Do Dads Belong In The Delivery Room?

Times are changing and one of the places you see this change is in the labour room. An increasing number of fathers are now witness to the birth of their children and are proving to be support systems unlike any other, for the most part

- Ruth Dsouza Prabhu

“I am one of those rare mothers who went into labour on the due date that was given to me. All seemed well till the contractions were minutes apart. None of the preparation I had done for this moment was of any help. I just wanted it to be over with. The doctors offered to allow my mother in, but no sooner than she did, she fainted seeing the pain I was in. It was then that my husband came in and with his constant reassurances I managed to power through. Having him there was the best way to begin our journey as parents,” says a 28-year-old freelance writer who did not wish to be named. Doctors across the country are now opening up to the idea of having the father present in the labour room. The benefits, with a cooperative father-to-be, are immense for each person individually, the couple and for the child that they bring into the world.

Dr Sonali Santhanam (PhD. Ms PT), childbirth educator, hypnobirthing practitioner, lactation counsellor and physical therapist, Birth Basix, Chennai, says, “I’m often surprised when fathers in my childbirth classes ask me if they will be permitted in the birthing room. Of course they will. It’s their right!”

She adds, “If you look at the physiology of labour, it is initiated and dependent on the release of oxytocin, the love hormone. Oxytocin levels peak in the body during childbirth and drops significantly if the mother is uncomfortable. A woman should be supported by the person she trusts with her emotions. This could most definitely be her husband, but it may not always be so. It could be her mother, sister or best friend!”

LETTING DADDY IN