely would rather do it by myself than have the whole family along. My best friend was like that -- she had her INLAWS in the delivery room with her. The thought of that makes me a little sick, I cannot imagine.

 

[dcentity2000]

GUYS!

Calm down!

This is ever so basic! Look:

1. Birth is not an enjoyable experience in whole for the poor mother and it isn't for the father either, but in the end it is all worthwhile
2. A present father need not watch what is going on - he can hold his wife's hand and be a support to her
3. Like it or not, this thread is not going to challenge thousands of years of pent up hormones and in-built emotions that all teenagers possess in adundance, commonly called the desire to reproduce
4. In the end, it is down to the couple



Rich::

 

[poohandwendy]

For those of you who wanted him there for comfort, was there no one else?

Comfort? Hell, I wanted him there to suffer along with me...''see what YOU have done?''

 

[Bichon Barb]

Originally posted by acepepper
This is a serious subject Barb. I'd rather you didn't try to trivialise it, thank you.

Oh Acepepper, I'm not trying to trivialize it. Just think! With a C-section, you don't have to worry about damaging the IMPORTANT parts of the anatomy.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

Hey, why should the man get off so easy? They're the one that put the baby there!

 

[Bichon Barb]

Originally posted by TY31088
Hey folks,
Is this what you want your teenage daughters and sons to read about childbirth?

Yes. I'm hoping it will dissuade them from sexual activity.

No seriously. I would hope that if they read this thread, they would get the joke.

 

[CRB#33]

I refuse to read the many pages of this, because you have got to be kidding.

Sure, sit down, have a beer, relax while the mother of your child gives you the greatest gift she can all by herself.

I'm not sure I'd be letting you see much of that child after it was born since having a beer was preferable to watching it come into the world and supporting the mother of your most precious gift.

Poor you.....what an awful thing to witness.

Give me a break. Glad you're not my husband.

 

[Sandy V.]

"Comfort? Hell, I wanted him there to suffer along with me...'see what YOU have done?''"

Poohandwendy - I agree completely; that was MY motivation for having my husband there too!!!