More men attend the birth of their baby than ever before – with 95% of fathers now choosing to be present in the delivery room.
It is actually hard to imagine a time when fathers were not in the room to see the birth of their child, although in the 1960s, only one in 10 would have shared the experience with the mother.
These new figures have been released by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) and also show what women feel about having the father by their side during the birth.
A total of 60% of women said their partner really supported them during the process. However, 27% of men felt they were no help whatsoever and 9% actually felt as though they were in the way.
Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “Comprehensive family planning services mean couples today are able to make decisions about the timing and size of their families, and become parents together through choice, not by accident.
“Far from feeling forced into the delivery suite, dads want to be there to share the experience and support their partner – and these results show how much mothers value their presence.”
One woman did more than share the birth with the father this week when she delivered her baby girl outside a store in Birmingham city centre.
Onlookers apparently tried to film the event as paramedics and store staff tried to protect the woman’s privacy with sheets and blankets. Strangely, some reports stated that the new mum was actually telling people to film her!
http://www.bpas.org/bpasknowledge.php?year=2014&npage=0&page=81&news=650
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-28112783