Expectant Father Experiences the Intense Pain of Labor With a Simulation Device

As a father, the experience of birth is largely vicarious. Although men can feel the overwhelming joy of becoming a parent, they never experience the excruciating pain that comes with giving birth to another human — unless they happen to have access to a device that can stimulate intense abdominal contractions. And that is exactly the kind of device one Australian dad-to-be allowed himself to be hooked up to, in hopes of understanding the pain his wife would soon go through.

Unsurprisingly, the cocky expectant father was given a painful wake-up call lasting just over three minutes, culminating in overwhelming pain. Thankfully, for us, his entire simulation experience was caught on video. It’s absolutely hilarious to watch him sweat, squirm, and yell out with frustration as the pain increases. Thankfully for him, the simulation didn’t last the average eight hours of active labor women experience.

When we meet the expectant Aussie he’s in high spirits, giggling as they strap him in and joking that the simulation pads are tickling him. However, things quickly take a sharp and painful turn when the group decides to ramp up the contractions, resulting in an immediate agonized groan. And just as he seems like he’s getting used to the level of pain, the group intensifies the abdominal contractions and he practically writhes while jokingly asking for a back rub and an epidural.

As the rest of the group is laughing at his experience, the man tries to get someone else to try out the pain simulation, including his mom, who kindly reminds him she experienced the real thing by giving birth. By the end of the video, the expectant father is nearly on the verge of tears and just when he thinks it’s over, he gets one last shock from the group. It all looks like an incredibly painful time but the whole experience may be worth it if it helps him really appreciate how much pain his wife is going to have. And at the very least it’s a better experience than the fabled indigenous Mexican tribe where men allow their laboring wives to pull on their testicles via a string while they experience contractions. Now that would be a hilarious video.