Who witnessed your birth? And your children?

[Kitty 34]

Back ( many moons ago) when I was born, only my mom was there. My dad was in the father waiting room.

When my sons were born:

1st DS......my SIL was there with me. xDH was in the army.

2nd DS.....DH and my mom were there.

3rd DS......just DH was there.

 

[Ohiodislover]

Mine--just my mom

DD#1--DH, my mom, aunt, and niece
DD#2--DH, my mom, aunt, 2 nieces, and my stepmom (who really wasn't even invited)

My oldest niece videotaped both. She was 14 with my oldest, and 17 with the youngest. She did a great job with the first one. Stayed back, and didn't get too personal until the very last minute. With the second, I have NO CLUE what she was thinking. It is so up close and personal that it is very difficult to watch at times. She kept zooming in and out DH made an edited version thank goodness.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

Aside from drs n nurses of course

1st DD - just DH
2nd DD - no one DH was there with my DD...she freaked when I started screaming...he ran her to the waiting room, and she popped out while he was gone those 2 minutes...

then....new man...new babies!!
DS - my DBF and my oldest DD (youngest DD chickened out)
newest DD - my DBF and oldest DD again

 

[DebbieB]

I was born in 1960, my mom said then that the dads were not allowed to hold the baby until they went home! So I guess it was just the doctor & nurses. She couldn't believe when my niece was born in 1990 that we were passing her around a few minutes after birth!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I was a c-section so I think it was just my mom knocked out. That was the 70s. I think if my dad was even permitted in the room, he was soon kicked out as there were complications. But I'm not sure he was in there.


My children:

1st child: DH, mom, her husband, SIL and BIL and sister and brother....I do not know what I was thinking, but the staff pulled the bed out and everyone was behind me and didn't get the *view*.

2nd child: DH and doula (I had MIL watch my daughter--that ended up being a nuisance so we didn't have a sitter for #3).

3rd child: DH, doula and my daughters-though I was too busy to remind people that my girls weren't supposed to see it all.

 

[alexandria674]

I am not pregnant yet but I was thinking about it and I have realized that I would want to see my mom there in the room. Not my fiance (he'd be my husband by then)but my mom would know more about calming me down. I don't think I want anyone there except my mom.

 

[nskjerven]

I am not pregnant yet but I was thinking about it and I have realized that I would want to see my mom there in the room. Not my fiance (he'd be my husband by then)but my mom would know more about calming me down. I don't think I want anyone there except my mom.

Interesting comment, from one that is yet to be there. If I told my DH not to be there for the birth of his children he would have been very hurt

Having said that, my sister and sister-in-law were with us (DH & I) for both of my children's births for the reason you gave, they calmed me down

DH sat accross the room most of the time, but not when they were :born:

 

[MushyMushy]

I don't think anyone was there for my birth, but I don't know. It was in the 60s, so I assume it was just my bio mom and the staff (she was separated from my bio father at the time).

My DS: my mother and my best friend. My best friend was my birthing partner and went to all my lamaze classes with me. When I went to the hospital, my mother refused to call her because she wanted to let her have her rest. My friend and I still laugh about that, but at the time I was furious. My friend couldn't go in with me for the eventual c-section, so I was alone in there. Oh, and while I was in labor, all the nurses from my mom's department came in and out of the room all day, but that's all hazy to me.

My DD: my husband was there for the c-section and my parents were in the waiting room.

 

[Louiepipbgeeco]

In 1971, when my Mom gave birth to me, just her and Dr. and nurse

For my first child (DD) - just me and DH
For my second (DS)- me, DH and my Mom (she came because she was so worried when I left , the Dr. almost did not make it for my delivery, I waited a bit too long before heading to the hospital)
I did not want a whole gang in the room. Just personal. Everyone has their wishes and that was mine.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I was born in February in the 50's. It was snowing and the doctor told my dad to stay home so he wasn't even at the hospital.

For my 2 kids, only DH was there.

 

[Serena]

With me, I am old enough it was just my mom. With my girls, the first one their dad was there, with the second it was an emergency c-section so they shooed him out and it was a ton of doctors and nurses. I wasn't even awake.

