Why Isn’t The Headline: Hero Mother Gives Birth to Breech Baby in Her Shower after Foot Popped Out
Sexism about who delivers babies matters
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A few months ago I came across this headline:
Hero Scots dad delivers baby in the SHOWER after tot’s foot popped out
But, wait a minute? Who is it that delivers babies?
I don’t think it was the hero Scots dad.
This is what Taylor, the baby’s mother explained happened after she went to the shower while waiting for an ambulance:
“All of a sudden I felt this sudden urge to pee then felt her foot pop out. She was in breech. I knew I needed to get this baby out of me fast — and I felt the sudden urge to push, so just did what my body was telling me to do” (Scottish Sun newspaper, 14 July 2021)
Her baby was born safely. It must have been scary for them both. Stuart played an active role in the safe arrival of his daughter. He unravelled the cord wrapped around the baby’s neck and gave the baby a rub so she started breathing. He used his own shoelaces to tie the umbilical cord.
But Taylor is the one who gave birth to the baby, so why isn’t she the main hero in the headline? Yes, Stuart deserves credit for his role, but why only him?
A quick google search for ‘hero delivers baby’ comes up with these headlines:
- Hero dad delivers baby in her amniotic sac on bathroom floor
- Hero father delivers baby in car park
- ‘Hero’ doctor safely delivers baby boy mid-flight on Qatar …
- Hero cop delivers baby
- Hero 9-year-old delivers her rainbow baby sister when mom goes into labor early
- Hero grandma delivers baby in the back of a 4x4 in Bromsgrove Highway lay-by in the snow
The hero in the headline is never the woman who gives birth.
There’s always someone else who gets the credit. Why is that? What does it tell us about society’s attitudes to women giving birth?
There is a similar birth story in my own family. My little sister made a speedy…
