What an interesting question. I hadn't even really given this part of birth much thought until now, but since I'm thinking I just have to share (even if this is a very old thread - perhaps others want to add their experiences too?).
DD was delivered in a hospital. She was vacuumed out because it was "an emergency". It was such an emergency that after she was born and before the cord was cut (I think), I remember the midwife holding her there and the midwife asked dh if it was a boy or a girl. DH answered "it's a boy" and I thought "umm... I'm not with it, but I really think that looks like a girl". He hates when I tease him about it and says the cord was in his way.
After reading this question and thinking of my response, a couple things just occurred to me:
1) If it really was such an emergency (dh says it was because dd wasn't breathing) then the midwife shouldn't have had the time to hold dd there and ask her "meaningless" question. Obviously once dd was out, the midwife wasn't too concerned.
2) I appreciated the fact that the midwife didn't just announce it.
3) I didn't like the fact that the midwife asked dh.
4) After making everything out to be such an emergency situation, in retrospect, I think it was unprofessional and yucky of the midwife to have asked that question at that moment - at that moment I wanted my baby to be healthy, I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl.
5) Next time I think I'll ask that no one say anything about gender - no comments, no questions. If dh spontaneously says something then that's fine, but otherwise I just want to hold my baby and I don't care if it's a boy or a girl.
DD was delivered in a hospital. She was vacuumed out because it was "an emergency". It was such an emergency that after she was born and before the cord was cut (I think), I remember the midwife holding her there and the midwife asked dh if it was a boy or a girl. DH answered "it's a boy" and I thought "umm... I'm not with it, but I really think that looks like a girl". He hates when I tease him about it and says the cord was in his way.
After reading this question and thinking of my response, a couple things just occurred to me:
1) If it really was such an emergency (dh says it was because dd wasn't breathing) then the midwife shouldn't have had the time to hold dd there and ask her "meaningless" question. Obviously once dd was out, the midwife wasn't too concerned.
2) I appreciated the fact that the midwife didn't just announce it.
3) I didn't like the fact that the midwife asked dh.
4) After making everything out to be such an emergency situation, in retrospect, I think it was unprofessional and yucky of the midwife to have asked that question at that moment - at that moment I wanted my baby to be healthy, I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl.
5) Next time I think I'll ask that no one say anything about gender - no comments, no questions. If dh spontaneously says something then that's fine, but otherwise I just want to hold my baby and I don't care if it's a boy or a girl.
