Fatherhood - why there's no need to labour the issue

Despite modern thinking, new research says that having a man as a birthingpartner can be hazardous to a mother's health, writes Louise Holden.

Researchers at Toronto University have published a study that suggests expectant fathers may not make ideal birthing partners. Mothers who have continuous support from a trained or experienced woman are less likely to need a Caesarean section or powerful pain relief treatments, the study found.

There was a time when labour was considered a woman-only event, but in a relatively short period, since the 1960s, that thinking has completely reversed. We have arrived at a point where many couples take for granted that expectant fathers will attend at birth - even if they are not emotionally or psychologically prepared.

A recent study in Britain found that male partners are now in attendance at 80 per cent of all births. Anecdotally, the figure here is similar.

Childbirth is a challenging event for men. Male partners can feel that their roles in the birthing process are in conflict - they must be totally selfless supporters at a time when they too are going through a cataclysmic emotional upheaval. Received wisdom tells us that men are fixers - agents of practical solutions. In the labour ward there is no right thing to do.

Linda Doherty, antenatal teacher with Cuidiú, The Irish Childbirth Trust, believes that couples should not be afraid to ask is the father the right birthing partner? "Asking the question is not rejecting the father-to-be, it is an appropriate exploration of all the options. Parents who ask these kinds of questions are preparing themselves properly for this huge event." Doherty also advises women to consider who has provided the most support to them throughout the pregnancy when choosing a birthing partner. If this is someone other than the father, then maybe he is not the right choice.

Mary Newborn, head of policy research at the National Childbirth Trust in Britain agrees. "No dogma should get in the way of a woman's needs at such a vulnerable time. To say that the father should be there at the birth is a dogma which may not be helpful. It has become the case that people are afraid to consider other options - they fear that bringing someone other than the father into the labour ward is the sign of a poor marriage. This is unhelpful to women without partners, to women who would genuinely prefer to have an experienced female present and to fathers who are very anxious about the prospect of attending at labour." Anxiety in the labour ward is counter-productive. An atmosphere of fear may illicit a range of physical responses in the labouring mother including muscle tension, inhibition and delayed release of critical hormones.

The problem for many fathers, and especially first-time fathers, says Newborn, is that their only experience of the labour process has come from TV, where birth is depicted as alarming, dangerous and traumatic. With this baggage on board, it's hardly surprising that some male birthing partners are jittery.

This is an area that is under-researched, and Newborn advises couples not to take the latest report findings to heart. "It stands to reason that the presence of an experienced female at the birth will have a calming effect which may reduce the need for intervention. However, for many couples the idea of not having their closest companion, i.e. their partner, present, would create anxiety too. Perhaps it is time for hospitals to relax their rules about birthing partners and allow women to invite both their partner and an experienced female to share this experience with them."

[ www.cuidiu-ict.ie ]