The father’s place in the family
A profound change
The father’s role during pregnancy
The father’s role during childbirth
After the birth…
The father’s role during childbirth
After having been systematically pushed aside, nowadays the father is often invited to be present at the birth.
It has only been for the past twenty or so years that the presence of the father has been envisaged as beneficial rather than dangerous.
We have been able to observe that the presence of the father during childbirth enables reducing the dose of analgesics and helps women have a better experience of childbirth.
The majority of couples want to share this experience. Nowadays the norms are no longer pre-established, but it is important to discuss it beforehand, for it would be extremely unpleasant to disagree about something on the big day.
Some fathers feel frustration at not being able to share the pain of the labour – and so do some mothers as well! Effectively, it can be difficult for a man to know that the woman he loves is suffering and not be able to do anything about it, aside from waiting for the epidural.
The father, somewhat resigned, must content himself in just being there, and being available without trying to “manage” the situation, without offering his help nor enquiring if everything is OK every 5 minutes...
Childbirth is a very intense physical and emotional time. Every word that is heard on this occasion takes on an exceptional importance that many people in the medical teams underestimate.
For the father, it is sometimes best just to remain silent, and avoid making jokes to get rid of tension or give “live coverage” on what he is feeling.
Even though we are now in the picture generation, cameras and videos will only be useful sometime after the birth.
There are moments when private memories are more precious than shared memories.