Unit 23: Great expectations!

First conditional

Session 1
A boy or a girl? In this session, we hear about the arrival of a baby and learn
some idioms used to talk about expecting a child.

Activity 1
A bun in the oven!
Baby talk

For some people, there is nothing more exciting than expecting a baby. There is
the anticipation of what it will look like and what characteristics it will have. And
the big question is: will it be a boy or will it be a girl? The sex of the child will decide
a number of outcomes - its name, what it wears and what it does.

Listen to this conversation. See if you can count how many different ways people
say that someone is going to have a baby.

Bocabulary

Idioms/ idions/ modismos. Lenguajes due date/ fecha de vencimiento, fecha

Arrival/ araivol/ arribo, llegada
Expecting/ esperando
Bun/ bon/ bollo
Baby talk / lenguaje infantil
Exciting/ eksairin/ emosinante
Anticipation/ intisipeishon
Decide/ disaid/ decidir
Features/ fechiurs/ caracteristicas
Likely/ probablemente
Outcomes/autcoms/ resultados
Pregnant/pregnent/ embarazada
growing / groing/ creciendo
prevista
maternity leave/ permiso de maternidad
allowed/alaod/ permitido
gives birth/ tercera persona de give/ dar a luz
morning sickness/ morning siknes/ nauseas
matutinas
pregnancy/prenegcy/ el embarazo
broody/bruudy/ melanolico
patter/parer/ golpecitos
tiny /taini/ pequeñitos
puppy/popy/ perrito, mascota
fatte/ más gorda

Harry
So have you heard my news?

Lucy
No, what is it?
Harry
We'll be hearing the patter of tiny feet soon.

Lucy
What?! You're finally getting a puppy?

Harry
No! My wife is pregnant, so we're expecting our first baby.

Lucy & Pete

Congratulations! That is good news.

Pete
Actually, I thought your wife had a bun in the oven, when I saw her the other day
– but I wasn't sure if she had just eaten too much!

Harry
You mean she’d got fatter? Well, no she hasn't, but she is eating a lot, now that
she's eating for two.

Lucy
Of course. So, when is the happy event?

Harry
The baby's due in November.

Pete
Great – and what are you going to call it?

Harry
We're not sure yet but probably, if it's a girl, we'll call her Scarlet – and if it's a boy
we'll call him Alfred, after my grandfather.

Lucy
Good choices. So if your wife is in the family way, when is she going
on maternity leave?

Harry
She has had some morning sickness but she’s going to carry on working until
nearer the due date. We're very excited you know.

Pete
I'm sure you are but you'll need to take good care of her now that she's carrying
your child.

Lucy
I'm sure he will – you know what, I'm beginning to feel quite broody myself!
Activity 2
Expecting an idiom!
Getting it right

If you want to sound like a natural English speaker it's good to use idioms – but it's
important to get them right. Listen to the baby-related idioms used in activity 1
again and see if you can complete the next activity.

Getting it right/ entendiéndolo

baby's due/ naciemiento del bebe

in the family way/ en la dulce espera

maternity leave/ licencia de maternidad

Activity 3
6 Minute Vocabulary

Silent letters

What is the opposite of day? And what is the name of the chess piece in this
picture?

The answers to these two questions sound the same, but they’re spelt differently.
Night and knight. You might wonder how these words can sound the same when
they have a different letter at the beginning. The key to understanding this is that in
English we sometimes have silent letters. These are letters that we see in words -
but don’t actually pronounce.

Normally, ‘k’ in English makes a /k/ sound, like in ‘kick’. But before an ‘n’ we don’t
say the /k/ sound – so ‘knight’ is pronounced /naɪt/. And the word ‘night’ is also
pronounced /naɪt/.

This might sound confusing, but don’t worry because this episode of 6 Minute
Vocabulary will help you understand them.

