In my 19 years of doing what amounts to 'reading medical journals all day' for a living, I can't recall ever feeling the urge to write my own commentary for the physician editors and my Elsevier colleagues that will see it down the line--until tonight.  From the "International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia" comes, "Expectant fathers' experience during labor with or without epidural anesthesia".

Well who the bleep cares?? I don't discredit men, fatherhood, their presence/help in the delivery room or anything. When it comes to making babies, it's all about the women--I didn't make the rules! The article maintains that the worst part of  labor/delivery for the father is seeing their partner in pain. Well boo hoo! What about the person who is ACTUALLY in pain? If the mother chooses to forego an epidural based on her principles or whatever, so be it! I can just see the day when a health care provider says to the woman, "....but if you change your mind and have an epidural, the whole childbirth experience will be much more SATISFYING for the dad."  The expectant mother would not be the ONLY one to be in PAIN!

A couple of MY shoutouts!

Olivia's Mommy--Glad you got it! Much love to you, Olivia, and "coming soon".

Haha geejay, you crack me up! Not sure if you're even trying to, but I mean that in a GOOD way.