Mummy Buzz

Jul
04
2013

When A Man Experiences Labour Pains

Take it like a (wo)man

When A Man Experiences Labour Pains

Ever wonder what the world would be like if men were the ones who gave birth? Well, thanks to a bunch of Dutch scientists, we now have a rough idea. And it isn't pretty.

According to an article in the Belfast Telegraph, Newstalk radio presenter Henry McKean took part in a birthing experiment in which he was attached to electrodes designed to simulate labour pains at Amsterdam's The Birth Hotel.

Just two hours in, though, the 34-year-old became the proud daddy of a plastic doll named David. Other men who've undergone false labour also gave in around the two-hour mark. 

The experience, which McKean described as "really, really tough," gave him a new understanding of what women go through in childbirth.

"It made me broody and appreciate what women do and appreciate babies. I feel I know what life is all about," said McKean, who claims he still feels "phantom pains." 

Though he refrained from crying at the time, McKean did swear at his birthing partner, Hayley O'Connor. Now he knows how this man feels.

He claimed the video of his labour as "humiliating." Now that's what I call empathy.