Plus

Plus

This is our baby
Should men be allowed into the labour room, asks Chamintha Thilakarathna

"I would do it again"
Thirty-five-year old Hiran Soyza had a labour room experience last month when his wife gave birth to their first child, a baby girl.

"I wasn't scared. Of course, I looked the other way and avoided looking at the process. Also, it was strange seeing the baby unwashed soon after the delivery. But what was more important was being there for my wife and assuring her and comforting her throughout the experience," said Hiran. He explained that an additional advantage was that he knew what was going on. "When you are outside the labour room, it is unnerving as you wonder what is happening and so on. But when you are actually there, the pressure is less and knowing what is happening is reassuring," he explained.

Asked if it was an experience he would repeat, Hiran said, "If I have to do it again, I would, I don't regret it."

'What's going on?', 'Is she alright?' he wonders as he sits helpless in the waiting room, looking impatiently at his watch and at the labour room entrance. The young husband is worried. Every cry of pain from his wife makes him more nervous as he awaits the birth of their first child. Her cries grow more intense, as the minutes tick by. 'If only I could be with her' he wishes.

But that is not allowed.

Hundreds of fathers would like to be present at the birth of their babies. And, thousands of mothers wish their husbands could be by their side to comfort them as they endure the pains of labour. The only comfort they have is a nurse or a doctor, all too often too busy to say a gentle word and assure them that the pain will ease and everything will be alright.

It is not the doctor's duty to hold the mother's hand, some would argue. It is the husbands who must be allowed to stay with their wives to comfort and support them through the long hours of labour.

Gynaecologist Dr. Hemantha Senanayaka agrees. He believes husbands should be given the option of being in the labour room at the time of delivery.

"Childbirth is a time when women are least empowered and least in control. Having their husbands with them at that time gives them the extra courage and strength they need," Dr. Senanayaka pointed out.

However, in Sri Lanka, most hospitals have been reluctant to provide this facility. Private hospital officials say that the decision lies with the gynaecologist. "If the doctor agrees to allow husband to be present at the time of delivery, the hospital will allow it. However, individual requests to the hospital will not be accommodated," several private hospital officials told The Sunday Times.

In Sri Lanka, the practice is for the expectant mother's own mother to take care of her during and after childbirth. Yet doctors admit that husbands can be of more help and do need to share in the experience. Having the husband in the labour room eases the doctor's burden as the husband can provide the psychological support and strength the mother requires. Doctors say that the pain threshold improves and the bonding is greater when the husband is by his wife's side. It is also believed that it helps strengthen the couple's relationship and understanding when they share such a momentous experience.

Mr. Daya Abeywickrema, Executive Director at the Family Planning Association recalls how he witnessed the birth of his three children. "I wasn't scared as I had read about childbirth and attended all the clinics and counselling sessions with my wife," Mr. Abeywickrema said.

He feels that it is essential for a man to be with his wife throughout the pregnancy and after childbirth as well. "It is futile to limit oneself to the labour room. Knowing what will happen and being aware of issues such as nutrition, care, complications, birth procedure etc. and understanding what your wife is going through is as important," he said.

Although certain government hospitals such as De Soysa Maternity Home do conduct pre-natal and post-natal counselling clinics they are often attended by the pregnant wife alone or she is accompanied by her mother. In Sri Lanka, pregnancy has been categorized as a 'female affair' which isolates men from the experience. As a result, men rarely partake in the issues that concern the pregnant wife or her needs. But today, young husbands are breaking away from traditional practices and sharing the experience.

Government hospitals recognize the benefits but say they are unable to introduce and implement the practice. Many years ago, husbands were allowed to stay with their wives during delivery but later it was changed because the number of births increased and so did the difficulties," Dr. W.Karandagoda, Director, Castle Street Nursing Home (CSNH) said.

According to him, approximately 1,500 deliveries take place each month at CSNH alone, i.e. five percent of births in the island.

Unlocking the secrets of female orgasm
Scientists believe they have discovered the secrets of the female orgasm - after finding that the so-called "G-spot" actually exists.

