Catherine Scott: Is childbirth the place for siblings?

Jools and Jamie Oliver leave the Portland Hospital, London with the newest addition to the Oliver family, a baby boy and their older children (left to right) Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice and Poppy Honey Rosie. Photo: John Stillwell/PA Wire

I know for a fact that despite my dad being a GP he was as far away from the hospital when me and my brother were born as he could get

Now 90 per cent of men are there to support their partners, the National Childbirth Trust reports.

But now it appears the trend is changing to make child birth a real family affair. This weekend Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools announced the birth of their fifth child over social media. But along with the pictures of their new son came the news that the couple’s two eldest daughters were there to watch their mum give birth.

The TV chef described the event as “amazing to witness, very, very emotional” while his wife told of how the two girls, 14-year-old Poppy Honey and 12-year-old Daisy Boo, cut the cord. To many people, the idea of inviting children to watch childbirth may sound odd, if not a little extreme. But according to midwives an increasing number of parents want their older offspring to be part of the event.

In the US, sibling involvement has been a growing craze, with parenting blogs giving tips on how to make it a joyous occasion and Youtube videos documenting the whole experience. Even under fives have been encouraged to watch the moment their little brother or sister is pushed into the world.

But child birth is no Disney movie. It is a painful, sweaty, bloody and sometimes gory, while wonderful, experience. And while the end result is the most amazing feat of nature, the means by which we get our bundle of joy can be very harrowing, which is why men opted out for so many years. I’m not sure I would have wanted either or my children to watch me giving birth to their sister. Not because I wouldn’t want them to see the process of child birth but rather because I was busy concentrating on getting this new life safely into the world. I can’t imagine having had to worry about another child, or children in the room. But it seems clear from the smiling faces of Oliver’s girls on a family photo that they don’t appear scarred by the experience of seeing their little brother pushed into the world and apparently even cutting the umbilical chord, far from it. At the end of the day it is a personal decision for each family. When it comes to having children present, the NCT says its key piece of advice is to prepare in advance. In most NHS hospitals children are discouraged from being at the birth, but with home births on the increase it is likely that it will be a discussion that more and more parents will have.