My son has just said in the car on the way to Cubs that if I have another baby, he'd want to be there for the birth.
He's 10. He understands where babies come from however I am not sure he understands that Mothers can look absolutely distressing in active labour.
Part of me feels that having my son express his desire to be there at the actual birth of his sibiling would be a wonderful experience to share as a family. The other part of me says that it would be traumatic for him and a long winded process of boredom.
Has anyone else had their older children present at the births of younger sibilings? I am not eligible for home births.
7 Replies
Get him to watch a real birthing video. Not one with bits blurred out etc.
I Agree with this comment but not just one real birth video, a few with variety with different out comes like a "easy" labour where the lady tolerates it well, a hard one, a c-section, a birth with forceps used ect.. So that he is prepared for anything that can happen, he needed to know that labour can be complicated and isn't always going to go perfectly just Incase a situation arises so he won't be as freaked out if things don't go smoothly.
Mine was present.asked to be, wanted to be. Have a helper there too for the purpose of looking after the child and removing them if necessary, so you and your partner aren't distracted, especially if it goes awry, however it all went smoothly and im sure it helped the whole transition that they'd seen the whole process.
10 should be fine just make sure there are support options available and that he can leave safely without disrupting everything if he gets distressed
I was at the birth of all 3 of my siblings from age 8 im now 30 i found it gave me a bond with them and put me off having kids till my late 20s!
Personally I wouldnt. My mum said she was traumatized by watching me give birth and it took her a long time to get over it. When you love someone that much, its horrific to watch them go through that much pain. Good luck x
No way. Could scar the poor kid for life.