Nowadays most dads are expected to be present and supportive at the birth of their children.
Some dads are terrified by the prospect while others can be extremely helpful.
Mums sometimes have reservations about their partners being present also.
But Eastenders star James Bye set an excellent example for other dads, by going one step further to deliver his youngest son, Louis George.
In fact, he dived right into the middle of the action!
As wife Victoria was giving birth in a birthing pool, he had to don his swimming trunks for the occasion.
James told OK! Magazine, that he clambered into the pool and helped deliver his son safely.
"I got my trunks on and got in, too,” James recalled. "I put my hand down and held his head."
"It was the most amazing feeling on earth. I can’t put into words what it felt like to do it, to pull him into this world."
The soap star, who plays Martin Fowler, welcomed son Louis on March 9 last year and is also dad to an older boy, Edward, who is three years old.
Victoria said the experience brought them closer and made their relationship even stronger.
"It makes you stronger as a couple to share these experiences and go through them together," she explained.
Although she initially had reservations about James being so involved in the birth, she’s glad he was present.
"Part of me did wonder whether it would faze James to see me in all my glory through labour – the scarier, gorier parts particularly. But he wanted to be there and to be a part of it”, Victoria explained.
Proud dad James loves posting photos of his boys to his Instagram account, including snaps of them on holidays and a hilarious photo of himself with a children’s tunnel over his body with just his head poking out.
Looks like this doting dad doesn’t mind making a fool of himself for his beloved boys.
In an interview last year, James said he enjoyed working with a newborn on set for a storyline prior to his second son’s birth.
"Working with a newborn baby on the EastEnders set got me excited for our own baby's arrival," he said.
“I’d forgotten how small newborns are.”
James is keen to expand their family, ‘We’ll keep going until we get a whole football team”, he told OK! Magazine.
We hope Victoria feels the same way…
