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Men should 'stay away from childbirth'

By Lucy Halfhead on Monday 19 October 2009

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Dad and baby, father, world news, marie claire

Many women wouldn't dream of giving birth without their partner present, but according to one of the world's leading obstetricians, the father's presence can lead to his partner needing a caesarean delivery, and even to marriage break-ups and mental illness.

Michel Odent, a childbirth specialist, also believes a mother-to-be's labour can be longer, more painful

and more complicated if she senses her other half's anxiety and becomes nervous.

Babies' arrivals in the world would be more straightforward if women were left alone with only a midwife to help them, as they used to be, Odent will tell the Royal College of Midwives' annual conference in Manchester next month, where he is a guest speaker.

Speaking to the Observer, Odent said: 'The ideal birth environment involves no men in general. Having been involved for more than 50 years in childbirths in homes and hospitals in France, England and Africa, the best environment I know for an easy birth is when there is nobody around the woman in labour apart from a silent, low-profile and experienced midwife - and no doctor and no husband, nobody else.'

'In this situation, more often than not, the birth is easier and faster than what happens when there are other people around, especially male figures - husbands and doctors.

'The presence of men during their partner's labour makes women produce adrenaline, which makes women tense and slows her production of the hormone oxytocin, which is vital for birth.

'If she can't release oxytocin she can't have effective contractions, and everything becomes more difficult. Labour becomes longer, more painful and more difficult because the hormonal balance in the woman is disturbed by the environment that's not appropriate because of the presence of the man.'

24% of women in the UK now have caesarean sections, something which Odent believes could be avoided in a lot of cases.

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Monday 19 October 2009

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I'm not that comfortable around women so for me, I think having my husband around would actually help me release tension instead. o_O
Comment by mia on October 19 12:40

the only reason hospital birth are longer and more complicated is because there is NO midwife, she keeps running off and women are neglected and children killed due to that neglicence not to mention the stress and anxiety caused by having to wait for a delivery room with first come first served instead of who s contractions are closer together and if the waters have broken already, many times preference is given to drug hungry teenagers instead of the sensible mothers that need a room or they almost drop on the ward corridors before that happens.
Comment by shampel on October 19 12:46

I'm glad my husband was there, his support helped me and my labour was a few hours.
Comment by Anisha on October 19 13:26

Like most things in life we cannot generalise like this. With some couples in labour the husband struggles to cope and would be better out of the labour room but with other couples the labour room environment is wonderful and intimate. It depends on indivduals and some women do come in with female relatives or friends who can be extremeley benefial or a nuisance. Birth partners are invaluable in labour whoever they are.
I am sorry that one of the above commentaters had a bad experience but most midwives do their best in often difficult and challenging situations in maternity units.
Comment by Susanna on October 19 19:16

I couldn't have gone through 2 births without my husbands support and he helped a lot. Due to constraints the midwife had to keep leaving me to visit about 5 other women who were also giving birth at the same time so i'm glad he was there.
Comment by shelley on October 20 11:02

It's just not so black and white. I know of a woman who hired a doula who has the same ideas as Michel Odent. The labouring woman's birth was messed up badly because the doula kept finding reasons to get the husband out of the labour room, which is not what the labouring woman wanted. People who help at a birth should LISTEN to what the woman herself wants and not be so arogant as to think that they know better.
Comment by Yvonne on October 21 01:15

Blokes rejoice!
Finally it's taken a Frenchman to point out what most of us really deep down know to be a fundamental truth..... Births just go better without blokes.....Michel Odent summed it up ....
Well I could have told him that but it's great to have the expert back up.

Comment by scrubbuzz.com on October 23 01:48

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