Write down the words you hear that have silent letters.
Bocabulary

Opposite/ opezit/ opuesto different/ dif rent/ difente

chess piece/ ches pis/ pieza de ajedrez appear/ apier/ aparecen
treatment/ tritment/ tratamiento muscle/ masol/ musculo
suggest/sug yest/ sugiere I´m afraid/ me temo
wrist/ rist/ muñeca Pronounced/ pronaunst/ pronunciado
thumb/ dhom/ pulgar Upper/ superior
physically / fisikly/ físicamente Lower/louer/ inferior
demanding/demandin/ exigente Joint/ articulacion
recently/ cisently/ recientemente Ladder/ ladder/ escalera
probably/pro bol bi/ probablemente Lamb/ cordero
pulled/pold/ tirado Alive/ alaif/ viva

Catherine
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary. I’m Catherine…

Rob
And I’m Rob. In today’s show we’re going to look at a very important part of spoken
and written vocabulary: silent letters.

Catherine
Silent letters. We’ll look at what they are, where they appear and how to say
them…

Rob
There’ll be a quiz…

Catherine
And we’ll leave you with a top tip for learning vocabulary.

Rob
But first, let’s listen to Nick. He’s at the doctor’s, and it’s not good news.

Catherine
No, it’s not. While you listen, try and answer this question: what treatment does the
doctor suggest for Nick?

INSERT

Doctor
Take a seat. What seems to be the problem?

Nick
It’s my wrist – it really hurts!
Doctor
Let’s see if we can work out what’s wrong. Do you have pain anywhere else? What
about your elbows and knees?

Nick
No. They’re fine. But I can’t move my thumb and I don’t know why.

Doctor
Well. Have you done anything physically demanding recently?

Nick
I did play tennis yesterday…

Doctor
You’ve probably just got a pulled muscle then. You’ll just have to rest your wrist.
No playing tennis for a while I'm afraid.

STING

Catherine
So, we asked you: what treatment did the doctor suggest for Nick?

Rob
And the answer is: he told Nick to rest his wrist.

Catherine
He did: well done if you got that right. Now, wrist – that’s the bit of your body that
joins your arm to your hand – is an example of the vocabulary area we’re looking at
today – and that’s words with silent letters, Rob.

Rob
Yes: we spell this word wrist, w-r-i-s-t, but when we say it, we don’t pronounce the
first letter /w/. Instead, we start with the sound from the second letter in the word,
which is the letter r - pronounced /r/.

Catherine
Let’s listen to Nick again.

INSERT

Nick
It’s my wrist – it really hurts!

Catherine
So we don’t say w-rist: we say wrist. Wrist. Some other words that start with a
silent w are…

Rob
Write: that’s w-r-i-t-e, like to write a letter, and wrong, w-r-o-n-g, meaning not
correct. In fact, there’s a rule here, which is: we don’t usually pronounce the w in
words that begin w-r. When did you last write a letter, Catherine?

Catherine
I wrote a letter on paper… I really don’t know Rob, to be honest, it’s all email for
me now.

Rob
That’s a good idea, with your handwriting.

Catherine
Probably. Now, Nick said another word with a silent letter:

INSERT

Nick
… but I can’t move my thumb and I don’t know why.

Rob
The word was know, meaning: to recognise and understand something, is spelt k-
n-o-w but we don’t say the letter k. So it isn’t k-now but know.

Catherine
It’s know. So, another rule for you: we don’t normally say the k in words that
begin k-n: like knee, the joint between your upper and lower leg, and knife, the
tool we use to cut things. Knee and knife start with silent k.

Rob
Excellent. Now, Nick also said a word with a silent letter at the end.

Catherine
He did, it’s a part of the hand: you’ve got four fingers, and then the fifth one that
sticks out the other way is your thumb; that’s thumb spelt t-h-u-m-b, but we don’t
pronounce the final b. We don’t say thum-b – we say thumb. Thumb.

Rob
Some other words with a silent b at the end are…

Catherine
Climb, like to climb a ladder, and lamb, a baby sheep.

