There are certain areas where I totally perform better when I know I am being watched.
If I go for a run, I always pick up my pace if a car is going past, and when I'm cleaning, I always do it with some extra ferocity if my other half is watching (just to make him feel guilty he is not helping).
But when it came to the task of giving birth, I was more than happy to do it as privately as possible. As in; the only other person in the room apart from me and the midwife, was my husband-to-be, who, also off course, the baby's father.
That is
not however the route this young mother from Kent took when she gave birth to her youngest son Jersey recently.
28-year-old Lauren Knight Gambrell claims she always performs better when people are watching her, and so when it came to giving birth, she decided to make use of this, and invited her mothers, all her sisters, her best friend, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law – as well as all their children – to accompany her and her husband in the delivery room.
"When people found out about my so-called ‘crowdbirth’ many were aghast," Knight Gambrell tells the Daily Mail. But the 28-year-old mum of two had her answers ready for the doubters. "This is how women have been giving birth for centuries and still do in some cultures. You’re not going to die."
And far from doing it out of exhibitionist reasons, Knight Gambrell insists she is naturally pretty prudish. "But think of it this way: Birth is one of the most incredible moments in a woman’s life, I feel it deserves a celebration."
And if you think people would shy away from watching her give birth, think again."We’re such a tight-knit family and share important moments all the time, so I said that if anyone wanted to join me for the labour, then great. No one refused. Even my Dad, said he would be there if they could, although in the end he had to work."
Many women would no doubt find it odd to have their mother-in-laws watch them give birth, but to Knight Gambrell it "felt like good karma." On having her younger sisters there, she explains: "It really helped having Grace there because she made me stronger. She’s only 19 and I knew I didn’t want to cry in front of her or make her scared of birth in the future."
Little Jersey was born surrounded by friends and family, with even more people arriving in the minutes after he was born. Of the unconventional birth, his mum says: "It was amazing. If I have another baby I know I’ll definitely try to have even more people around me. It was a wonderful way to give birth."
Now, we want to know; how would YOU feel about giving birth in front of your mother-in-law, siblings and friends? Join the conversation with us on Twitter at @Herfamilydotie
