Would you let your DH "catch" the baby?

Obviously I am thinking WAY ahead here but I am curious...

Provided that there are no complications would you or have you let your DH/DP/DF "catch" or deliver your baby? Do hospitals generally welcome father participation to this extent? Would you mind having your DH "down there" at that moment?

I think it would be a beautiful way to include DH in the birth aside from just cutting the cord. I know my DH would be really comfortable with this level of involvement and would love to be hands on with our birthing experience.

Would love to hear anyone's opinion on this.

I would love for Dan to do that but he's still squeamish at cuttting the cord - although he is coming around.
I know at our birthing centre they really encourage the dad's participation which i personally think is great - the poor guys get excluded from so much of a pregnancy :)

I would love for my DH to do this. It's the ultimate way for them being involved. However my DH doesn't want to do it! Which im a tad sad about.

Obviously I wouldn't be speaking from personal experience - but my friends had their baby at the same hospital I go to - and with the same OB - and the OB stood aside at crunch time and my friend got to catch Alex on his way out. I think its beautiful for a father to be able to experience that.

xx

My dh assisted with the delivery with both of our girls. I'm not too sure of how much he did, cause I couldn't see! But he was down there with the midwife 'helping' out.

heheeh, my husband couldn't even speak, so I doubt he'd be able to "catch" (prolly just as well, the midwife couldn't catch him as he came out like a missile!"

Next time though ...

My DH delivered DD and he loved it, still talks about it 18 months later!

It was a spur of the moment thing. My OB asked DH towards the end of my labour if he wanted to deliver his baby and DH jumped at the chance. OB was there when DD's head came out to unravel the cord (it was wrapped round her neck) and then he stepped aside and let DH catch her. It was fantastic seeing DH hold her up to me!

I guess it could be an issue if your partner is squemish with blood/fluids though. Last thing you need is your partner fainting lol!

I often try to encourage DH to catch the baby, unfortunately most of them refuse

In my recent birth - DH caught Zander literally - a hard one too cos I was standing up!

We talked about it when I was doing my birth preferences - he is so proud of it (although he did say it was all pretty messy LOL) and jokes to his mates but is really chuffed when he says he "had the catcher's mitts on" ....

I didn't even check he was there before I started to push - I trusted him implicitly.

I would love DH to catch my babies but he isn't keen. Poor bugger had to sit for my last LOL

This is something my DH would love to do. He mentioned it in early pregnancy, and I wasn't sure. After thinking about it a bit more though, if everything is going well I would be happy for him to do it.

if it were safe for him (he'd freak out if there were complications) i'd encourage DH to catch our Gremlin. i think it would be so much nicer for the first person to hold our bub to be one of us - and i'm guessing it would be easier for him to wear the catchers mitt than me!

With our first two DH watched the entire thing from down the business end, cut the cord etc. This time round he's actually going to guide baby's head out, and pull him up onto my chest! He's pretty darn excited about it and feels sufficiently learned after watching it happen twice before :lol:

I think it'll be a nice 'final baby' experience iykwim. Esp seeing as the 2nd time round he didnt get to hold bub for a few hours as I was too busy feeding and baby gazing. This time he'll sort of get to touch him and 'help' birth him and then I can cuddle as long as I want with no hard feelings.

If your Dh is up for it and your caregiver allows it I say go for it, he wont regret it!

I would but when DD was born there were complications. Even if there weren't complications he wouldn't have. He did have a look down there while her head came out but said it was gross so he was happy just to stay up near my head and hold my hand.

DH has every intention of doing so :)

Hopefully those intentions will be put to the test soon!

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I often try to encourage DH to catch the baby, unfortunately most of them refuse

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Why is this??

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i think it would be so much nicer for the first person to hold our bub to be one of us -

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Yea, I agree.
Not sure if either of us feels compelled to though...

Im guessing alot of partners think the Drs can do it better or safer - little do they know theyd prob do just as good a job :lol: my midwife will be there to verbally guide Dh JIC the cord is wrapped around bubs neck or something but really I do all the hard work he just has to catch when he pops out.

