Male reporter to experience pain of ‘childbirth’ for real

As European vacations go, this one is pretty far removed from the sun lounger and beach towel. Newstalk’s Henry McKean is going to Amsterdam to personally “experience” childbirth.

The intrepid reporter is being dispatched to the Dutch capital and The Birth Hotel at Geboorte Centrum, where he will be attached to electrodes that will simulate childbirth, or as staff there put it, “the full labour experience”.

Any man lucky enough to have been present at the birth of his children will come away with two resounding thoughts: a newfound and utterly elevated respect for all of womankind, and a sigh of relief that he didn’t have to do any of the work.

I'm feeling broody #henrysbaby @Newstalkfm pic.twitter.com/UXj652J6k2

— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) June 25, 2013

Henry is now seeking to cross that rubicon and to top it off, it will be played out on national radio.

The fact that bookmakers Ladbrokes have opened a book on how long he lasts sums it up — after all, why would you go through all that pain and not have a beautiful, gurgling baby at the end of it?

Henry seems to be aware that the odds are stacked against him: “I have been practising my breathing techniques and pain tolerance, I’m becoming increasingly nervous and worried about it.

“Princess Kate and Will are having a baby and I recently became an uncle so I’m feeling broody but nothing prepared me for this.”

Bookmakers have odds of 4/5 on that McKean will cry during the “birthing” process, and offer odds of 4/1 that he will quit within just half an hour.

Women who typically have already undergone nine months of pregnancy don’t have that option, so the Newstalk man is under pressure to stay the course rather than cop out before the end. In a way, male honour (if there’s any of it left), is at stake.

I could be dreaming but @HenryMcKean from @Newstalkfm has travelled to Amsterdam to give birth. The Dutch, eh? Let ya do anything they will.

— Conor Pope (@conor_pope) June 25, 2013

His progress, or lack of it, will be tracked this week on The Moncrieff Show and Twitter updates will be tagged under #henrysbaby.

And Henry: don’t forget the TENs machine.