Fathers should be part of the birth process

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As we come to an end of Child’s Month it must be noted that one of the greatest achievements of the human being is that of having a child. While our dreams from infancy involve having a career, a nice car and a beautiful house, these, in many instances, fade in the glory of having our own offspring. Indeed, one of the first instructions given to man is that of being fruitful and multiply.

Could it be, though, that this distancing of men from their children’s general welfare could be influenced by such a difference in mindsets? Most men who own cars never built them, and the same may be said of houses. If we were to examine the process of giving birth, then one change that could possibly affect this mindset is that of when a mother is giving birth.

In the public system, whenever a mother is giving birth and is taken to the hospital, the father is then sent home to wait until the baby is born, and then he can come back to visit. This system, though understandable to a significant degree because of the pressures on the public system, can and must be improved to give fathers a greater appreciation of the child. Regardless of the amount of space in waiting areas of the public system, an expecting father is not allowed to wait on close by, in anticipation of their child’s birth.

If they try, they’re told that the rule says no waiting and the option of going private is presented to them. There will never be equality for persons with different levels of resources. However, as the government seeks to provide for fathers, one thing that could follow the introduction of paternity leave is the creation of waiting areas for involved fathers to, in as much as possible, be a part of their child’s entry into this world. The void between the wealthy and less-resourced giving birth would be reduced and, being that, in most instances, there is space on the compound where fathers can stay close and get updates, it would not be too costly or cumbersome to implement.

This matter of sending fathers home from public facilities while their child is being born should be examined and improvements made.

MARK CLARKE