MERGED-->did bono get to witness all his childrens's births?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

MattFromNYC

War Child
Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Messages
843
Location
New York City, baby!
did bono get to witness his children's births?

? or was he on tour?


someone posted earlier a snippet of an interview where bono said if his last child was born during a tour and show that he would sadly have to miss it, and do the shows.
 
He says he's been there for the birth of all his children. Whether he was actually in the hospital room, to actually witness them, or just waited in the waiting room, that I don't know.
 
i meant, was he 'home' to be there with ali and the babies... at least during the actual birth or something. not like the entire pregnancy, but like to be there with ali when she was gonna give birth.
 
MattFromNYC said:
i meant, was he 'home' to be there with ali and the babies... at least during the actual birth or something. not like the entire pregnancy, but like to be there with ali when she was gonna give birth.

Yes, he was there for all of the births, and in the delivery room. He's talked about it a few times. During the last birth, he said Ali was "roaring like a lion". This last one (John) was born during a short break in the Elevation tour, which had been planned around the birth date. Luckily, the baby was born on schedule.

Edited to add: In the new Assayas book, he talks about being rather squeamish, but that Ali pretty much insisted that he be present. Also, that she taught him everything he needed to know; she gave him all the "classes" to prepare for the birth and the new baby, including how to change a nappie. With the first baby, as her labour was starting, she drove round and picked him up at the studio, took him to a pub for a beer, and then they went together to the hospital. What a gal!
 
Last edited:
What a guy! My husband wouldn't be present for any of ours. The first time, he went to work when I went into labor, saying he wanted a 'surprise' when he got home. My mom sat with me. The other 2 times he was at the hospital but would not come near me, the first time I screamed, he took off and didn't show his face again until the baby was born. You all might think he's a jerk, and in some other ways, he is, but I really don't blame him for this. Not everyone can deal with it, not everyone thinks it's 'beautiful.' To him, it was simply gross, and the faces I was making and the condition I was in, I really didn't want anyone to see me anyway. ANYONE. You know it wasn't until the 80's that this everybody in the delivery room stuff came about, it used to be that no one was allowed in except doctors and nurses, then AFTER the baby was born, only the father of the baby and the mother's mother could see her and the baby until they were taken to their room. Millions of mothers, like mine, endured giving birth alone and did just fine.
 
biff said:


Yes, he was there for all of the births, and in the delivery room. He's talked about it a few times. During the last birth, he said Ali was "roaring like a lion". This last one (John) was born during a short break in the Elevation tour, which had been planned around the birth date. Luckily, the baby was born on schedule.

Edited to add: In the new Assayas book, he talks about being rather squeamish, but that Ali pretty much insisted that he be present. Also, that she taught him everything he needed to know; she gave him all the "classes" to prepare for the birth and the new baby, including how to change a nappie. With the first baby, as her labour was starting, she drove round and picked him up at the studio, took him to a pub for a beer, and then they went together to the hospital. What a gal!

:lol:

She´s brilliant! Imagine taking your hubby to a pub when u are going into labour!
 
biff said:


Yes, he was there for all of the births, and in the delivery room. He's talked about it a few times. During the last birth, he said Ali was "roaring like a lion". This last one (John) was born during a short break in the Elevation tour, which had been planned around the birth date. Luckily, the baby was born on schedule.

Edited to add: In the new Assayas book, he talks about being rather squeamish, but that Ali pretty much insisted that he be present. Also, that she taught him everything he needed to know; she gave him all the "classes" to prepare for the birth and the new baby, including how to change a nappie. With the first baby, as her labour was starting, she drove round and picked him up at the studio, took him to a pub for a beer, and then they went together to the hospital. What a gal!

