In case you’re thinking: doesn’t Shay Mitchell’s boyfriend have a right to be involved in a conversation about the arrival of their first baby? The answer, is yes, absolutely. All partners have a right to make their voices heard when making a birth plan. The key, as you might have guessed, is to do so in a respectful, considered, empathetic way, that shows you actually care about the person who’s giving birth.

If you’ve been keeping up with Mitchell’s YouTube pregnancy series, Almost Ready, then you’ll know that the actress has been remarkably open in documenting her pregnancy updates, not least her recent conversation about miscarriage, and her journey to processing her past pregnancy loss.

In the latest instalment of the series, ’A Pregnant Man?’, the Pretty Little Liars actress, who is expecting her first child in the next eight weeks, discusses her plans to use an epidural during labour.

At this point, it should be made clear that an epidural, which is an injection administered by an anaesthetist in the back, is a common and completely normal method of pain relief during childbirth and surgery. When used in childbirth, they can give a woman a more comfortable labour, and allow her to be present in the delivery of her baby. According to the the American Pregnancy Association, in fact, more than 50% of women opt for the procedure.

Shay Mitchell’s boyfriend just mansplained childbirth to her, and the internet is not happy