# Poll: how old were you when you first saw a baby born? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981 "2010-10-04T06:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/41 "2010-10-04T22:43:36Z")
I was obviously present for the birth of my first son am planning to be there at least in body for the birth of our second one, currently baking in yours truly and arriving in January. They offered me the mirror during the first birth but I declined in my aggravated state of “STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS!” My husband gladly watched our son being born and cut the cord, and was happy he did so. At the time we were only planning on one child so his thinking was hey how many times will I get to see my son being born? Turns out, twice. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/42 "2010-10-04T22:46:06Z")
I rotated in ob/gyn during med school so I witnessed some births as an adult even though they weren’t my own (couldn’t answer the poll). Kind of cool, kind of disgusting. One thing that I remember about it all is that the screaming on a labor and delivery ward is something else. When I have kids, you bet your ass I’m getting an epidural. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/43 "2010-10-04T23:18:28Z")
I couldn’t answer the poll either. I was 21, a senior in college, doing an OB tutorial at the big teaching hospital in town when I observed my first one. I saw more and delivered a few in medical school. I went on to do obstetrics from age 25 to 32, so delivered a few hundred babies after that. I opted to just watch my own gals being born, rather than deliver them myself. Though it was a near thing with our second kid; the doc was a little slow in getting changed into scrubs and I nearly had to catch that one. ---
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/44 "2010-10-04T23:21:13Z")
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I was 30 at the time of the first baby and will be 36 at the time of the second. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/45 "2010-10-05T00:14:16Z")
Sorry, after I hit submit on the poll I finally thought of reasons why an adult might see a birth of a child that wasn’t theirs before having their own. I should have remembered, especially since my childless aunt _also_ saw my brother born. :smack: **Carlotta** , the reason my mom had me and my aunt there was because their mother told them that having a baby was the most awful, most devestating thing that ever happened to her, and that she wanted to die all three times. My mom said she was shocked when I was born and it didn’t turn out to be the horrible horrible ordeal she anticipated, so she wanted us to see that it wasn’t easy to give birth, but it’s not the worst thing in the world, either. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/46 "2010-10-05T02:57:29Z")
Never been in the room, never seen a video, never seen an animal giving birth. I am more than happy to keep it that way. Besides, no one would want me in the room while they gave birth anyway, as someone would then be required to tend to me (or at least step over me) when I passed out on the floor. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/47 "2010-10-05T03:56:04Z")
There wasn’t an option for my answer. I didn’t see a baby being born until I was 47 and it was my granddaughter. I have had two children myself, but I was sort of busy at the time and didn’t see them being born either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/48 "2010-10-05T04:12:53Z")
No option for my answer, either. I was present when my ex-best friend had her son, when I was 24. I’ve since been at 47 other births, none of them my own. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/49 "2010-10-05T04:27:54Z")
I have never seen a baby being born…maybe I’m just weird, but for me it would just be embarrassing and I’d feel like I was invading the mother’s privacy, even if it were my best friend or a close relative. The husband of one of my friends showed me pictures of my friend in the delivery room (nothing showing the baby actually coming out…just pictures of her in the bed, with the baby, etc…) and even that felt like I was invading her privacy (one picture showed her face very red from an allergic reaction to the epidural). I don’t want anyone in the room when I give birth aside from medical personnel. I guess I should allow my hypothetical husband in the room though if possible. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/50 "2010-10-05T06:00:06Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > > [@Magiver](#): > > > > Never. After seeing the film in HS I’ll die happy never seeing it again. > > Thank god I missed the film too. > > I guess the birth of a child is a beautiful thing - as long as I don’t think too much about it. If I do, the first images that pop into my head are from Alien. That just goes to show that every movie idea is born out of something else. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/51 "2010-10-05T06:11:04Z")
I was 33. My first daughter. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/52 "2010-10-05T15:08:38Z")
I’m sure I’ve seen it on film before, but the only one I remember was when my daughter was born. It was pretty entertaining, to say the least. Laura was induced and once she was dialated enough, a whole team of people swept in (including the doctor) and 10-15 minutes later, BABY! I cracked up this one nurse who… well, let’s just say I called her (in my mind) “the stretch and lube nurse”… anyway, she was doing her job and I leaned over, winked at her and said “Don’t get too crazy there - I plan on using that again, lady.” She was laughing so hard the others started staring at us. My wife, fortunately, was oblivious to that remark. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/53 "2010-10-05T15:16:59Z")
Never seen it, have no interest in seeing it, will patently refuse if offered. I’d like to go back to the days when everyone except the mother were in the waiting room smoking cigars. In fact, forget the mother and the waiting room! ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/54 "2010-10-05T15:19:00Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’d like to go back to the days when everyone except the mother were in the waiting room smoking cigars. In fact, forget the mother and the waiting room! Don’t forget the hookers and the blackjack! ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/55 "2010-10-05T15:23:57Z")
You didn’t put ‘twenty and up’ as an option… Perhaps it just wasn’t that special? I was 25, and it was my roommate/coop friend’s child- I was sort of a godfather… ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/56 "2010-10-06T19:12:24Z")
I just watched the video last night in my EMT training. As for my answer, twenty days shy of my eighth birthday. I watched my mom give birth to my little sister. She was blue because she hadn’t taken any breaths yet, and it made me cry because I thought my sister was a genetic freak of nature. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981/57 "2010-10-06T19:34:44Z")
I’m with **Fried Dough Ho** : the whole birthin’ process skeeves me out. I won’t even watch it on TV, let alone in real life or ::shudder:: contemplate actually doing it myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-first-saw-a-baby-born/555981.md?page=2)