Woman Didn’t Want Her Husband in the Delivery Room, So He Went Home to Wait — And Now She Is Angry with Him
The future dad was surprised when his wife told him to leave.
Giving birth brings on an emotional and physical strain that can't really be described. That's why women need emotional support during delivery.
Some future moms choose their sisters or mothers; others decide on their close friends. However, it is most common for married moms to have their husbands as support persons.
Well, this is not written in stone, and women are free to choose who will be there with them. But it is expected that significant deviations from social norms should be declared in advance.
For instance, if you are a future father and your wife speaks of needing support in the delivery room, you would expect it to be you. It is implicit.
And if your wife wants her mom or sister in the delivery room, she should clarify that in advance. Our OP was in that kind of situation.
He was surprised when his wife, while going into labor, informed him that her support persons would be her mom and sister. Reddit user with the handle u/aitathawayiwenthome posted a question: "AITA for going home when my wife didn't let me into the delivery room?"
The answers came pouring in, and we have selected some of the most interesting. Take a look:
OP asks:
RedditHe took his wife to the hospital to give birth
RedditOnly to find out that his wife wanted her mom and sister inside the delivery room
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He texted back and forth with his sister-in-law
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And after six hours of waiting at the hospital, he decided to go home and wait there
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His wife and son came home, and she was extremely angry with OP
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His sister-in-law advised him to apologize, but he believes his wife should apologize to him too.
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Redditors shared their views:
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OP answered some questions:
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Communication was very poor here
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OP's wife should have specified she didn't want him in the room.
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Some conspiracy theories even emerged:
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Yeah, we've seen it all here...
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Yes, this sounds like a good reason
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Divorce is always the answer, according to some Redditors
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This is so true
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Every action has consequences
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Dad is not just a driver
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Dads in this subreddit also shared their views
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One woman can’t imagine excluding her partner
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It does sound like a power play...
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According to surveys, most women who don’t want their husbands in the delivery room do so because they are afraid of how it would affect their lives afterward. Childbirth was traditionally regarded as a female-dominated activity.
The mother would gather her friends and family to assist her, and they would surround the birthing bed. There would also be a midwife.
The male physician would come and go, and fathers might be asked to boil water, but it was largely a room full of women. Childbirth shifted from the home to the hospital in the twentieth century.
Half of all American women gave birth in hospitals in 1938. Almost all of them did so within twenty years.
While there were benefits to medicalized births, such as having antibiotics and blood banks on hand, it could be lonely. The nurses are on the move, going in and out, leaving the laboring women alone.
And that's why they now need a support person.
