Anaesthetist saw panicked husbands use up the nitrous oxide meant for women in labor. His reaction was a 3-part reality check

Doctors often witness all kinds of bizarre moments in the delivery room, but anesthetists often get the best view of the strangest coping mechanisms. On a related note, Dr. Alan Millard (@alan.millard09), an anesthetist, noticed a peculiar pattern while visiting expectant mothers. Well, he saw that it wasn't just the expectant moms, but their partners were also secretly draining the room's nitrous oxide, used to reduce pain and anxiety during labor. Using these incidents as a backdrop, Dr. Millard laid out a sharp three-part reality check for birth partners, warning them not only to stop using the medical gas but also much more, on September 9, 2026, garnering more than 992,000 views on TikTok.

Dads, take a seat

When stepping into a delivery room to administer an epidural, Dr. Millard frequently watches well-meaning men make fundamental mistakes. So, he decided to address those, hoping this would help the upcoming fathers. Right off the bat, he called out to the partners to stop telling the doctors about how exhausted they are. "The women are in labour; just stop it...sit there, have 15 coffees, but shut the f*** up," he said.

Beyond whining, Dr. Millard highlighted instances where partners dipped into the mother's pain relief. He said he's seen several cases where the partners exhaust the nitrous oxide that's meant for women in labor. However, above all, Dr. Millard urged the men, "Don't tell her to breathe; she's been breathing all of her life. Just tell her how fucking proud you are of her."

This isn't a flight

After ruffling some feathers with these takes, Dr. Millard decided to double down on his complaints from the partners. He cautioned men against complaining over rigid furniture or testing their luck with impatient timeline checks. "Don't complain about how uncomfortable the chair is," he scoffed, noting that the hospitals don't prepare to manage two people in agony. Meanwhile, when it comes to waiting, he asked men in labor rooms not to ask how long it's going to take because it's not a flight. Dr. Millard then called out people for showing fake empathy to their partners in pain. "Under no circumstances ever say, I know how you feel. You f****** don't. I've been in anaesthetists for 25 years, and I still don't know how they feel. That's why I give them drugs," the doctor added. 

'Don't pass out'

The dynamics change even more drastically when natural delivery plans pivot toward an unscheduled caesarean section. Dr. Millard stressed that whether the baby arrives naturally or through the caesarean section, the goal is to keep the mother and infant healthy. However, amid the chaos of childbirth, doctors face another challenge when fathers-to-be faint in the delivery room. "Don't pass out," Dr. Millard said, reminding the partners that the doctors are already dealing with two lives and don't want a third. He then advised fathers who feel dizzy to sit down and keep irrelevant personal trauma to themselves. Wrapping up his guidance, he pleaded with men not to be glued to their screens.

The research agrees

Dr. Millard's observation is also backed by research, as according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, 77% of mothers are accompanied by their husband or partner. Moreover, a striking 83% of women reported using one or more types of pain medications for relief at some point during labor, with 6% needing nitrous oxide. Meanwhile, among the other labor pain relief methods, only 48% of women found breathing techniques to work. This is followed by position changes (40%), hands-on techniques (22%), and mental strategies (21%). These findings highlight the importance of partners providing support during labor rather than adding to the mother's stress.

'We couldn't agree more'

Well, Dr. Millard's reactions also struck a chord with the mothers. @merarth123 noted, "I was so pissed when my ex told me he was so tired and was it ok if he went home and took a nap because it was taking so long." At the same time, @raiseherrich commented, "Sent my baby daddy home a third time because he was 'tired'... needless to say, I am now a single mama."

You can follow Alan Millard (@alan.millard09) on TikTok for more medical content. 

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