For Dads...ever pass out?

Clytus

I was great during the birth of our son last year....but the one thing that always got me was the thoughts of my wife getting the epidural.

During the prenatal course i had to leave the room when the midwife was showing everybody the Epidural tube....I started goin faint and knew if I didnt get out of the room I was gonna hit the deck....

During my wifes labour I was grand,not a bother...but when the doctor came in to give her the epidural....the midwife ended up spending more time with me than my wife...because I started to passout...I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else?

mike65

There is something about needles and the spine that just makes most peeps go light headed. Thats all

Mike.

embee

My other half got a bit wobbly at the sight of the blood loss... he thought I'd lost every drop in my body (in reality, it was perhaps half a pint, but watered down with amniotic fluid it can look like gallons). He never got to see an epidural needle as I didn't want one, but I think he'd have been okay with that. Having said that, it is perfectly normal for Dads to get a bit woozy at the sight of a long needle going into their partners back - its okay for the women having it, as they can't see it

lennox1

Hi Clytus,can't help you I'm afraid but you just reminded me of an incident when I was working in the Labour Ward as a student in Edinburgh a long time ago.One of our women had a huge big husband whose voice could be heard all over the place.He was rather obnoxious and kept telling anyone within earshot how much he had studied what was going to happen and how he was prepared for every eventuality.His wife was very obviously embarassed by his behaviour but couldn't get a word in edgeways.
The midwife who was with me attending to his wife was a canny older Scottish woman who had no time for this man.When the labour became intense,and the man became more annoying to both us and his wife,she proceeded to lay two duvets on the ground at the man's feet.
Without uttering a word,she proceeded to draw up liquid in the fattest syringe with the biggest needle she could find.This she did slowly,deliberately,silently and in full sight of the man but out of sight of the woman in labour.The blood slowly drained from his face and he slowly sank to the comfort of the duvets on the floor into a peaceful faint.All this time I was attending to the woman who was ready to deliver.This she did while thanking God that her husband had finally gone quiet and we could all get on with the job in hand.
If only she knew that God hadn't any part in it, just a canny Scot!:)
Good luck to you,your wife and your son

silja

I was really afraid my husband would faint in the labour ward, as he semi-fainted when we had simple bloods drawn for fertility treatment (he hates all things medical and needles/ blood etc). We even discussed him not being there and me asking a friend to attend me instead. In the end though, he wanted to be there and when I had my section, he was geat (though admitdly, he wasn't present for the epidural/ spinal bit, and didn't see any blood, as he was only brought in once they were ready to take the babies out of me, and stayed well north of the screen).

arybvtcw0eolkf

No, I didn't pass out.

But!..

When my son was born I cried uncontrollably, even now 16 year's later I get emotional about it.

Back then people didn't have mobil phones so I'd to go out to the public phone (old waiting room in the Rotunda, Dublin) and to ring my family with the good news.

I pulled myself together, my mother answered (they were waiting for this call and asked "boy or a girl?") and I burst out crying again!.. A lady had to take the phone from me and inform them that everything was fine and my wife had given birth to 'Kevin'.. (dimmit, the memory still brings a tear )

Four year's later when my daughter arrived I was a seasoned veteran of the labour ward and everything was fine

nesf

No, nowhere close to fainting. I did get a smart alec comment from the mid wife that I was one of the most excited fathers she'd seen (I was sitting there silently and with a blank expression on my face observing my son thinking about how tiny he was).

CJhaughey

I fainted when I heard the sound of the needle going into my wifes spine.
The sight of it didn't do anything but the crunching sound must have set me off.
I was holding her hand and the next thing I know the nurses are all around me as I am lying on the floor of the ward.
I fell back and crashed into ne of the trolleys that hold the supplies, must have made an awful racket.
I blame the 36 hr labour and not eating and then standing as contributory factors.
It is quite common apparently another friend of mine also passed out in the ward.

Rovi

My brother tell a story about when he was a very new trainee Emergency Responder (ambulance crew) a good few years ago.

The hospital staff used to have a fair bit of trouble getting trainees in to observe 'The Miracle of Birth', as when they were asked if students could observe, the first thing most prospective parents would ask was: "Who are they and where are they from?"
'Local' trainees were difficult, as very few parents were willing to have someone 'local' who might know them in there watching all this.
My brother and another guy were from a long way away, so they got to see three or four births in their first week, while the locals were lucky to get one.

Anyhow, on his second day on the job, he was asked: "Have you ever seen a baby being born?"
"No" he replied.

