Mirror for birth - I want to see

[Nimme]

I am really keen on having a mirror at the other end this time as I want see the baby come out. I know this may sound weird but I want to ask if anybody has had that? Or is it a mistake? Is it possible?

When I was pushing the midwife started saying she could see the top of the babies hair..apparently she was horrified when dh went over to have a look, because they couldn't actually see anything she was just trying to motivate me..think she was relieved when dh stayed schtum and only told me later.

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I am starting to regret this thread as I am now convinced I'll be fixated on detecting any smells next time.... Who started that line of thought!

Not put of yet but definitely having an enema.

Thank you all for you contributions - now there's only another 99 questions left before December

My dw loved the smell, (and still does) but then she is a mw. She says in is the fresh aroma of the new born baby

Also, I held the mirror for her to see what was happening - I would say her professional interest but she wasn't a mw at the time.

I had a mirror for the birth of my 2nd, and it was amazing. Caveats are that I had an epidural that worked perfectly (unlike the first birth. Grrr...), no other pain medication to make me loopy, no episiotomy, no forceps or anything, so it was actually a calm, relaxed delivery. My stepmum and best friend were both there and I'm so glad to have been able to watch. I would highly recommend it.

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Secur - good point. I have been married nearly 8 years and together for 10 but still could never do a no 2 in front of DH - but we have sex (not with mirrors though - a thought maybe?)

Kateandthegirls - thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to hear.

I'll come back to you all in 6 months time and let you know the outcome. Perhaps I'll chicken out, who knows....

My second stage lasted nearly two hours and I had a medical student as well as husband and mw. The mw kept saying that she could get me a mirror to encourage me - there was one in each labour room- but I was insistent that I did not want to see.

I think she thought it would help anyway and so got the medical student to hold it, luckily she was holding it at such an angle I saw very little. The poor girl held it there for ages though

mw offered this to me just as ds's head was about to appear, am afraid to say the thought at the time scared me to bits (never seen it that big before and thought might freeze and stop pushing...silly really as it's perfectly natural (but as a fitsr time mum then, was too wimpish)....am warming to the idea now having read other people's thoughts, and if another will maybe do it..

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Just thought I would revive this thread briefly for a quick update.

Gave birth on Sunday and had my mirror with me. The actual pushing was very brief but quite amazing to see. Saw a head full of dark hair in the middle of a contraction. Couldn't stop to tell DH: I told you so! but so wanted to.

I think you are all very brave ladies. No mirror for me and I still haven't been able to see what it looks like after the stitches and DD is 16 months now.

I think this is such a good idea! I've never seen a baby being born - and I've had 3! Feel jealous of DH

really. Though, perhaps at the time, I might not have been in the mood to bother with looking!

i was a birth partner for one of my friends and it was the scariest thing i have ever done. i decided i would much rather have been the one with all the mind altering drugs...... soon changed my mind 9 months later when it was me lying there in pain though.

must have affected me in some way as i am now training to be a midwife.

congratulations on your baby Nimme, what did you have? you are braver than me being able to watch.... i was to scared that i'd poo myself. infact with ds1 i wouldnt get off the toilet just incase and in the end the midwife had to drag me off or he would have been born straight down the loo

Congratulations, nimme

Reading through the whole thread I see a few of you had mirrors, sophable had photo's - did anyone video the birth?

In a way I would really like to have done this - you are so engrossed in giving birth you're almost unaware of what's going on. I think it would be nice to watch afterwards - in a pain free setting! Though I would never, never let anyone else see it. I always find it really moving watching other people give birth on TV (in hospital programmes) and part of me would like to have a record of the births of my two babies. Especially as I was so out of it on gas and air with ds1 I can't really remember him being born at all.

mikeyjohn - I had a little gorgeous girl.

Well I wanted an enema like last time but had such strong contractions by the time we got to hospital that I changed my mind. I did poo and didn't mind, also membranes went everywhere and blood - a right old mess. I only saw the baby's head and focused totally on that.

I had a mirror because I had a waterbirth. I certainly couldn't see anything (but then I didn't have my glasses on). I think dh found it useful though.

I was told ds would come out on the next push and he just slithered out in between, so you need to make sure you get it there early enough!