It can be tense in the delivery room, with a new survey showing that one in ten fathers in the UK ‘regretted’ being there when their first child was born.
Just one in ten dads said they felt useful while their wife was in labour, with many of the rest saying they felt ‘overwhelmed’ or ‘nervous’, reports The Sun.
Over half of men said they wanted to help support their partner but 47 per cent said that they weren’t prepared for their role when the day arrived.
Almost half said they felt they were doing everything wrong during labour while 21 per cent of dads said they’d made inappropriate jokes at the time.
“I sympathise with well-meaning dads at such a stressful time in their lives where they have little control,” said midwife Michelle Comerie.
“Some of the most amusing things I have seen dads do include being fast asleep on the reclining chair during the course of their partners’ labour, passing out where they are so nervous and occasionally I have seen a few turn green.”
The survey of 612 dads was conducted by Pampers for its #ThankYouMidwife campaign.
Of the 1,388 mums queried in the same survey, a third said that they were worried about their partners during their labour, including feeling concerned that they would be bored or wanting to include them.