 

[java]

The only one worth talking about is my oldest. It was at a teaching hospital and I was in full on get to the delivery room- pushing status when they said
"Would you mind if we brought in A student?"

Me "FINE WHATEVER!"

Next thing I know I am spread eagle on the delivery table and I look up and there are 30+ people in the room!! Thankfully it went quickly. But I think they all owed me a drink after that!
I learned my lesson after that one and always say NO when I am in delivery.

When I was born- it was just my Mom but she was knocked out- so I guess just the doctor. I always say I think I was switched at birth.

 

[DebbieB]

Now that I think about it, my mom told me that when her kids were born (1960, 63, 66) that as soon as the doctor could reach the baby they knocked her out so she didn't even see us being born or anything that happened after. She woke up in recovery. I believe she had natural childbirth.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Interesting comment, from one that is yet to be there. If I told my DH not to be there for the birth of his children he would have been very hurt

When I was pregnant, I had my mom as my coach, not my DH. He wasn't hurt at all. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hang in there with me and knew I'd need someone. I'm sure her DH would be hurt, but I feel, at the end of the day, the comfort of the mother in labor is paramount, and if that means she picks who goes in, then so be it.

When we got the hospital, they made me chose -- either my DH or my mom. I felt horrible. My mom assured me I should have DH there with me and that she would be right outside if I needed her. I was fortunate that my doctor put me in a birthing room and allowed me to have both my DH and my mom. FWIW, my DH would have NEVER been able to handle it. I'm not sure if mom was more my coach or his.

 

[rie'smom]

Only my mom for me. At the time, husbands were not allowed in the delivery room.

Our 2 sons were c-sections and husbands were not allowed in the operating room.

Our daughter is adopted and we saw her the day after she was born.

 

[Sue122]

My first DD - my husband, mother and a professional photographer! We had a good friend who was a newspaper/magazine photographer and she wanted to do a pictorial for a magazine following a couple from early pregnancy to birth. She was at my doctor appointments, Lamaze, crib shopping, you name it! I don't think she ever got the piece published, but we got some great pictures! And FWIW, my doctor thought it was great, too, and she printed some pictures for him, too.

My 2nd DD - my husband and a paramedic student. I'd forgotten about the student until the PP mentioned one. The nurse asked if it was ok (at the time I worked in a med school, so wasn't surprised). The student had already seen a C-section and just needed to see a non-C-section birth. He probably thought that delivering a baby was easy, I only pushed TWICE with this daughter and she was here!

 

[tigercat]

For my birth just my dm. For the first dd my dh and I. For the 2nd dd just me as she came so fast and they said that my dh couldn't come in until the Dr did. Dr didn't make it. I told dh that next time just come in and help me because the nurses were horrible. If he had of come in they wouldn't have been able to throw him out as there were only 2 nurses. The 3rd and 4th my dh and a lot of students. For my 1st dgrdd it was my dd and I. For my other dd's dgrdd and dgrds her dh and I. The only other dgrdd my dd and her dh were there. I feel privilaged to have been there for 3 of my dgrdkds. It was wonderful.
tigercat

 

[aprilgail2]

No clue who was there for my birth but for my daughters it was me and the Dr- I didnt want or need any audience there with me--unless they were going to take over pushing for me they would have been no use to me LOL.

 

[ORMom2Four]

baby1--Dh, Dm & Dmil (not what I wanted, but Dmil snuck in!)
baby2--Dh, Dm
baby3--born in our hearts, adopted into our home when he was 2
baby4--Dh (Dm not allowed because it was an emergency c-section)
baby5--Dh

 

[turkeymama]

I guess I'm sort of an anomaly. I didn't want my mother in there at all. In fact, besides my husband, I didn't want anyone else in there except the doctor and nurses. With my first child, we lived 1000 miles away from any family so we didn't have a choice. With my second child, we lived in our hometown and I dreaded telling anyone when the delivery would be. I didn't even want anyone else at the hospital until I was out of recovery. Both of mine were c-sections, the first was emergency, the second was planned. I really wanted our bonding time to be uninterrupted and having moms, sisters, aunts and uncles nearby would have been too much for me to handle.