Once, no man would have dreamed of being present in the room as his wife was giving birth.
曾經，男人們不敢奢望可以出現在妻子分娩的產房。

Then opinions changed and the father was expected to be there to share in all the pain and joy.
后來人們的觀念變了，大家希望新生兒的父親可以陪伴產婦一同分享痛苦與快樂。

But now it seems that so many people are crowding into the delivery suite you could almost sell tickets.
而現在似乎太多的人涌進產房，都快可以收門票了。

A survey of 2,000 mothers has found that those in their twenties or teens are taking an average of eight people into the birthing room with them – and that doesn’t include the midwife or other medical staff.
一項涉及2000名母親的調查發現，十幾歲、二十多歲的媽媽們平均帶8個人一起進產房，這還不包括助產士或其他醫護人員。

The survey, conducted by the website Channel Mum, said that women now aged in their sixties typically had only had their partner alongside the midwife present while they gave birth.
這項由Channel Mum網站進行的調查顯示，現年60多歲的女性當年生孩子的時候，通常只有助產士和伴侶在場。

For women now in their fifties this had doubled to two people, usually their partner and their own mother.
而現年50多歲的女性則將這一數字增加到了兩人，通常是她們的伴侶和媽媽。

Siobhan Freegard, founder of Channel Mum, said: ‘The younger generation are used to sharing every aspect of their lives, so why not birth?
Channel Mum網站的創始人西沃恩·弗里加德（Siobhan Freegard）說：“年輕一代習慣分享他們生活的方方面面，連生孩子也不例外。”

‘Many women feel it is their biggest achievement and so want to share the moment with all of those closest to them.
“很多女性認為這是她們最大的成就，因此希望同所有親近的人分享這一時刻?！?/span>

‘The crowdbirthing phenomenon may not suit everyone but being part of the birth is an honour and privilege which unites friends and family like nothing else.’
“分娩邀圍觀這件事也許并不適合每個人，但是作為見證分娩過程的一員是一種榮耀和特權，沒有什么比這件事更能將朋友和家人凝聚在一起?！?/span>

Mothers-in-law are now the most popular birthing supporter after the mum’s partner and mother, the survey suggests. One in 25 even chose their own father to be present in the delivery room.
該調查還顯示，婆婆現在成了僅次于產婦的丈夫和母親的陪產第三大熱門人選。二十五分之一的產婦甚至選擇了邀請自己的父親進入產房。

But the research also shows there is a downside to giving birth in front of an audience.
不過這項研究還顯示，分娩時有人圍觀也有不利的一面。

Mothers are increasingly refusing to take pain relief because they fear they will be judged. One third of the women surveyed cited social pressure as a reason to have a birth without painkillers, complaining that others would regard them unfavourably if they did otherwise.
因為害怕被人評頭論足，產婦越來越不愿使用止痛藥。三分之一的受調查的女性稱，社會壓力是她們分娩時不用止痛藥的原因之一，她們抱怨說如果自己用了止痛藥就會被說三道四。

One in five said they felt that opting for a caesarean section would make them feel as though they had ‘failed at giving birth’.
五分之一的人表示，選擇剖腹產會使她們覺得自己好像“不能生孩子”似的。

Adding to the stresses of new mothers are women who write about their births on social media and talk airily of bringing new life into the world, and celebrities who make giving birth seem effortless.
新媽媽的壓力還源于那些在社交媒體上講述自己分娩過程、炫耀自己將新生命帶到這個世界的女性，以及那些似乎可以輕松分娩的明星。

Some 15 per cent of mothers said they felt under pressure from stars who have apparently sailed through labour, such as supermodel Gisele Bundchen, 35, who said her eight-hour labour ‘didn’t hurt in the slightest’ and claimed her newborn son didn’t even cry.
大約15%的母親說她們因為那些明星看似輕輕松松就把孩子生了下來而感到很有壓力，比如說35歲的超模吉賽爾·邦辰(Gisele Bundchen )。邦辰在談到她8個小時的分娩時表示“一點也不疼”，并聲稱她的兒子剛生出來時甚至都沒哭。

The rise of social media means that the moment of giving birth, once an intensely private event, is now being shared all around the world. Many mothers take ‘selfies’ with their baby just moments after delivery and post the picture on Facebook and Twitter.
社交媒體的迅速發展意味著分娩這個曾高度私密的事情，現如今更多地被分享給全世界。很多母親在剛剛生下寶寶后就會和寶寶自拍，然后將照片上傳到臉書和推特上。

Some are even hiring ‘birthing photographers’ to capture every intimate moment. Already a popular practice in the US, more and more British mothers are paying to have their labour recorded.
一些媽媽甚至會雇“分娩攝影師”捕捉每一個親密時刻。在美國這已經是一種風尚，在英國越來越多的媽媽也開始花錢請人記錄下自己分娩的過程。

Starting from around ￡500, many photographers will agree to be on call 24 hours a day from 36 weeks in the pregnancy.
起價500英鎊左右，很多攝影師會欣然接受在孕期的36周內每天24小時待命。

Vocabulary