I think it's one of those things that is completely down to the individual, and that you might have to plan quite well for. As a student midwife I wouldn't have a problem with having a (well behaved) kid around for a delivery. As a person, I think that you should encourage children's natural curiosity, and in some ways younger children are possibly better placed to handle a birth and not get freaked out!

We were discussing this the other night as someone wanted their older son as a birthing companion (he was 18) and one midwife thought that was just weird. Again, I think it's a very personal thing, and it depends on the woman, the kid, and the circumstances. The woman in that vid is very much in control and in tune with her own body, and the kid is completely fascinated. Preparation has a lot to do with it. I met a 15 year old girl who delivered her preemy sibling at home before the paramedics arrived and she was still fairly traumatised by that experience 5 years later... but not that much that she didn't accompany her Mum the next time she was in labour!

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