Rob
Do you like lamb, Catherine?

Catherine
I do like lamb! I like lambs when they are alive, I have to say, I also quite like eating
them.

IDENT
6 Minute Vocabulary from BBC Learning English.
Catherine
And it’s time for a quiz. Count the silent letters in these sentences. Number one.
There’s something wrong with my wrist.

Rob
And the answer is two. Wrong and wrist both begin with a silent w.

Catherine
Good. Sentence number two. I don’t know why my thumb hurts.

Rob
And the answer is two again. Know starts with a silent k and thumb ends with a
silent b.

Catherine
And the last one. No, I can’t climb up there because I’ve hurt my knee.

Rob
Well, climb has a silent b at the end, and knee starts with a silent k. But the
word noat the beginning of the sentence is the opposite of yes, so it’s spelt n-o. So
the answer is: there are two words with silent letters in this sentence.

Catherine
Well done if you got those right.

Rob
And that brings us almost to the end of today’s programme.

Catherine
Before we go, here’s today’s top tip for learning and recording vocabulary: when
you learn a word, and you know it has a silent letter, mark the silent letter very
clearly in your vocabulary notebook. That way you won’t forget how to say it.

Rob
Thank you – I know what to do now! There’s more about this at BBC Learning
English dot com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Vocabulary.

Both
Bye!

Activity 1
Advice for new mums
If I get tired, I'll have a nap

Sue is in the family way! She is expecting a baby - it's due in November. Her
friends have a lot of advice for her and husband Harry. Listen. Do you think the
advice is good or bad?
Advice/ edvaise/ consejos
results./ risolt/ resultados
hurry/ prisa

fewer/ fiuer/
headaches./jedeik/ dolor de cabeza

lie/ tumbarse, yaser /

belly/ beli/ vientre
advance/ edvens/ adelantado
go into labour/ entrar en trabajo de parto

bilingual/bailingol/ bilingüe

labour./leybour/ labor

Pete
If you drink eight glasses of water a day, you'll get fewer headaches.

Lucy
Your circulation will be better if you lie on your back and put your feet in the air.

Pete
If Harry sings songs to your bump, your baby will get used to his voice.

Lucy
If you pack a bag in advance, you'll be ready to go to the hospital when you go
into labour.

Pete
The baby will be bilingual if you and Harry speak to it in two different languages.

IF + will

All the advice uses the first conditional: if + will. We use the first conditional to talk
about possible future situations (or 'conditions') and their results. The person giving
the advice doesn't know whether or not Sue will do these things.

A conditional sentence usually has two parts: the if part and the result (main) part.
For the first conditional we use the present simple in the if part, and will +
infinitive (without to) in the main part.

The two parts can be in any order. When the 'if' part comes first, we put a comma
between the if and the main part. We don't use a comma when the main part
comes first.

If I feel tired, I'll have a nap.

I'll have a nap if I feel tired.

It isn't certain that I'll feel tired.

Negative
If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the train.

They won’t go to the beach if it isn’t sunny.

Question
If you get home early, what will you do?

How will he feel if he doesn’t get the job?

Activity 2
Sue's ready for anything
Making plans

Sue has only just found out she is pregnant, but she has already been making
plans. Do you think they are all good ideas?

Bocabulary

away on business./ viaje de negocios

trimester./traimester

find out/ descubramos

waters break/ ruptura de la fuente

straight away./ inmediatamente

breastfeeding/ lactancia, amamantar

Sue

My sister will come and stay when Harry's away on business.

When we find out if it's a boy or girl, we'll choose a name.

I'll start doing pregnancy yoga when I enter the second trimester.

When my waters break, I'll call the doctor straight away.

When our baby's born, I hope Harry will be there.

I'll sing the baby songs when I'm breastfeeding.

