London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

Maternity dads: Kick them out or welcome them in?

Hospitals in Scotland do not agree on whether partners are abusing facilities or need to be provided for.

These days dads are mainly expected to be part of the birth process.

Midwives in Scotland have, in the last week, expressed polar opposite views on the role and the behaviour of partners in the maternity ward.

The result is a raging debate over what a man's role should be in the hospital after the magic moment of delivery.

Earlier in the week, midwives at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary launched an attack on male partners by complaining to NHS Lothian about fathers of new babies staying overnight in the hospital.

They said it was putting strain on staff who claimed fathers "treat the ward like a hotel".


'Mums rated fathers' support'

Examples given were sharing beds with their partners, ordering takeaways and using staff kitchens.

It was also claimed new mothers were too embarrassed to breastfeed or get changed because there were so many men staying at the postnatal unit.

However, another hospital has taken the opposite view that partners should be catered for so they can support the new mothers.

The postnatal wards at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee have bought 38 "Lazyboy-style" reclining chairs for fathers to sleep on and will provide tea and toast and kitchen facilities for those who want to stay.

The move to encourage new dads to stay overnight is part of the Scottish government's guidance on making neonatal and maternity care more inclusive of fathers under the Best Start policy.

All units are urged to take a flexible approach to the presence of partners, to ensure that families can stay together, with suitable accommodation being provided and facilities to enable bonding to take place.

Donna Brough, the senior midwife at the pioneering Ninewells project, found a bit of resistance at first, but staff now understand the benefits.

She told BBC Radio Scotland's Mornings with Stephen Jardine: "It came from some feedback we got on how women felt when their partners were asked to leave.

"It resonated with me when women said they felt alone, and felt they didn't have the support they wanted - they really rated the support of their partner highly and I felt it was important to listen to them."

There was concern over what the presence of more partners would mean for the running of the ward.

Ms Brough said: "The issues raised here with midwives on our wards were around security, privacy and facilities. However, I spent a lot of time talking to staff and we worked closely with Fathers' Network Scotland to put some education in place. Once the midwifery teams understood why it was important for bonding and fathers' confidence, they became much more on board."

She added: "We have to embrace family-integrated care. We know the benefits to the baby, the family, the mum's mental health and the dad's mental health."


'I felt guilty'

Chris Miezitis from Fathers Network Scotland (FNS) said: "Families deserve to have the choice. We can't exclude fathers at a time when their partners and babies needed them most."

New dad Kieran Brannan welcomed Scotland's first dad-friendly ward at Ninewells.

He was asked to leave the hospital at 03:00 when his wife Chloe returned to the ward after giving birth to their daughter Ella.

"I felt guilty I was leaving Chloe on her own to look after the baby when she had been up for 26 hours.

"Chloe had an epidural and the baby was crying in the night. She couldn't lean over to get the baby and she had to wait for someone to come and lift her out. I could have been there to help and get her right away."

New mother Nadine Hawkins thinks it could help overloaded ward staff.

She said: "After the birth I was quite sick for around six hours and couldn't hold the baby or do anything myself. We were lucky and were given our own room, so my husband stayed both nights which gave us such a positive experience.

"It meant he was on hand if I needed anything. And it saved us putting pressure on the staff by buzzing for things that weren't necessarily medical."

Alex McMahon, nurse director of NHS Lothian, said: "Fathers, partners and family members should be encouraged and supported to become an integral part of maternal and newborn care."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×