I was very nervous when my dh wanted to deliver our baby but then theres always help not far away. So my dh delivered our ds and it made it even more special and we'd do it again. I guess it just makes them even more apart of the experience and my dh was pretty proud of doing it too:D

Most of the time DH is scared of doing something wrong, hurting mum or baby,

My DH almost did delivery our bub - he had one leg and the midwife had the other and they were helping me "push" the midwife actually said too him he could "catch" her if he wanted. Than my Ob arrived and she took over and he was up my end looking after me which he was more than happy to do - he did cut the cord tho!
And as for him looking - well i did snap at him at one stage telling him he couldn't look (cause i thought i was going too poop myself which thank god i didnt) i also saw the look of slight dissapointment on his face - in the end i didnt really care who looked! so yep DH got too see his daughter being born!

DP 'caught' DS, underwater :)
I would never condemn a man or coerce him if he did not feel comfortable being involved. He will be a liability if he's there under duress and no sort of support a birthing woman needs.

Both my wife and I caught our first - we were both in the water together. It was a wonderful experience and one of the few in my life I can honestly say I will never forget. The memory of it has not faded one iota four years later.

I would highly recommend it. For fathers that are feeling squeamish, I can understand - maybe try watching some birth videos or looking at some birth photographs. It is difficult for some men who have been brought up to be scared of body fluids and things like that, but if they can overcome that concern, it is a truly unique experience.

Yes! I'd like for him to do it but he thinks its a bit gross. He told me that he doesnt think he could be quite that involved, which made me feel a little bit upset. He didnt even want to cut the cord.

My dh caught #2, I had him at home though. I didn't even realise dh had gotten into the bathtub too, except the head popped out and I could hear dh tell me, look Nelle there's the head and say I was doing good. So I didn't really think twice about it, lol, and I imagine if we'd been in a hospital dh would have probably said he didn't feel confident to catch.

But yeah, I'd definitely let him catch again, depending on how things were going at the time.

I have 2 friends whos DHs have birthed both there babys. (each have 2), 1 had 2 homewater births and other had 2 OB births with parnters hands on.

We discussed it but DH wasnt keen but saying that he didnt want to cut cord either and he did so chances r he would have if a nvd.

DH delivered both our babies, with the midwife next to him each time. With DD's birth DH cut her cord but with DS's birth I got to cut the cord (something I wanted).
My DH asked at the start of DD's birth how involved he could be & the midwife said as involved as he liked. I had a mirror with DD's birth so I could see aswell & the midwife asked DH if he was ready to catch DD, she shuffled side ways & he was stoked to be able to be so involved.
Second time round we told the midwife thats what we wanted & she didnt have a problem with it either.
I think its great for a father to be able to do (if they're happy to do it) it's so different to the "old days" when DH's weren't even allowed in the room! If someone's got to catch your baby, might as well be one of the parents & as others have said, DH's miss out on so much through the pregnancy (& put up with so much from us) I think they deserve to have the choice to catch the baby if its a complication free delivery :)

I say go for it!

DH wants to do it with our next one.

I would love for my DH to catch, but he probably never will...he still goes on about how the midwife tricked him into looking as DD was crowning. She just said to him "hey, come here!" - DH had no idea and dutifully went down the business end and saw DD's head, which he was totally unprepared for :lol:

Didn't worry me one bit and I'm actually glad...I think he is too because he knows he never would have gone to look without her doing that :lol:

If there's a next one I'm catching her myself ;)

fingers crossed DH can catch our next baby. i would love his hands to bring our baby into the world!

I have been at a hospital birth that was pretty traumatic, and at the moment i kinda think i wouldn't want to subject my partner to it, and wouldn't want him to see me like that.

However, when i think of a homebirth/waterbirth i get a different feeling, and a different picture in my head and think it would be a great thing.

Well with Izzy I catched her :) I was sitting on a chair and the midwife said after the head had came out to get my hands down there (she guided me where to hold) and the next contration i pulled her out on to my chest...

I would love for tim to do it this time.. Definitly something i would encourage him to do the amouint of emense (sp?) proud and excitment and joy that i felt in that moment still has not lessened any today!