When the baby is eight weeks old, we'll put it in its own room to sleep

when + will

All of the plans are in the first conditional and use when + will. We use the first
conditional to talk about possible future situations (or 'conditions') and their results.
In activity 1, you saw use 'if' for things we think are likely to happen. In Sue's plans
she uses when for things she thinks are certain to happen.

A conditional sentence usually has two parts: the when part and the result (main)
part. For the first conditional we use the present simple in the when part, and will +
infinitive(without to) in the main part.

The two parts can be in any order. When the when part comes first, we put a
comma between the when and the main part. We don't use a comma when the
main part comes first.

When I get home, I'll cook dinner.

I'll cook dinner when I get home.

It's certain that I will get home. I will then cook dinner.

Negative
When I get home, I won’t watch TV.

We will not be here when you visit on Friday.

Question
When you finish school, what will you do?

How will he feel when he hears the bad news?

Activity 3
6 Minute Grammar
First conditional

If it rains, what will you do? Well, if it rains, I’ll take my umbrella with me. It’s not as
colourful as the one in the picture, but it will keep me dry. ‘If it rains, I will take my
umbrella’ is an example of a first conditional sentence. We mainly use first
conditionals to talk about possible future situations, and their results. Listen to 6
Minute Grammar to hear more examples.

Bocabulary
Colourful/ vistoso
Mainly/ meinly/ principalmente
Helpful/ holpul/ útil
Passes/ pazes/ pasa
Kettle/ ketol/ tetera
Properly/ properly/ correctamente
Shortened/ Shortnid/ acortado

Neil
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil.

Sophie
And me, Sophie. Hello.

Neil
Today we’re talking about the first conditional.

Sophie
Yes, the first conditional. We’ll be looking at why and when we use it.

Neil
We’ll see how to make it…

Sophie
There’ll be a very helpful pronunciation tip…

Neil
And there’ll be a quiz at the end of the show, so keep listening!
Sophie
OK, let’s start with why and when. We use the first conditional to talk about
possible future situations - and their possible results. Here’s Catherine with our first
example:

Catherine
If I lose my umbrella, I will buy another one.

Sophie
Thanks, Catherine. A weather-related example there: If I lose my umbrella, I will
buy another one.

Neil
And it’s made of two parts. The first part describes a possible future situation, and
it’s made from if plus the present simple: If I lose my umbrella…

Sophie
…and the second part is the result part. It’s made of will plus an infinitive. I will
buyanother one. Can you put them both together now please Catherine.

Catherine
If I lose my umbrella, I will buy another one.

Neil
Thanks, Catherine. Here are some more examples.

Catherine
If I visit Mexico, I will stay with my friends.
They will go to the beach if it’s sunny.
If Michal passes his exams, we’ll have a party for him.

Neil
So that’s the first conditional: if plus present simple, with will plus an infinitive,
to talk about a possible future situation and its possible result.

Sophie
That’s right. But if we’re not sure if the result part will actually happen, we can
use might instead of will. Catherine.

Catherine
If I lose my umbrella, I might buy another one.

Neil
I might buy you dinner tonight, Sophie, if you’re nice to me!

Sophie
Well, I’m always nice, Neil. So that’s might instead of will – when we’re not certain
about the future result.
Neil
But if we’re sure that the future situation will happen, we can change if to when,
like this:

Catherine
When I lose my umbrella, I’ll buy another one.

Sophie
You should always look after your umbrellas, Catherine. Ok, let’s look at
using shouldfor advice in a first conditional sentence.

Catherine
You shouldn’t use the kettle if it isn’t working properly.

Sophie
So the result part comes first. We have a modal verb, shouldn’t, and we use this
to give advice: Don’t use the kettle! The if part gives the possible future situation:
The kettle isn’t working.

Neil
But how are we going to make the tea if the kettle’s broken? I haven’t had a cup all
morning!

Sophie
I’ll do my best to fix it, Neil. Now for a pronunciation tip. In our examples about
umbrellas, the two words I will can be shortened to I’ll. Here’s Catherine with the
long and short versions of I will. Listen carefully.

