2025.10.12 – How It Feels (Sort Of) When Dads “Give Birth”: Behind the Labor Simulator Challenge

Key Takeaways

• A video shows men using a labor pain simulator to mimic childbirth contractions.
• Electrodes on the lower abdomen and lower back deliver controlled electrical pulses.
• The design is progressive, supervised, and meant to build empathy and awareness.
• Though entertaining, such experiences carry real physical discomfort and require safety care.
• This format can be adapted into educational workshops for prenatal or empathy training.

What the Video Presents

A social media post (by OkChicas) shows men lying in beds wearing blue clothes, visibly connected to wires and electrodes. Their reactions evolve from playful to pained. The caption reads:

“It’s time for dads to experience what childbirth is like. Get ready for the screams and the pain 😱😈😂” (translated from Spanish)

The video mixes humor with reflection, inviting viewers to consider the intensity of childbirth from a new perspective.

Mechanism of the Simulator

The device used is a labor pain simulator, typically employing Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) (or a variant of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, TENS). Electrodes are stuck on:

• The lower abdomen (to simulate uterine contractions)
• The lower back (to mimic lower-back pressure often felt during labor)

A control unit sends rhythmic electrical pulses of increasing strength. A trained facilitator adjusts the intensity, ensuring safety and allowing participants to stop. The aim is to simulate—but not recreate fully—labor sensations.

Physical Sensations & Safety Considerations

Participants often report:

• A gentle tingling or cramp at lower levels
• Intensifying spasms, muscle tension, and breathing strain
• Audible reactions: groans, shouts, facial traces of pain

Safety is essential. Individuals with heart problems, epilepsy, pacemakers, or implants should avoid these simulations. The supervising person must monitor vital signs and stop at any sign of risk.

Staged Phases of the Simulation

The simulation unfolds in stages:

• Phase 1 (Mild): Soft pressure, light tension, often met with laughter.
• Phase 2 (Moderate): Stronger contractions, more discomfort, tension rises.
• Phase 3 (Intense/Expulsive): Peak stimulation, frequent reactions, voices strain.

In the referenced video, participants move from calm to audible distress, reflecting these stages.

Emotional & Educational Design

The setting is clinical: pillows, white bedding, medical-like room, posters. Participants wear uniform blues. This aesthetic heightens immersion.

The intended effect goes beyond entertainment:

• Cultivates empathy toward birthing individuals
• Promotes shared understanding of physical experience
• Challenges assumptions about pain and gender

Onlookers often report surprise at how intense even a simulated contraction can feel.

Toward a Structured Educational Version

To make it a workshop or class rather than a stunt:

• Use gradual ramping of intensity
• Teach breathing, relaxation, and coping techniques
• Offer debrief and guided reflection
• Limit peak intensity to maintain safety

This can transform a viral trick into a meaningful learning tool.

Translations & Technical Terms

“It’s time for dads … get ready for the screams and pain 😱😈😂”

Spanish original: “¡Es tiempo de que los papás experimenten lo que es un parto! Prepárense para los gritos y el dolor 😱😈😂” (translated).

EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation)

Method sending controlled electric pulses to muscles, causing contractions.

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)

Technique that passes low-voltage electrical currents across the skin to modulate nerve signals and pain.

Labor pain simulator

Device using EMS or TENS to reproduce contraction-like muscle sensations.

Supporting Video Examples

• Men Try Machine That Creates Sensation of Labor — ABC News
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl21j_py1rM
• LABOR PAIN SIMULATOR ON HUSBAND — Jayco & Val
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xohXsg9lYYM

These are real, active videos illustrating similar simulations.

Sources

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl21j_py1rM — ABC News: men connected to electrodes simulating labor
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xohXsg9lYYM — Jayco & Val: husband tries labor simulator
• https://www.facebook.com/OkChicasBlog/posts/es-tiempo-de-que-los-pap%C3%A1s-experimenten-lo-que-es-un-parto-prep%C3%A1rense-para-los-g/725387606357834 — OkChicas Facebook post
• https://www.facebook.com/OkChicasBlog/videos/cosas-de-chicas-el-parto/985359025712059 — OkChicas video feature