Heehee, I'm the youngest of 6 kids and he wasn't there for any of them. So when it came time for me to be born, the doc (same 1 for all 6) hand cuffed my dad to the bed while I was being born. Aparently, he saw me slide out and he hit the floor as they say. Minutes later he was booked in to have his vasectomy (sp?) so he was off doing that while I got my 1st feed, weighed ect.
Mine was there. Wasn't happy as mum had to be rushed off to a bigger hossy coz I got stuck (still don't understand how?) & almost punched his bro!
Unc walked in, asked if I was here yet (all of 13!) Dad told him where to go & pushed past him to the door so he could jump in the car & follow the ambulance!
My dad was there. I was something like the 12th baby to be born at the Women's Birth Centre here in Melbourne. Although it was different then, mum still had her Ob (who is also my Ob ), and then checked into Frances Perry after the birth! Now that would be my ideal situation! But I digress......
Dad was there, he was very insistent on a drug free labour, and mum (although a little less set on the idea) felt much the same way. So mum laboured for 30 hours, only having some gas at the end. When I finally came out (posterior) Dad decided he was the one who felt faint, and mum felt a bit like 'what about me?'. This seems to be a recurring theme in this thread TBH, although he was there for the whole thing, it doesn't sound like he did much, but I guess it wasn't the norm for dads to be at the birth then (although not unheard of), so no one probably thought of what they could do to help. I'm so glad things are different now, I feel we are very, very lucky! My DH was simply brilliant, marvellous birth support. Can't imagine doing it without him.
My dad left my mum when she was 6 months pregnant with me - with her best friend. He left my mum and my brother. Mum had a c section and dad was no where to be seen. One of his brothers located him and told him I had been born he drove all the way from somewhere is QLD to bega non stop to see me. They got back together not long after but I dont know why they bothered, he ran off again with a different chick this time. Mum nearly died while pregnant with me from all the stress. Needless to say my dad and I dont have much to do with each other.
My DH was there for the birth of Georgia and he cried and cried from the time they said they could see her head, he is such a wonderful man and I love watching his relationship delvelop with Georgia something I never had and never will have.
Last edited by Salad; September 4th, 2009 at 05:55 PM.
I have no idea what he was doing or if he was there or not - I will have to ask mum next time I'm talking to her. I remember that with my second brother (3rd child - I'm the eldest) that we came home from school and Nan was there to greet us and I remember him dropping us off at Mum's cousins place while he took Mum to hospital to have my sister (baby #4) and then came and picked us up to go see them so I assume that he was there with her while she had those two. I was only 2 when my first brother was born, but I distinctly remember him taking me to see them when he was born.
Mum had only just turned 16 when I was born and Dad was almost 17. He was at the movies with his mates and was highly embarassed as his Mum got them to stop the movie so she could go in to find him. I was already born by that stage but he wasnt a happy chappy about it.
He did manage to make it to my brothers and sisters births though.
My hubby missed our third sons as he was out having a smoke!!! I had been slowly labouring for ages after been induced and he was starting to get on my wick. I was only about 5cm when he said im going out for a quick smoke. I was quite happy for him to go, and as soon as he did I had two massive painful contractions and said to my midwife I need to push.
Three big pushes later and ds pops out. hubby came in just in time to cut the cord and I have never let him live it down.
Lucky he has given up smoking now so was there for Scouts birth and fingers crossed he had better be there for this one!
My dad was at work, mum had been in labour since the day before so he just left her at the hospital and went to work! Mum's brother rang the hospital at lunchtime to see if I'd been born and they said they couldn't tell him anything until dad knew so he rang my dad at work and said " E's had the baby! ring and see what it is" So dad called and found out then kept working until the end of the day and came up to the hospital that night!!
Working or at the pub... Or both He was a detective so he was married to the job and then the pub! But I was born in 1967 so fathers in the labour room just wasn't the done deal back then...
Outside the room, no men allowed in those days.........i know with my 2nd sister (so birth # 3....) he was allowed in the room....and he fainted, missed my sister being born......
Hmm, I would just like to point something out here.
Lots of us here have been rather taken aback when people like M Odent have pointed out that men don't really need to be at their childrens birth. He quotes several reasons for this - one of them is that he is has seen many many babies born as soon as the father is out of the room.
We have lots of daddys here that have seemed to need more help than their partners (fainting etc) as well.
Just some food for thought next time we all get indignant that someone suggests that daddys don't have to be present at their childrens birth....
My Dad got all stressed out cause of mums whinging in pain, so he had a go at her and went home and fixed the car! Mum ended up needing emergency c-section, Dad came in for that, when they pulled me out I had a really long head from traumatic labour and he freaked and thought Mum had given birth to an alien. Silly Mum went on to have 3 more babies with him
My Dad was pacing the halls because the doctors had told him that only one of us would survive...eithe Mum or I...not both. (Mum was almost in a coma due to Pre Eclampsia) so I was delivered by CS 5 weeks early....turned out we were both fine . Must have been stressful for Dad though.
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), and then checked into Frances Perry after the birth! Now that would be my ideal situation! But I digress......
TBH, although he was there for the whole thing, it doesn't sound like he did much, but I guess it wasn't the norm for dads to be at the birth then (although not unheard of), so no one probably thought of what they could do to help. I'm so glad things are different now, I feel we are very, very lucky! My DH was simply brilliant, marvellous birth support. Can't imagine doing it without him.
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