Catherine
If I lose my umbrella, I will buy another one.
If I lose my umbrella, I’ll buy another one.

Neil
I will buy… I’ll buy. So will is shortened to just a /l/ sound. Here are some more
examples:

Catherine
They will go to the beach if it’s sunny.
They’ll go to the beach if it’s sunny.
If Michal passes his exams, we will have a party for him.
If Michal passes his exams, we’ll have a party for him.

IDENT
You’re listening to BBC Learning English.

Sophie
And we’re talking about the first conditional.
Neil
And it’s time for a quiz! Decide if these sentences are right or wrong. Sophie will
give you the answers. Number one. If William wakes up late, he miss the school
bus.

Sophie
And this sentence is wrong: the if part is correct; but will is missing from the result
part. Here’s the correct sentence, with a short will: If William wakes up late,
he’ll miss the school bus.

Neil
Great. Another one: I’ll visit Central Park if I go to New York.

Sophie
This sentence is correct!

Neil
And the last one: I might go to the doctor if I won’t feel better tomorrow.

Sophie
This sentence has the future form won’t in the if part - and that’s wrong. The
correct sentence needs present simple in the if part, so: I might go to the doctor if
I don’t feel better tomorrow.

Neil
Well done if you got those right at home. Now, before we go, here’s a top tip for
using the first conditional correctly – you only need one will, and it’s never in
the if part. Here’s a wrong example:

Catherine
If I will see Peter on Saturday, I will tell him to call you.

Sophie
If I will see… I will tell him – two wills – that’s got to be wrong. Let’s have a correct
version please, Catherine.

Catherine
If I see Peter on Saturday, I’ll tell him to call you.

Neil
That’s much better. Only one will and it isn’t in the if part.

Sophie
So that’s the first conditional. It’s made of if plus the present simple, with will
plus the infinitive.

Neil
And we mainly use it to talk about a possible situation in the future and its results.
 Sophie
There’s lots more about this at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6
Minute Grammar.

Both
Bye.

Activity 1 (Con audio)

If he takes after me...
Parents-to-be

These three people are all expecting children. Listen to them talk about what their
children might be like.

To do

Try to answer these questions while you listen:

 Who is good at maths and science?

 What is the name of Sue's husband's grandfather?
 Who has ginger hair?

Bocabulary

Parents/ padres due/ se espera que nazca

Expecting/ xpecting/ esperando stuff/stof/ cosas

Ginger/yinyer/ pelirojo disappointed/disapoinid/ descepcionado

takes after/ parecerse a, salir a develop/ divelop/ desarrollar

mean/ malos
runs in my family/ viene de familia
As long as/ mientras que
in the family way/ estar en cinta,
embarazada pleased./ plizd/ satisfechs
natural skills/ aptitudes naturales annoyed/ enoyd/ irritado
call him after/ llamarlo con nombre de
alguien en su honor

Dave
My wife's in the family way - she's seven months pregnant and we know it's a
boy. If he's anything like me he'll be good at football, rugby, cricket - he'll be
a fantastic all-round sportsman - it runs in my family. My wife's the intelligent one
- if he takes afterher he'll be good at maths and science and all that kind of boring
stuff. But if he is into education and not the sports, I won't be disappointed - I'll help
him develop his natural skills.

Sue
My husband and I are expecting our second child. If it's a girl, we'll name her after
my mother, Penelope. If it's a boy, my husband wants to call
him Archibald after hisgrandfather. I think it's quite a strange name though. If it is
a boy, I think I'll make a list of other names for my husband to choose from. If we
do call him Archibald, he might have trouble when he goes to school. Children can
be very mean, and I don't think that will change in the near future. I think he'll have
a much easier time if we call him something normal, like Eugene or Lesley.

