Childbirth: "a disgusting moment"

[bojo7]

Cannot see this anywhere else.

Footballer Jeremy Doku plans to leave his Belgium team mates to be at the birth of his first child.

From BBC website:
However, Doku's plan to leave the USA and return home has brought fierce criticism from L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who labelled a father "completely useless" at the time of their child's birth.
"The World Cup is an incredible joy," she said in a message posted to the Facebook page of French sports publication L'Equipe.
"There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your shoes. It might never happen again in your life.
"You're living out a childhood dream, yet you're going to walk away from it all to attend the birth of your child - a disgusting moment, if you'll pardon the expression, where the dad is completely useless."

Nor was mine, but I am "technically" a boomer. Born November 1963 and my husband is a bit more of one, born August 1962 and he was at both births of our children.

It's such a vast age group!

It is good for men to witness the extent to which women suffer the pain and messy degradation of childbirth and being reduced to the level of an animal.

Christ alive!! 😂😂

None of my 3 births resembled anything like that.

And obviously I wasn't reduced to the level of an animal.

Sorry if you were but you don't speak for 'women' here.

My ex was useless, he wasn’t there for dc1 (working overseas couldn’t get back) and mum was useful, was there dc2, wish mum was there instead

I hope it was his choice!!! In this situation I would want my partner to stay and play.

No, I'm sure his evil pregnant wife sent armed guards to take him home at gunpoint.

Poor guy! /s

I went to the operating theatre for an emergency c section solo. My partner stayed in the waiting room. So yes, some dad's are very hands on at the birth....others not so much

I agreed with everything, apart from birth is disgusting!!!

This.

I'm a boomer and when I gave birth my then husband was there, same for all my friends who had babies around the same time, quite a weren't married and some had home deliveries. Amazing how us horrible oldies did things in a fairly similar way to today. Even in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth a man who wasn't there for the birth of his child was seen as pitiful

A couple of England players have left a major tournament for the births of their children and returned a few days later - Phil Foden did it at the last tournament. I don't think it's a issue for most teams and I suspect this journalist might be keen to make a name for herself

My DH was such an amazing support at both births. Granted there wasn't much for him to do, just having him there kept me calm. He even delayed a round of chemo to be there for the birth of our DS. HE didn't want to miss either, family matters most to him. This footballer can choose what matters to him...since when is it anyone else's opinion other than the family involved?

A lot of women expect their partners to be at the birth. Some men might prefer not to attend but feel they have to. I hope she asked him, not just expected him to be there.

If a woman posted on here that her DP was going to miss her labour and their DCs birth and forego his paternity for work, we would all be calling him alsorts. Shouting LTB from the rafters.

Footballs great, but its a game, his job. And while the world cup is a dream for many seeing his child's first breath is a dream for him. It doesnt matter if he isnt useful, hes there and its important to him and his family. Hes made the right choice imo.

And however upset fans might be about how his absence that woman being so dismissive of the significance of birth of his baby was rude and nasty and sounds an awful woman

Well I am 78 and my husband was at all 3 of my deliveries! No idea where the idea has come from that men have only been allowed in the delivery room in recent years!

My first 2 were born in Italy,when my first was born we hadn’t been there long,so husband was vital to translate.

I would have loved to know he was playing in the match and it would have lifted my spirits.

Of course most women expect their partner to be there to support them at one of the most difficult and painful experiences of their life.

And you saw the birth as a disgusting event?

Yes you and only one other poster so far have commented on this. This is a far more significant point than whether a husband should be there or not because some of them are useless and some arent

Was the word disgusting misinterpreted perhaps?

But then the French do have funny ideas.

Throughout history it has been predominantly women who support women giving birth. It’s only been since the 1960s that men have started being at the birth of their children.

Really?
and when things start going tits up and the baby gets stuck and their heart rate is dropping and you are exhausted and the pain is unbearable And you’re having to make decisions that you haven’t got any cognitive function to use to make them, You would be lifted up by the knowledge that your partner was off playing football at the World Cup?

Then those men are complete losers and should be chucked. Wimps. What kind of Dad will they be if they can't even be bothered being there the day they come into the world?

Shit ones.

"prefer not to attend but feel they have to"

At the birth of their baby.

And she should have asked him?

OMG.

I would have told him to go and play in the world cup. Childbirth is pretty gross tbh. Its all body fluids and screaming. Its not exactly stylish or fancy like coffee in a cafe on the champs elesses

Thankfully, that has changed. I would think very little of any man who refused to support his partner through childbirth, just because he would "prefer" not to.

Which, without the man, wouldn't have happened. Of course they should be there.

Can you explain this comment please? You think he shouldn't be at the birth of his child? Will regret it?