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Kids in the Delivery Room
Should They Be in There?
By Kendeyl Johansen
You're in labor and you're really beginning to feel the intensity of the contractions. You're groaning and swaying. Suddenly, your water breaks witha vengeance. As your labor attendants are mopping it up, you hear a smallvoice break through your other-worldly concentration: "Mommy, want to hold on to my Pokemon?"
Labor and birth are incredibly intense and powerful for the adults involved, often leaving everyone with a crisp life-long memory of the momentous occasion. Should your child also be allowed to attend the birth and witness the amazing process?
"It depends on why you want to involve the child in the birth, and what your family is like," says Lynne Atwood, a certified nurse-midwife at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Some women want to give birth with just their husband or another support person in attendance, but I've also seen women invite their kids and whole church group to share in their birth experience."
Atwood says parents should consider several things when deciding whether or not to have a child watch a delivery. The most important question to ask your child is: Do you want to be there for this birth? It's also important to think about how your family views birth in general. Some families view births as big family celebrations while others find them an intimate experience for couples only. Another thing to think about is how nudity is handled in your home. Will your child be shocked by seeing you naked? Finally, how do you think your child would react to not having Mom and Dad's full attention?
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