Mark
It's very exciting - my wife's due in two weeks, so we'll be hearing the pitter patter
of tiny feet very soon. If our daughter takes after my wife's side of the family,
she'll have dark hair. But everyone on my side of the family is ginger. I'll be quite
pleased if she is ginger too, but I don't mind if she isn't. As long as she's healthy
and happy we'll all be very pleased.

Activity 1
The cost of childbirth
How much do women have to pay?

The cost of giving birth is very high in some countries and very low, or even free, in
others. We read about the BBC’s Mariko Oi, who gave birth in Singapore. She
compares her costs with those in some other developed countries.

To do

While you are reading the article, answer this question: How many different
countries are mentioned?

This text is based on an original BBC News article.

Bocabulary

Childbirth/ chaild birts/ parto prenatal check-ups/ exámenes prenatales

Labour/ parto
Concerns/ preocupaciones,
inquietudes
Epidural/ iyeccion, anestecia.
Delivery/deliveri/ parto, alumbramiento
Rising/ raizin/ aumentó, creció
Whole/ oul/ todo
prenatal/ prineitl/ prenatal
allowance /alauens/ prestación
covered/kaved/ cubierto
taxpayer-funded/ financiamiento por los
contribuyente
regarded/ considerado
fair /fer/ justo over/ mas de
expatriates/eks paetriit/ expatriar fee/ fi/ TARIFA, couta.

average /averich/ promedio medical insurance/ medicol inshoorens/

seguro medico
deliveries /deliveries/ entrega
provides / proporciona
Different countries, different systems
employers/ emploiar/ empleador
top up/ aumentar,
employees/ emploii/ empleado
bills/ facturas, cuentas
complicated/ complikeitid/ complicada

Different countries, different systems

“Money should be the least of your concerns when you are in labour. But when I
was about to push my baby out I noticed that the epidural was running low, and
before asking my doctor to top it up I thought to myself: ‘Would that be another
$500?’”

Three days later, Mariko was presented with three different hospital bills; one for
her, another for her baby daughter and a third one, which she cannot even
remember.

The cost of her delivery in Singapore was around US $6,700, rising to around
$7,600 for the whole birth, including the prenatal check-ups.

Mariko is from Japan and her husband is from the UK. Starting a family in those
countries can be much cheaper. In Japan, new parents are given an allowance by
the government. In the UK, people are covered by the taxpayer-funded National
Health Service.

In Singapore, if you are a citizen, you get a ‘baby bonus’ of $4,400 and
other subsidiesbecause the government wants people to have more children. It is
regarded as a very fair system. Unfortunately for Mariko, expatriates living in
Singapore pay the full price for all medical treatment.

However, compared with the costs in some countries, $6,700 can seem cheap.
The US is said to be the most expensive country to give birth in. The average cost
of a natural childbirth is $30,000 according to Truven Health Analytics. Bills for
complicated deliveries can be over $100,000 - a huge amount of money for those
without medical insurance.

In contrast, France provides universal health coverage through health

insurance contributions from employers and employees. This means that
people do not receive a bill when they have a baby.
"A uniform, high-quality medical service is available throughout the country and
medical care is available to all, so no distinctions are made between rich and
poor," says Professor William Haseltine, president of ACCESS Health
International. He thinks the French system is one other countries should learn from

Activity 2
Childbirth traditions around the world

Advice for new mums in Britain

A lot of people who visit Britain complain that the food is boring. But they might
change their minds after reading these ideas - old and new - about what new
mothers should eat!

Coal
People traditionally believed that pregnant women craved coal! It was thought that
they needed the minerals it contained. This belief has died out in recent years.

Stout
Breastfeeding mothers were traditionally advised to drink stout (a kind of black
beer) every day to promote the production of milk. It’s true that the barley in stout
increases milk production, but we now know that if a pregnant woman drinks too
much alcohol, the baby won't be healthy. So experts now advise non-alcoholic
ways of getting the same nutrients.

