Should husbands watch their wives giving birth? It turns out that this is a much more controversial and debated topic across the world. There are a lot of discussions online about why husbands should be barred from the labor room. Here we discuss 8 reasons your husband should be there with you during delivery.
The reasons for husbands being barred from the labor room range from the possibility of your husband fainting in the labor room to the wife having added discomfort of having pooped in front of your husband on a table!
8 Reasons Your Husband Should Be There With You During Delivery
It is now more of a cultural norm to have your husband in the labor room with you. Most hospitals, especially in the metros, will let the husband be present during delivery. Find out 8 reasons your husband should be there with you during your delivery.
1. Birthing is an Intimate Bonding Experience
Birthing is not a mommy’s job alone. Okay, well, it mostly is. But you definitely don’t have to do it alone. Having your husband there will not only help you go through the experience in a better way, it will also bring both of you closer.
How? Both of you are yearning – one physically and the other mentally – for the baby to come out safely and healthily. You are in this as one team! Being together during such an anxious yet exciting time can make your bond stronger
2. You Need Someone Compassionate to Hold Your Hand
The pain you are enduring is not only for your sake. It is for you and your husband (and the baby). No way should you settle to hold the hands of the duty nurse, or worse, the sides of the hospital. It is such a morale boost to have someone you love and someone who loves you back as fiercely as you do to hold your hands as you battle contraction after contraction.
3. You Do Not Want to be Alone
Did you know that sometimes labor could be as long as 12-15 hours? Or even more? No nurse is going to babysit you for that long. You would most likely be left alone for the most part of your labor with nurses and doctors coming regularly to check your and baby’s vitals. It can be boring, scary, and lonely. Having your husband can be a blessing!
4. No One Knows You Better Than Your Husband
While we cannot generalize, many couples are also best friends. Most often, the husbands can pick up cues from even wives’ glances. A nurse or an obstetrician, however considerate, will never know you well enough to pick up such nonverbal cues. A squeeze in the hand or a blink – and he would know you are thirsty. And who wouldn’t want that kind of attention in the labor room?
5. Your Husband Will Ensure You Are Taken Care Of
Things that happen in the labor room can be very confusing. You are not sure if this is the best care you can get. There might be nurses who might be too hard on you to push harder.
Having your husbands – who are alert and watching – around will definitely ensure you are well taken care of. Further, he can ask any bullying nurse to back off if he sees you are in distress. After all, men aren’t called the knights in shining armor for nothing
6. He Can Make Decisions
While most labors would go smoothly (and we hope yours’ does too), there are also good chances of minor and major complications. When the obstetrician decides you or the baby are in distress, she might change the birthing plan.
Perhaps, she might suggest an emergency C-section. While it can be confusing, and while it is best to trust your doctor’s advice, having your husband around can help you be confident in whatever decision they make
7. He Can Take the First Pic
One duty most fathers are entrusted with is to click the picture of the newborn child immediately after birth. This serves as a beautiful trigger to a wonderful memory. And at a more practical level, let’s admit it, most kids look the same at birth. And many times, parents wonder if they finally got the “right” baby! So a picture comes in handy!
8. His Respect For You Will Quadruple
Now for some post-partum benefits. Seeing you go through the pain and agony of birthing will definitely increase the respect for you in the eyes of your husband. No more jokes about “your pain threshold is so low”. No more assumptions around “birthing can’t be that painful. I have broken my leg. It cannot be worse than that”
Now you know 8 Reasons Your Husband Should Be There With You During Delivery. However, it is a very personal choice to have your husband be present when your most private parts lie completely exposed. Not only that, some women feel that, except for the doctors, no one else should have to see the pain and agony, the complications, and the last-minute decisions that are made in the labor room.
Labor is rough, it’s tough, and you are vulnerable. So unless you both are comfortable with the idea of the husband being present in the delivery room, it should be left as it is. Do share your views with us in the comments.
