Labour of love

Ross boosting his pregnant girlfriend Rachel while she is in labour. The scene from the hit TV show Friends made for an all-time memorable family picture. It now seems men in Delhi too want to be a part of the unforgettable experience of the birth of their children.

Ross boosting his pregnant girlfriend Rachel while she is in labour. The scene from the hit TV show Friends made for an all-time memorable family picture. It now seems men in Delhi too want to be a part of the unforgettable experience of the birth of their children.

“Now 80 to 90 per cent men want to witness the birth of their child,” says Dinesh Kansal, chief co-ordinator of gynaecology and obstetrics, BLK Memorial Hospital.

Says Amit Agarwal, who was present in the labour room with his wife, “It was like a new birth for my wife and I wanted to be by her side and give her all the emotional strength I could.”

Says Dr Ranjana Sharma, Sr Consultant, gynecology and obstetrics, Fortis La Femme, “Traditionally, it was only female member of the family who would accompany a pregnant woman to the labour room, but now the husband has taken charge of things — right from routine check-ups and tests to behind the forbidden doors.”

So much that quite a few private hospitals in the city have allowed their entry inside the labour room. “Earlier men used to feel shy about being by their wife’s side. But now they even want to cut the umbilical chord of the baby,” says Dr Payal Singhal, gynaecologist, MAX hospital.

“It was my wife’s and my decision. I was present with my wife in the labour room. And the ordeal has only strengthened our bond,” says Tsering Lama, who has recently become father of a baby girl.

But all men aren’t as strong. Sanjay Sharma (name changed), says, “My wife wanted me to be there with her during the labour, and I also thought I would give her strength. But when the ‘real time’ came, I had to step out of the room for a while as I would have fainted had I stayed in the room.”