When you’re a dad in a birthing suite, you probably feel about as useful as a concrete parachute.
Chris Judd certainly said he felt “powerless” as his TV presenter wife Bec gave birth to each of their four children.
“Short of the old hand hold, or very occasionally encouraging words, I think it’s best to just stay out of the way and accept that it’s a huge thing that your wife’s going through and you’re unfortunately, powerless to help,” the former AFL footballer says on the latest episode of Hello Bump: The Pointy End.
Chris told podcast host Monique Bowley that he, like most dads, wanted to help during the birth of their eldest son Oscar, but knew that he really couldn’t.
“There’s a strong urge that you really want to be useful and you really want to get in and help, but the reality is there’s not much you can do,” the 34-year-old said.
“And the best thing for you to do is let the doctor perform. They’re the ones most qualified to help.”
Chris also knew that under no circumstances should he put his footy brain into action and try to coach Bec through the birth – something she was grateful for.
That doesn’t mean the former Carlton and West Coast Eagles player didn’t want to be fully present for the moments his wife gave birth, the first two times vaginally and the third time with the twins via caesarean.
“I can vividly remember all the kids coming out,” he said, adding that a career facing injuries, operations and needles had prepared him for the sights he was about to see.
“I’m not queasy at all, with blood or anything, so I can still remember their heads coming out. And just the feeling of your breath literally being taken away.”
Of course with the birth of their son Oscar, now six, who had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck prompting an urgent delivery, that moment was also tinged with relief.
“Births are really rough… doctors are not so carefully pulling them out,” Chris recalled.
“I remember with Oscar, his heart rate was dropping and they’re like ‘right, we’ve got to get him out’. And I remember talking to Len Kliman, the obstetrician, afterwards and saying ‘wow, that was pretty hairy wasn’t it?’…He’s like ‘no, trust me, that was nothing’.”
“My memories were that it was touch and go, whereas I think in reality it was a pretty stock standard birth albeit his heart rate was dropping slightly.”
Finally, Chris said he felt gratitude to Bec for being able to “provide us with a family”.
He enjoyed it so much, in fact, he went back for more, witnessing the birth of their daughter Billie in 2014 and entering the operating theatre as their twin sons, Darcy and Tom, were delivered last year.
You can listen to the full episode of Hello Bump featuring Chris Judd here or download on iTunes or in your favourite podcast app.
Top Comments
Hmm - not sure I agree that husbands can’t do anything in the delivery suite. My husband was a champion. He helped convince me to try water injections, and when I was too much in pain to take in the information our Midwife was relating, he stepped up and took over the decision making process.
Between him and my mum, they drove their thumbs into my lower back with each contraction over a 24 hour period, as my son was posterior, until I finally had an epidural and they both crashed out on the floor/sofa for a quick nap.
Also - I wish the hoopla about cords being wrapped around necks of babies wouldn’t be so dramatized on here. It’s really quite common - I believe around 30%. Remember babies don’t breathe air until they are birthed. My son had his cord around his neck, and it wasn’t until close to 2 hours of pushing with his heart rate dropping to 50 beats from 180 with each contraction that a Doctor was consulted, and even then I was given an additional 5 mins to push my boy out unassisted. Midwives and doctors are very prepared for cords wrapped around necks.
What a unique and insightful story.