Should Grandparents Be Allowed In The Delivery Room?

These Days, It’s Commonplace For A Father To Be By His Partner’s Side To Witness Their Child Being Born. There Are Other People Who Might Want To Be There As Well... But Should They Be Let In?

Joan O’Hagan, aged 62, is retired and has three grown-up children.

When my daughter Eimear asked me if I would be her birthing partner, along with her husband Malcolm, I was delighted. It was in May 2015 and it felt like such a privilege to be invited to be a part of such a special moment in their lives.

Eimear and I are extremely close and I knew that my presence in the delivery room would reassure her during her first labour. I’d been a midwife in my twenties and having had three children myself, I knew that my knowledge would make her feel more comfortable and confident with the whole process on the day.

Malcolm was very supportive of Eimear’s request for me to be there. I was very conscious of the fact that this was their special experience, but he assured me that he was more than happy to share it with me.