Don't feel guilty about expressing your fears about being in the delivery room. Many men feel this way. Explain your fears to your wife so she understands why you don't want to be in the delivery room. And that it is not because you don't love her.

Not wanting to be in the delivery room does and will not make you a bad husband or father. If you feel uncomfortable, don't go in. You may do more harm than good. If you should faint, it would only distract and/or disrupt the doctor and nurses from helping Mom deliver the baby.

Have a relative or friend videotape the birth. This way you if you regret not having seen the birth at least you can watch a tape of it. Isn't technology great!

Let the doctor know that you don't want to be in the delivery room during the labor but would like to be there right after the baby is born. If you would like to cut the umbilical cord, let the doctor know so that he/she doesn't do it before you come in.

Talk to other dads. Ask how they dealt with this issue. Who knows? They may help you overcome your fear of being there.

If you do decide to be in the delivery room, I suggest you still tape the birth. But hire or ask a relative/friend to do the camera work. This way you can focus on being a dad and concentrate on helping your wife through the labor and delivery. Should you decide to you would like to do this discuss it with your wife first.

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