One thing all soon to fathers worry about is fainting during the birth. Let’s be honest we don’t want to look weak in front of the woman pushing a bowling ball sized kid out. It’s like saying a hang nail hurts to someone who just accidentally cut there finger off with a table saw.
I was the same way. I never want my wife to see me as weak. Is it a macho thing? Yes of course!
I held it together easily for the first two kids. However, when Jasmine was born the whole experience was different. It all happed so much faster. I thought I was going to have to deliver her in the car. Considering the contractions were minutes apart.
They rushed her in and she basically had the baby within minutes of being there. I got so weak in the knees, nauseous, and dizzy. To the point I almost passed out.
What started the whole thing? Well, I was up by the head, where I belonged, and the nurse who was giving my wife an IV spilled a bunch of it all over the floor. I know not a big deal right? Now add to that the frantic rushing around of the like 5 other nurses, my wife screaming through contractions, and the blood. Plus the nurses talking about the fluids, water breaking, things like ”Mucus Plug”, and then that stuff hitting my shoes.
Well. I suddenly started to feel the tunnel vision like you do just as your about to pass out. Luckily, I recognized what I was feeling and just focused on my wife. I set my hand against something to give me a sense of balance and it was able to manage my way through it without dropping to the floor.
So it got me thinking why does it happen? What can I do to avoid it happening to me? It’s actually really simple once you know the main causes.
The Visual Aspect
Some people just don’t deal good with blood, fluids, the talk of such stuff like Mucus Plug or Crowning, or the view you can have if you choose to look.
I’ll tell you it can be a little unnerving to see everything going on down there when the baby is coming out. The visual of your baby making it’s way out is a visual that will stay with you forever. It’s beautiful and creepy at the same time.
If you feel like you want to look or help when she is giving birth here is a good test for you to see if you can handle it.
If your wife gets an epidural watch them give it. The Needle is about 16-18 Gage and about 3.5” long, inserted on average about 2”deep.
Compare that to getting your blood drawn which is 21 gage (the lower the gage number the bigger hole the needle has) and they don’t go all that deep. If you can watch that and not feel the tingly heebie jeebies then you pass that test.
You Didn’t Eat Or Drink Water.
According to MedNowClinics.com, people who are mildly dehydrated or fasting may be more likely to faint.
Think about it, a lot of births happen in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. Even if it’s induced you have to be their crazy early in the morning. I think we had to get up at 2am for Aaliyah when they induced. So, you will be well into a long fasting session.
When you get to the hospital the last thing you are thinking about is eating or drinking water. So, make sure to pack snacks and a full water bottle in your hospital bag. Click here for my Hospital Packing List For Expecting Fathers. Healthy protein packed snacks are best just make sure it doesn’t bother your wife’s sense of smell. The last thing you want is her gaging from the smell while having contractions.
You Lock Your Knees
You’re tense and you lock your knees. This is something I learned during my time in the military. Guys would lock their knees when at attention and in just a short time, bam down they go. Reason being is because locking your knees restricts the blood flow, pooling in your legs and will cause you to pass out. So don’t lock you knees.
So, lets go over how you can avoid passing out.
- Keep your eyes up by the head
- Eat and drink water
- Don’t lock your knees
If you follow these you’re chances of stay conscious will be much better.
However, if in the end you do hit the floor, own it like a badge of honor.
I like to look at everything as a great story to tell. Perhaps your wife loves to tell it to everyone she meets that you fainted when she was the one pushing a watermelon through a straw. Drop some humor in it and it’ll take the sting out.
For instance, I like to downplay how serious a birth is. ”Ya she was in the middle of contractions, and had a party of people looking all up in her business, you know the easy stuff. I mean come on she got to lay down. I had to stand the whole time, I hadn’t eaten anything in like 2-3 hrs and ya I hit the floor. No I didn’t pass out. It’s called a power nap! Honestly, it was taking way to long and I was getting tired.”
Have any of you fathers experienced or know anyone who has drop a comment below I’d love to know how you dealt with it.
