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Fathers at the birth

There has been some interesting discussion on the ozmidwifery list amongst Aussie midwives (and others) about immediate postnatal routines, including when to cut the cord.

While reading the contributions about routines in various hospitals, it has become clear that dads usually cut the cord and that in many units, dads also catch the baby when it is born. This was an issue that arose in several of the workshops I have facilitated on this UK tour. I have discovered that it is very rare for dads to catch the baby, even in home births, in the UK, and the very idea was new to most midwives. Few have ever heard of a Lotus Birth either, something else we have been doing for years in Australia, when requested by parents.

My guess is that British midwives feel they must play a central role in all the births they attend, and that to encourage the baby’s father to be involved would be seen as giving up some of their territory. I must ask other groups about this - I expect I will be given various excuses such as “the men in this area wouldn’t want to do that”, “the fathers around here are useless and don’t want to get involved”, but I may be wrong and we will see.

I’ve found that attitudes to fathers are very poor overall in the UK. Men are seen as a “useless waste of space” (as I have been told a number of times) but then again they are routinely offered very limited prenatal preparation, so my guess is that the men would feel helpless in a hospital setting.

I now include one of the segments from that lovely video “The Art of Birth” in my workshops, specifically to draw attention to the impact that birth can have on fathers. The comments made by one dad illustrate beautifully how a great birth experience, where the dad has been fully included and supported, can have a powerful and lasting effect on his attitudes to women, birth and his own capacity to be a dad. We must never forget that the dad is half of the parenting team, and we must find ways of recognising his role and encouraging him to fully participate. Catching his baby at the birth is a great way to start.....

Posted by andrea at October 27, 2005 02:56 AM