This could only have been written by a man...

Someone should kick him in his testicles for 10 hours straight and ask him afterwards if he feels more responsible and any closer to his baby.

This is going to be a good one...

That's why I stuck it in General off-topic at the same time I was sticking my tongue in my cheek...

My swiss midwife said the same thing. She had 5 kids of her own.. talk about taking your job home with you(!)

I must say I do wonder why we even go thru this more than once?

and for all of those out there that are currently pregnant - I still found a root-canal more painful and psychologically damaging than giving birth..

+1 @ Rangatiranui

I had wisdom teeth taken out and found it more psychologically frightening than childbirth.

While I respect everyone´s right to an opinion I personally would be more interested in a reports/opinions of people who have actually given birth rather than someone who knows all the theory but will never experience first hand.
Personally I would compare giving birth to running a difficult marathon. Very tiring. Often feeling like you cant go any further - but unbelievable joy at the finish line.

I would really recommend relaxation exercises (gentlebirth, mediation, hypnobirthing) to anyone giving birth as state of mind and relaxation is very important.

Besides Sandgrounders ball kicking, I am going to give him an episiotomy... just for the fun of it.

The article and debate on pain management is ridiculous in 2009; there is a choice and it has been offered for almost 50 years (at least in the US).

Any ideas on how we can recreate the pleasure of contractions for hours on end for him?

Hmmm... let me have a think....

Don't suppose it's acceptable to do that to Mr Mimi just for putting me through it in the first place

Well, I have to say that I found the whole childbirth thing easy and painless.
Granted, I was a safe distance from the action, but I knew she didn't really
mean what she was saying. She did go on a bit tho', I felt.


No, it's the subsequent decades of chronic shrinkage of the wallet and constant
contractions of the bank account that really hurt

Oh yes, and teenagehood...That's a bundle of laughs, too. Err, can I change my
mind, and take the ball kicking instead?
.

What a load of BS! Never having played the martyr's role, I asked my gyni to give me every medication available when I went into labour during my first pregnancy. My reasoning was "if I get through this, so will my child"!

I assume the good professor takes his monthly period in his stride also!

Yep.. am feeling the strain of that too... those contractions of the wallet.

I am reminded of a poem:

Yesterday upon the stair
I found some cash that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today.
So quickly does it go away..

I start by saying that I find this is a very personal matter and all opinions are valid ones...

I do not agree that the pain is a good thing, but personally (yes, I have delivered) I found the fact of being able to bear the pain and deliver, incredibly empowering.

I have not run a marathon and many other things but I did give birth and am incredibly proud of it

What I found so magic was that the memory of the pain itself goes so fast just after baby is born... granted I had aches, granted my stitches hurt, but compared to the actual pain of the contractions and crowing, I was amazed how much your body "forgets". I still remember "being in pain" and shouting like an animal but I do not remember the sensation of the pain...

I am not sure I am explaining myself...

Anyway, in the delivery suite I shouted at hubby that I was NEVER going through that again but that was all forgotten and we are having thoughts of a second one... very remote thoughts for now...

Ciao
K

I was given a repeat prescription by my Andrologist. It seems to work
reasonably well to ease these kind of pains; you might want to give it a
try...

I fully understand and can relate totally to the pain a woman endures during childbirth. During one of my (ex) wife's contractions she put a death grip on my shirt.. Now I must point out to you that I do (or did?) have a manly mane across my chest.

That stuff's way to good to be used as a simple pain killer - for that I'd be happy with the 10 year old.

i think this is something only women are qualified to comment on

How dares he! Your fellow women only expect you to climax when giving birth...

[edit] whoops - wrong log-in...

[right log-in...]
I don't think feeling pain during childbirth is a good thing, or strengthens the bond between mother and baby. I can understand why he made this claim though, a claim I have heard from countless other sources, as it is a positive way of looking at the painful sensations. No-one wants to hear that all that pain is an unwanted side effect of birth. Why not tell people it has a great purpose - to bring mother and child closer? It may be a good placebo.

Having given birth twice before, I feel I know something about it. I didn't have pain relief either time, and felt no pain during the contractions or the birth. It was all really fun and utterly lovely - no screaming, no hours and hours of terribly painful contractions, no squeezing my husbands hands until bones cracked... just calm, relaxing, quick, and wonderful. And do I feel my birth experiences were made incompete by the lack of pain? NOT ONE BIT. Nor do I feel like I have a weaker bond with my daughters for it.

If anyone wants to know my secret of perfect natural childbirth, here it is:
Grantly Dick-Read's book 'Childbirth Without Fear'. The ONLY book you need read in pregnancy.

How archaic !