Men witness wives’ pain at labour ward of WCF hospital

Chennai: Standing outside the labour ward of WCF hospital in T.Nagar and impatiently waiting for the doctor to announce the sex of his baby was not his cup of tea.  J. Ashok Balaji instead accompanied his wife inside and witnessed their baby’s birth. “My wife was taken to the delivery room at 6.45 am and  delivered a boy at 11.03 am on Friday. I was there throughout and it was a new experience. I  understood the pain every woman goes through during delivery,” said the new dad. His wife, Megha, 22, was grateful for his presence . “I was happy he was next to me,” she said.

The couple is not alone in experiencing this new bonding. In an emerging trend, several maternity hospitals in Chennai are now encouraging men to accompany their wives to labour rooms and witnesss the birth of their child. A few even hold sessions with the fathers-to-be to help them understand what labour pain is and how to support their wives during delivery.