Researchers in Italy hope the discovery would lead to new drugs to help women who have trouble having orgasms.

The G-spot refers to an area a few centimetres inside the vagina on the side closest to a woman's stomach.

The term was coined by Ernest Grafenberg in 1950 who it is named after. The Skene glands are located in this area. They are believed to play a key role in producing the substance produced during female "ejaculation".

Dr Emmanuele Jannini and colleagues at the University of L'Aquila set about trying to identify whether there were any chemicals which play a role in sexual functioning in the area where the G-spot is meant to be. They chose to search for a protein or enzyme called PDE5. This protein plays an important role for men - too much of it prevents erections. Dr Jannini found this protein in the vagina of five volunteers.

In tests on the bodies of 14 dead women, they found that the protein was mostly clustered around the G-spot.

However, in two of these subjects there were very low levels of PDE5. They were also found to have no Skene's glands. This led Dr Jannini to conclude that these women would have been physically incapable of having an orgasm. He suggested that women with high levels of PDE5 and large Skene's glands are most likely to have orgasms. As a result, they believe that drugs like Viagra may have the greatest effect on these women.

Says Dr Jannini, "It is ridiculous but true that we have waited until now to really know the female anatomy."

A number of studies have suggested that Viagra could help women to have orgasms. Pfizer, the manufacturers of the drug, have also carried out research in this area.

A spokeswoman said results from studies conducted so far had been promising. The company is planning further research next year although a "female Viagra" remains a couple of years away. "Research inside and outside Pfizer has begun to demonstrate greater success using Viagra to treat some women with female arousal disorder.

We believe our internal results are sufficient enough to encourage larger confirmatory trials."

But she added that women should not take Viagra at the moment. "Like all medication, it should only be taken as prescribed."

Viagra is currently not licensed for use in women and can therefore not be prescribed to them by doctors. (Courtesy BBC News)

"There is a lot of congestion in government nursing homes. Usually about five to six deliveries take place simultaneously in our common labour rooms. So it is difficult to allow husbands to enter the labour room," Dr. Karandagoda said.

Earlier, the hospital had allowed husbands to remain in the waiting room as a compensation for not being allowed into the labour room. But today even this is not permitted as most husbands tend to misbehave or disturb the smooth functioning of the hospital. "Some people come drunk even in the early hours of the morning or they smoke in the waiting room which disturbs other mothers waiting to give birth as well as other family members and staff there," he said.

The problems Castle Street hospital faces are shared by many government hospitals. Inability to control the increasing numbers who arrive for delivery is the main issue. Lack of knowledge of the birth process and absence from post and pre-natal clinics are other issues that state hospital managements have had to address before letting husbands into the labour room.

However, Dr. Karandagoda assured that the hospital considers this essential in order to establish a better bond and understanding amongst the spouses, and therefore would implement this programme as soon as the hospital is capable of handling it.

As young husbands become more interested in sharing the miracle of birth with their wives, the onus is on local hospitals to provide them the opportunity to do so. For over twenty three years, the Sri Lanka Air Force has made arrangements for officers to share the joy and experience of pregnancy and childbirth together with their spouses.

"We get down the air force officer concerned for one month if he is away on assignment when his wife is due for delivery. And whenever possible we make it a point to have the husband with her at the time of delivery," Dr. Nimal H.Gunaratne, Director, Health Services Sri Lanka Air Force said.

At SLAF, whenever the mother attends clinics, it is compulsory for the husband whether he is an officer or not, to attend the clinics with her. In addition, prenatal and post natal clinics are organized to help both parents prepare for the delivery as well as issues that concern them afterwards.

Fathers who have experience in the delivery room say that attending clinics is essential. They say that one cannot handle the labour situation unless counselling clinics have been attended. "Some fathers are taken aback by the experience and sometimes they tend to faint, feel ill, or panic."

Sometimes the childbirth experience could have a negative impact on the relationship. "Some husbands who witness a delivery have an initial reaction of not wanting more children. But in such instances, counselling is a must to recondition their minds," Dr. Gunaratne explained.

Back to Plus