Dad’s in the delivery room

This morning on Twitter I saw that @Netmums had posted the following

Should dads be at the birth? Catch our @SiobhanFreegard on @reallorraine with @kategarraway 0845 this morning! #lorraine

Now I don’t watch Lorraine so I don’t know how to television coverage went but I was really shocked that this question was worthy of a discussion on television.

I was at the birth of both of my daughters and I’ll be there for any more that we are lucky enough to have. All of my Daddy friends were also there for the birth of their children.

My problem with the discussion is the hint that dads should not be allowed to be at the birth. If dads don’t wish to be there for the birth then that is up to them, though personally I don’t understand this viewpoint.

Dad’s should however always have the option to be there. It is an incredible time and very important moment for a family, new or growing.

I’d like to think that the mother would want the father to be there to support her through labour. It should be a great opportunity to strengthen a relationship during a great trial that leads on to many, many more. I know that labour and the challenges of looking after a baby brought my wife and I much closer together as we had to support one another, working as a solid team of two. This period of time really starts with labour itself and though I know it is hard for Dads to know what to do to help during labour this should not put them off being there. A dad’s responsibilities to the mother and baby don’t start once the baby has been born, they should be there for them as much as they can

I know that many circumstances prevent Dads from being there for the birth of their children. I just hope that discussions like the one I saw on Twitter aren’t because people are keen to remove Dads from the birth of their children.