When women give birth they’re often accompanied by a companion of their choice – more often than not their partner or in some cases their mum – but Australian actor Bryan Brown has now revealed he chose to stay in the delivery room when his 32-year-old daughter Matilda gave birth earlier this year.
Speaking on The Morning Show on Wednesday, the 72-year-old opened up about being by his daughter’s side when she welcomed her first child with former My Kitchen Rules contestant Scott Gooding in May.
“I drove [my wife] Rachel over and then there’s this big room and [Matilda] was in the bath, so you know I step back a bit… [she’s] yelling and shouting and wanting drugs and everything,” he explained.
“[It was] eight or 10 hours and I’m sitting on the lounge… but nobody came in and said ‘Bryan you’re supposed to go’.”
He continued: “I was sitting behind Matilda and patting her on the head and everything.”
The father-of-three went on to explain why he chose to stay, adding: “I’d seen three births, Rachael had never seen a birth, so for her it was absolutely fascinating Matilda having the baby. So I didn’t see why I should leave.”
Screen legends Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward have enlisted the help of their famous friends and family for 'Palm Beach'! #TMS7 pic.twitter.com/6bEAwatcXD
— The Morning Show (@morningshowon7) August 6, 2019
His daughter previously said during an appearance on the Channel Seven morning show the arrival of her first child, Zan Neathway Gooding, was “a bit of a family affair”.
“Dad walked in and pulled over a chair and just didn’t leave,” she explained. “[he] was there for the whole night. My brother was there, my mum was there – it was a bit of a family affair.”
Meanwhile, she previously shared on Instagram how special it was that both her parents got to be with her through such a “monumental time in [her] life”.
“On the night I went into labour, Dad was supposed to drop mum at the hospital (mum was my doula) and then wait in the waiting room,” she wrote.
“But he ended up coming into the room and stayed for the entire birth. When I was pushing Zan out at the end dad was stroking my head and mum was cheering me on, crying, saying ‘Come on Til, he’s so close!’.”
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Read more: Grandmothers in the delivery room: Yay or nay?
Meanwhile, a Starts at 60 blogger previously debated the topic of grandparent etiquette at the birth, writing: “When I had my children, it was just my husband and I in the room with the midwife – I didn’t ask the grandmothers or grandfathers to come into the room for the birth, but a recent conversation with a friend made me think about grandparent etiquette at the birth
“The friend said that she and her mother went to the hospital, while the dad stayed at home with her other child. She felt more comfortable having her mum there with her, as her partner had been very nervous (and unhelpful) the last time around.”
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