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."

Or they should have planned their family better so that she wasn’t likely to go into labour during the World Cup

@bojo7
Ah, mr perron
A true humanist in your 'macho"world of football
I take it that
You're either single for whatever reason
Or
Have yet to achieve fatherhood status yourself?

It’s pretty common actually. There are swathes of studies that show that the average father does a lot less than the average mother.

so well done on having a good one- I can see why you’re smug about it.

but maybe consider that most women go into pregnancy also thinking they have chosen a decent father. The only way of really knowing is through experience. And not all men rise to the challenge

I’m remembering the American attaché in ‘Good Omens’.

Theres a good reason we like to have the French around, so we can take the mick or just say how disgusting they are with the dislike of amphibians and snails, and they can do that french shrug and say ‘les anglais are de stupide ones, hey, you did the brexite non?’

Pleased to report my dh made himself useful catching 1 baby swimming up out of a birth pool and being handed both quickly by slowly-looking-more-horrified staff as I had big haemorrhages.

Whoever it was on pg 2 who said men need to be more aware of the risks women run had it right.

Plenty of good men miss their children's birth because of work. My DH is ex military, if he was on deployment, that would have been that.

World Cup is peak career for any footballer. I think it's madness. What matters is what he does after he comes home and for the next 18 years.

Yes. I didn’t want second husband in with me. He would panic and centre himself. I did better without him. I left two years later.

I said this. While i understand not all pregnancies are planned. They were fully aware there was a World Cup and that he would be selected and they should have been careful.

also everyone saying he’ll have more world cups - you can’t guarantee that the country will qualify or that he’ll be picked.

My husband was a great support during both my births. That being said, if he was a footballer playing at the World Cup I'd understand him staying to play.
We are however a big football loving family.

My youngest was born in a World Cup year and when we were due to be let out of hospital, my husband ran in to collect us saying "Are we good to go?" We looked at the midwife and said "England are playing in a bit!". She confirmed we could go if we were happy!😂

Unfortunate choice of words or intentional ?

1 - the quote was from a French newspaper (L'equipe)

2 - it's a stereotype, not necessarily true, as I indicated by being surprised some people actually believe that. In various places when reading about pregnancy/ birth/ parenting, I came across the suggestion that French men are far less involved in the birth, it being considered not their place and not right for them to be there. I certainly didn't take this as red or assume everyone or even most people actually think like that.

My DH was pointless during labour and birth and would have been much more useful earning a ton of money chasing a ball but there’s no way he’d have missed it.

Maybe this is exactly what his wife will be saying 😂

France Pierron is a woman.

My DP wasn't the best but he was the only person I wanted with me, all 3 times.

It probably was disgusting for him in some respects but he knows better than to ever say anything like that.

It’s much safer in the U.K. at least to have someone with you who is invested checking that you and your infant get some care and don’t die! Reading the CQC and Ockenden reports, I dread to think how much worse the outcomes could have been if dads or another family member hadn’t been present.

Of course care elsewhere in Europe or private care may be superior and with less need for a personal witness: spokesman / alarm raiser.

Was at the birth of all 3 of ours...didn't feel useless. If nothing else DHs are there to be the centre of the swearing and hand squeezing and scratching . But well worth it to be the first person to see new life arrive.

An absolutely disgusting comment, I hope he's sacked. Whether the partner is useless or not during the labour (mine was) it's a moment no parent should miss ( especially if a first born). The months afterwards are where he is invaluable. I salute Doku.

Disgusting comments. He is right and gets all of my respect in choosing not to miss his child coming into the world.

Hence, is now ex! It was probably a sign of things to come.----

Imagine how that child is going to feel growing up. Their dad actually gave up playing in the world cup to see them start their life. He didn't talk about how important family is to him, or witter on about children bringing meaning to his life whilst seeing them between tours and nights out, he actually did something to back it up by sacrificing playing in the world cup for them. That kid is going to feel loved.
Nobody has a right to judge the decision he has made. Maybe the reason he has opportunities that thousands don't, is because of how he sees his priorities in life.

His decision, together with the mother of his child.

And whatever he decides, he will have to live with the consequences.

But what about what HE wants?

Belgium are a footballing powerhouse. Since 2015 they have been ranked the top team in the world 5 years and in the top 5 most years and never out of the top 10.

@Goatsarebest The child might end up in a “broken home.”

Professional footballers experience higher-than-average relationship failure rates. While standard UK divorce rates hover around 42%, studies show that up to 70% of professional athletes' marriages fail.

If his partner wants him at the birth and he wants to be there, he absolutely should be! Somebody else will be chomping at the bit to experience World Cup joy in his absence! Also, he's young. There's every chance he'll be at the next one.