A full English breakfast

If you like a fried breakfast, you'll be pleased to hear that it has been linked to good
health. Scientists in Britain now believe that the bacon and eggs in a traditional
English breakfast are good for pregnant women. They say they contain a nutrient
that helps unborn babies’ brains grow. So these days, some British people believe
that if a pregnant woman regularly eats a full English breakfast, she'll have a
healthy baby

Bocabulary

Complain/ complein/ quejas Promote/ promut/ estimular

Craved/ creiv/ tener antojo Barley/barliy/ cebada

Coal/ koul/ carbón Increases/incrisis/ incrementa

Belief/ creencia linked / linkt/ relacionado

Breastfeeding/ amamantamiento pleased/ plizd/ complacido

Stout/ cerveza negra unborn/ An bourn/ aun no nacido

grow./ grou/ crecer

Traditions in your country

If a woman is having a baby in your country, what will she be told to do? What will
she be told to eat and not eat? What activities will she do? How will the baby's
name be chosen? And what should new mothers do once the baby is born?

Thank you for emailing your comments to us. We enjoyed reading them. This task
is now closed.

Here are a few of the comments that we received.

Rafael, Venezuela

When a woman is pregnant old women always recommend eating a lot of plátanos
which is some kind of large and non-sweet banana typical of South America,
although they recommend eating soup with beef ribs and chicken leg.

When the child is born is pretty common to give an homemade hot fruit liquor to the
people who come to visit the child, it's a pretty strong liquor so it's serve in a really
small cup. This is to celebrate the new member of the family and it's called "Miaito"
which means child piss.

Valentina, Italy

In Sicily when a woman is going to have a baby there are many things that she
doesn't have to do.
The strangest is that if she want to eat something like usually happens when
pregnant
she must not touch her paunch because the child will be born with the stain of what
the mother wanted.
For example if she wanted a coffee the child will be born with a stain of coffee in
the point of the body that the mother has touched.
There are many stains of strawberry in the body of many persons in Sicily!
Activity 3
News Report
Dads attending births

Who is normally present when a baby is born in your culture? Of course the
woman giving birth is there and often doctors, nurses and midwives. But what
about the father? In the UK it hasn't always been normal for dads to be at the birth.
This News Report is about how this has changed over time.

Listen to the programme and write down any new words you hear. After you listen
you can check them with the vocabulary list and the transcript.

Here's a question for you to answer while you listen. In the 1980s, how many
fathers were present during the birth of their children?

Bocabulary

Midwives/ mit waif/ parteras encourage/enkiurijch/ alentan

not their place/ no es su lugar towards/ hacia

maternity unit / unidad de maternidad parenting/ crianza

By the end of/ al final de bond / band/ enlace

Led/ lleva newborn/ recien nacido

Away from/ lejos de Despite/ despait/ A pesar de

surroundings / entorno Squeamish/ skiumish/ delicado

involved/ involvd/ involucrar Wives/ guaivs/ esposas

increasing/ creciente

Times have changed in the world of childbirth in the UK.

In the 1950s fathers were rarely present at the birth of their children. Many men
thought it was not their place.

In those days fathers preferred to wait in the kitchen or the pub for news.
This wasn’t always the man’s choice. Women too were not always happy for their
husbands to see them while they were giving birth.

However, if you are in a hospital maternity unit now you will see many fathers.
These fathers are not just waiting outside for information but taking an active part
in the delivery.

By the end of the 1970s up to 80% of fathers were present when their children
were born.

There are a number of possible reasons for this change.

In 1948 the National Health Service was established in the UK. This led to more
women having children in hospital than at home. Away from the familiar
surroundings of the home, women looked for more moral support and men
started to play an increasing role.

Doctors and midwives now generally encourage fathers to be part of the process.
In the past this wasn’t always true.

Changing attitudes in society towards relationships and parenting have also had a
big impact. There is now more focus on the emotional bond between a man and a
woman and a man and his newborn child.

Despite this some fathers still prefer not to be there when their children are born.
Some are squeamish and some think that if they see their wives giving birth it will
be bad for their relationship.