Sorry I missed my son’s birth ..there was big match on telly Patter of paters who miss pitter-patter
ONE in five dads has missed the birth of their child – and a tenth admit they’ve missed the arrival of TWO or more of their newborns.
A study of 2000 parents found traffic delays, work commitments and being out of the country at the time were common excuses.
Other dads were in hospital with injury or illness as the pitter-patter of tiny feet arrived.
The most outrageous excuse was “there was a big match on the telly”, which was used by one in 100 failing fathers.
Twelve per cent missed a birth because they didn’t get a call telling them their partner’s waters had broken.
And one in 10 absences occurred because the mum-to-be didn’t want the baby’s father in the room.
However, four in 10 mums admitted they would forgive their partner for missing the birth due to unforeseen circumstances and three in 10 supported stay-away dads – if it’s their choice.
For the dads who were there for the event, one third had to adhere to rules laid down by mums to stay away from “the business end” and wait by their “top end” until the baby is born.
Siobhan Freegard, of parenting site Channel Mum.com, said: “Most mums are encouraged to make birth plans but, as this study shows, not all births stick to the plan.
“While most dads are desperate to see their child born, some admit they don’t cope well and stay away, while some mums prefer the support of other family members or a best friend.”
The OnePoll study found 42 per cent of dads who were rushing to be at their partners’ side missed the baby’s entrance by a matter of minutes.
A quarter of blokes who didn’t make it went on to receive a proper grilling from their other half.