I'm a mother of three.  When my kids were born, I wanted 3 people other
than medical personnel there (I had my kids in the hospital):  my mom,
my husband, and my mother-in-law.



My husband was there for emotional support, and because it was his kid,
too. We'd done Lamaze classes together, and in a labor situation, I
wasn't going to remember anything!



I also needed my mom, because when I'm sick or hurting, I still want to
be babied! I knew birth wasn't going to be easy. Plus, she had already
had one child, so I figured she'd be able to help us remember our
classes.



I wanted my MIL there because she had plenty of experience with giving
birth (4 kids!) and she's like a second mother to me.  Plus, all three
wanted to be there.



My second and third time giving birth, my mom took the kid(s) out of
the room when it was time for the "work" to begin. My MIL missed the
last birth because she got sick. It was nice for it to be just my
husband and myself, but I missed the emotional support only another
mother could give.