“Can I bring a cheese board?” Unusual requests during childbirth

Every day, I post a question to our Facebook group relating to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

I asked the wise people in our Facebook group: “Most unusual request at a birth?”

The responses were amazing. So brilliant in fact — that I had to share!

• “Can I bring a cheese board?”
• “Not so much a request, but one couple brought a machete to hospital with them to open coconuts up.”
• “To have 4 children and 2 dogs (as well as Dad, 2 midwives and me, the doula) be present at the home waterbirth….thankfully the bath gave mum some space!”
• “Not a request, but at a home birth on a ranch, the parents told us we could just throw the placenta out in the yard for the dog, which ate it.”
• “Her partner accidently stepped on her bare toe during a contraction. She blew up briefly and told me, “Put that in the birth story!” I did. “
• “Patient’s husband asked to do the vaginal exam on his wife….”
• “I was sent by the partner to go get the partner’s mother from their home 30 mins away after the birth. The partner’s mother insisted on drinking her cup of hot tea slowly before leaving the house. “
• Woman: “Can I go for a…