When I talked to some friends about doing a ward tour, I was met with varying opinions. Some were all for it, some were completely against it. After having a think, me and my wife decided we would go and have a look around the maternity ward this Saturday on a little tour…

The main reason we took the plunge (so to speak) was that we don’t really go to hospital much – thank goodness. Obviously we both have experiences of hospitals, but the majority of experiences so far have been negative. Cancer, heart attacks and various other life threatening family experiences don’t make you hugely fond of a place. Bringing a life into the world however is a completely different matter. In a way, I think we both wanted to go on this tour to dispel some of the negative stigmas that plague us when we think about hospitals. Going for the first scan was hard as we assumed something would be wrong…that’s the reason we have always visited hospital before. Thankfully, our subliminal fear was dispelled and each successive scan became a more positive experience. We are hoping the tour around the ward will make us feel more at ease when we return on B-Day. Rest assured, I understand a simple visit won’t mean everything goes to plan but I’m hoping we feel more positive when my wife is shouting at me demanding painkillers midway through labour.

Another big thing with my (stereotypical) man head on is that I like to know what I’m doing. There is nothing worse than having to ask somebody where to go as a man. I mean, it’s on par with following the instructions on flat pack furniture – absolute no-go until you’re completely stuck. So, pre-empting the fact I will have already lost half of my body parts and a significant chunk of my dignity by the time we arrive on B-Day, knowing where to park, which entrance to take and the way to go will ensure I retain at least a fraction of my man points. I am a logical thinking person and the idea of a baby coming out of my wife is starting to play with my mind enough already. The last thing I need is the gauntlet of the hospital maze while she is in labour and I refuse to ask for directions. No brainer really. I’m all for the ward tour.

Lastly, knowing where it is all going to happen is a big thing for us both. Obviously we have watched tonnes of episodes of One Born and had vivid descriptions of hospital birthing rooms from friends, but actually seeing it, we think, is going to be really beneficial. My wife wants a water-birth and getting an idea of how the room is laid out and everything will hopefully make us feel more at ease. Not only that, but if it doesn’t all go to plan and something has to change with the birth plan, we will (hopefully) get to see where we go. Another fear of the unknown quelled. Bonus.

Short of hearing people in excruciating amounts of pain and potentially baring witness to various other medical eventualities, I can’t see the ward tour being anything other than a positive experience for us. Worst case scenario, it’s a day out!