Crowdbirthing phenomenon

Once, no man would have dreamed of being present in the room as his wife was giving birth.

曾经，男人们不敢奢望可以出现在妻子分娩的产房。

Then opinions changed and the father was expected to be there to share in all the pain and joy.

后来人们的观念变了，大家希望新生儿的父亲可以陪伴产妇一同分享痛苦与快乐。

But now it seems that so many people are crowding into the delivery suite you could almost sell tickets.

而现在似乎太多的人涌进产房，都快可以收门票了。

A survey of 2,000 mothers has found that those in their twenties or teens are taking an average of eight people into the birthing room with them – and that doesn’t include the midwife or other medical staff.

一项涉及2000名母亲的调查发现，十几岁、二十多岁的妈妈们平均带8个人一起进产房，这还不包括助产士或其他医护人员。

The survey, conducted by the website Channel Mum, said that women now aged in their sixties typically had only had their partner alongside the midwife present while they gave birth.

这项由Channel Mum网站进行的调查显示，现年60多岁的女性当年生孩子的时候，通常只有助产士和伴侣在场。

For women now in their fifties this had doubled to two people, usually their partner and their own mother.

而现年50多岁的女性则将这一数字增加到了两人，通常是她们的伴侣和妈妈。

Siobhan Freegard, founder of Channel Mum, said: ‘The younger generation are used to sharing every aspect of their lives, so why not birth?

Channel Mum网站的创始人西沃恩·弗里加德（Siobhan Freegard）说：“年轻一代习惯分享他们生活的方方面面，连生孩子也不例外。”

‘Many women feel it is their biggest achievement and so want to share the moment with all of those closest to them.

“很多女性认为这是她们最大的成就，因此希望同所有亲近的人分享这一时刻。”

‘The crowdbirthing phenomenon may not suit everyone but being part of the birth is an honour and privilege which unites friends and family like nothing else.’

“分娩邀围观这件事也许并不适合每个人，但是作为见证分娩过程的一员是一种荣耀和特权，没有什么比这件事更能将朋友和家人凝聚在一起。”

Mothers-in-law are now the most popular birthing supporter after the mum’s partner and mother, the survey suggests. One in 25 even chose their own father to be present in the delivery room.

该调查还显示，婆婆现在成了仅次于产妇的丈夫和母亲的陪产第三大热门人选。二十五分之一的产妇甚至选择了邀请自己的父亲进入产房。

But the research also shows there is a downside to giving birth in front of an audience.

不过这项研究还显示，分娩时有人围观也有不利的一面。

Mothers are increasingly refusing to take pain relief because they fear they will be judged. One third of the women surveyed cited social pressure as a reason to have a birth without painkillers, complaining that others would regard them unfavourably if they did otherwise.

因为害怕被人评头论足，产妇越来越不愿使用止痛药。三分之一的受调查的女性称，社会压力是她们分娩时不用止痛药的原因之一，她们抱怨说如果自己用了止痛药就会被说三道四。

One in five said they felt that opting for a caesarean section would make them feel as though they had ‘failed at giving birth’.

五分之一的人表示，选择剖腹产会使她们觉得自己好像“不能生孩子”似的。

Adding to the stresses of new mothers are women who write about their births on social media and talk airily of bringing new life into the world, and celebrities who make giving birth seem effortless.

新妈妈的压力还源于那些在社交媒体上讲述自己分娩过程、炫耀自己将新生命带到这个世界的女性，以及那些似乎可以轻松分娩的明星。

Some 15 per cent of mothers said they felt under pressure from stars who have apparently sailed through labour, such as supermodel Gisele Bundchen, 35, who said her eight-hour labour ‘didn’t hurt in the slightest’ and claimed her newborn son didn’t even cry.

大约15%的母亲说她们因为那些明星看似轻轻松松就把孩子生了下来而感到很有压力，比如说35岁的超模吉赛尔·邦辰(Gisele Bundchen )。邦辰在谈到她8个小时的分娩时表示“一点也不疼”，并声称她的儿子刚生出来时甚至都没哭。

The rise of social media means that the moment of giving birth, once an intensely private event, is now being shared all around the world. Many mothers take ‘selfies’ with their baby just moments after delivery and post the picture on Facebook and Twitter.

社交媒体的迅速发展意味着分娩这个曾高度私密的事情，现如今更多地被分享给全世界。很多母亲在刚刚生下宝宝后就会和宝宝自拍，然后将照片上传到脸书和推特上。

Some are even hiring ‘birthing photographers’ to capture every intimate moment. Already a popular practice in the US, more and more British mothers are paying to have their labour recorded.

一些妈妈甚至会雇“分娩摄影师”捕捉每一个亲密时刻。在美国这已经是一种风尚，在英国越来越多的妈妈也开始花钱请人记录下自己分娩的过程。

Starting from around ?500, many photographers will agree to be on call 24 hours a day from 36 weeks in the pregnancy.

起价500英镑左右，很多摄影师会欣然接受在孕期的36周内每天24小时待命。

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来源:China Daily爱语吧作者:Annie