He was gowned up and stood in the corner of the delivery room, with strict instructions to stay quiet unless spoken to, and to leave immediately if he felt faint or unwell.
...and if he did fall over, to fall away from the action. :rolleyes:

In due course, the main event commenced and all went well, everyone performed their respective roles to perfection, and mother and baby were proclaimed happy and healthy.
My brother was handling the whole thing so well, he was invited over to have a closer look at proceedings, all the while under the watchful eyes of the old hands in case he took a wobbly.

When it was all over and they were cleaning up the delivery room, he was complimented on handling the experience so well, and asked would he like to see the placenta.
"Sure" he said.
"Are you certain" they asked "it's a pretty gory sight?"
"Yeah, I'll give it a go" he said.

So a stainless steel bowl with a cover on it was produced, and the cover removed.
"Where is it?" he asked.
"Right there" they said, pointing at a piece of 'meat' in a corner of the bowl.
"Is that all?" he said, "I've had more than that down my wellington."
"WHAT?" was the response.

It was at this point that he revealed that he was the son of a long line of dairy farmers, and had personally overseen literally thousands of births, intervened and assisted at hundreds, and had even assisted at several Caesarean Sections.


Without in any way wishing to diminish the wonder and beauty of anyone's particular personal experience, he reports that from the point of view of the actual mechanics of the whole procedure (apart from the obvious difference in scale), it's about 95% the same thing.

The 5% difference?
He says there's less shouting and drama with the cattle.

Ickle Magoo

My husband didn't pass out but he had to be taken outside for a "spot of air" ...

ntlbell

i was grand but I think most of it was down to me being so young and not really understanding the seriousness of it all

They kept bringing me big plates of toast and tea.

I'm more afraid of the next one!

barryfitz

I didnt faint. i felt ok (ish) but not close to fainting when the missus was in labour, however every few minutes the midwife would ask me if I wanted to sit down because I looked a bit "pale"! The sight of the whole thing was fine it was the screams from the girlfriend that were the scary part she only had two panadol or something. best day ever though!:D

Shelli

I think that a lot of the time the men are so busy taking care of the woman in labour and worrying about her that they forget to eat/drink and they are standing most of the time too, this in itself can cause someone to pass out.....remember they don't have the huge amounts of adrenaline being released that the mother has while giving birth.

So take the man who tend to get a bit woozy with gorey stuff, deprive him of food and drink, worry him senesless and then show him his partner in pain and losing some fluids.....it's a cocktail for a flat backer every time!

deisemum

I had my first lad in London and the hospital list of what to bring in to the hospital included "packed lunch and thermos" for the dad to be

Over here I found the midwives dole out tea and toast.

Dads to be try not to worry or you will work yourself into a state. On a similar topic I remember in the run up to my wedding "You've been framed" would routinely show brides and grooms fainting so it would pray on your mind and if you really dwelt on it you could work yourself into a state.

andrewh5

Both mine were born by caesarian & I watched both times - it was great

Carrigart Exile

My wife had been addicted to wine gums and so had brought a substantial supply with her. The midwife had to tell her she couldn't have them in case she had to go into theatre..........so several midwives and I munched them whilst helpfully shouting push. Child birth was a dawdle:D

AdrianR

I didn't come anywhere near passing out, but I did fall asleep during labour (for our second as far as I can remember), the midwife arrived into the delivery room and I was out for the count in the chair beside the bed, she sez to my wife, "jays, he's a lot of good to you"

Mr Magnolia

Nowhere near to passing out here either. No epidural though.

Going through a postpartum hemorrhage is something I never want to experience again though, very traumatic.

deisemum

AdrianR wrote: »

I didn't come anywhere near passing out, but I did fall asleep during labour (for our second as far as I can remember), the midwife arrived into the delivery room and I was out for the count in the chair beside the bed, she sez to my wife, "jays, he's a lot of good to you"

My hubby was the same with our second, jaysus he was like a nodding donkey the way his head was bobbing up and down. We were on our own and he was meant to be timing the contractions.:D


I'd have gotten more use from a chocolate teapot :rolleyes:

miju

has crazy as the whole child birth thing was , am happy to say I didn't pass out

marti101

i only had my son 2 weeks ago and my partner was there.he was facing the wall looking kind of green round the gills so i told him to go and get some air as i didnt want him passing out. he came back when baby was born but as i was getiing stitched he didnt look to good but he ignored me and went to see the baby when he came back he was grand but ill always remember te look on his face

Mothman

With plenty of lambing and calving behind me, i'd say I'd be immune to fainting. Also considering both mine were home births, fainting is really not an option as all hands are needed on deck