[Fathers in the labor room--a survey before and after delivery]

Meanwhile the attendance of fathers in the labour room is common. From 1. 7. 90-15. 10. 91 510 German fathers were interviewed before and 45' after labour. In comparison a smaller number (n = 56) of fathers were questioned who had decided not to attend. The evaluated data was split in the following three categories: 1. pre-post comparison; 2. "participants" and "non-participants" comparison; 3. special problems. The most mentioned reason for participation (over 85%) was the positive influence on the women. More then 70% of the attendants even wanted to support their wives during complicated delivery and surgical interventions. Approximately 5% of the fathers attending a clinic delivery would then prefer a home delivery because they more or less felt as a substitute to medical personnel. Non participants evidently were anxious due to missing preparation and information about the parturition. Sometimes the women desired no participation of their partners. About 23% of the men decided to attend labour just before birth. Practical recommendations are given and the change in the point of view of the fathers during course of labour is presented in this paper.