It really says something about her, to take your hubby to the pub and then go to the hospital, she must be a really lovely, loving person to put him before her at a time like that :heart:
 
U2Kitten said:
What a guy! My husband wouldn't be present for any of ours. The first time, he went to work when I went into labor, saying he wanted a 'surprise' when he got home. My mom sat with me. The other 2 times he was at the hospital but would not come near me, the first time I screamed, he took off and didn't show his face again until the baby was born. You all might think he's a jerk, and in some other ways, he is, but I really don't blame him for this. Not everyone can deal with it, not everyone thinks it's 'beautiful.' To him, it was simply gross, and the faces I was making and the condition I was in, I really didn't want anyone to see me anyway. ANYONE. You know it wasn't until the 80's that this everybody in the delivery room stuff came about, it used to be that no one was allowed in except doctors and nurses, then AFTER the baby was born, only the father of the baby and the mother's mother could see her and the baby until they were taken to their room. Millions of mothers, like mine, endured giving birth alone and did just fine.

Geez, I can't go along with that at all -- if the guy can bring himself to be in the room when the order is placed, then he can bloody well be there when God's UPS man rings the bell! There are a lot of oogy aspects to sticking a peepee in an oony, playing football and getting into a fistfight, but somehow they don't manage to get squeamish over that. And when do WE get the choice to leave the room? It's the women who are having the epidurals, the episiotomies, and then sustaining the equivalent of having a bowling ball pulled out of our noses, and that's OK, but we have to "understand" that they can't even be in the room? I have never met a woman of my mother's generation who didn't wish she had had her husband by her side except for the ones with abusive husbands, and half the time, that's how they ended up pregnant to begin with. No, they didn't do just fine, they did the best they could -- there's a difference. Going through all of that alone while the guy sits in a waiting
room like he's waiting for his car to be tuned up -- I can't see it. :rant:

But back to U2 and birth, I think the sweetest story is Joe O'Herlihy's trek to get to his wife's side when she went into labor in Ireland and they were on tour in the U.S. -- I think it is in that idiot Dunphy's book.
 
Ali does seem like a great lady. And I can totally understand wanting him there as well as wanting a few minutes with him before the birth of a child.

When I went into labor with our first child, Mr. Cat and I stayed home for a while having a cup of coffee and cuddling. I knew once we got to the hospital it would be chaos. But he stayed with me the whole 22 hours I was in labor and even went into the operating room when I had an c-section. I agree if they can put the baby in there they should be there to help be supportive when the baby makes its appearance. :heart:
 
As a guy, I can only say that whatever father misses out on that experience, they have missed out on one of God's greatest gifts for their lives. Unthinkable to me to leave my wife (and child) alone to deal with it themselves. I know the father can't do much but hold a hand here, and dab a cold cloth there, but man...get some inner strength to deal with a bit of blood.
 
biff said:



Edited to add: In the new Assayas book, he talks about being rather squeamish, but that Ali pretty much insisted that he be present. Also, that she taught him everything he needed to know; she gave him all the "classes" to prepare for the birth and the new baby, including how to change a nappie. With the first baby, as her labour was starting, she drove round and picked him up at the studio, took him to a pub for a beer, and then they went together to the hospital. What a gal!

On what page was this? I will have to look it up!
 
I agree with Feeelinnumb (sorry if it's not spelled exact): Men should step up and be accountable and supportive, no matter what!
When I got pregnant, I knew my guy wasn't thrilled with the idea of being in the delivery room but I told him that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, blah, blah. I told him he didn't have to watch the baby coming out, but he had to hold my hand and endure whatever abuse I heaped on him for putting me in that position :wink:

I think it was the idea of a baby coming out (all messy and slimy) of the orifice he associated most with sex and pleasure that he didn't like, but I ended up with two c-sections anyway and he was there for both.
 
I know my hubby sounds like a jerk, and like I said, I don't defend him because in many ways, he is. But you can't suddenly give someone a personality they don't have just because he's a father. He is just not your hand holding, 'push honey push' type of guy. He never was and never will be. I really do feel more comfortable, and comforted, when he's not there in a situation like that. He's just no good, and you can't make him something he's not.

He's also way too 'cool' for that in his own mind. When the baby was born, the nurse came in with a mask and surgical gown and goes 'here you go daddy' and he flatly refused to wear it, saying only geeks did that. He said he'd wait until he got home to hold the baby when he didn't have to wear it. So that's how he is.

I also never made him change a diaper or get up in the middle of the night or anything like that. He really doesn't know how lucky he is, considering how demanding most other new mothers I know have been on their guys.
 
Back
Top Bottom