When I was young I remember watching The Bill Cosby routine about the birth of his first daughter. Even when I was young the routine was pretty darn funny. Granted when I was that young many of the jokes went right over my head. It took me years to get the bit about, “She Told Everyone in the delivery room that my parents were never married.”
In my opinion one of the funnier parts in the skit was the search for hot water. Until last year, I still didn’t get why they would need to have hot water to have a baby. Then last year I found out.
My wife and I have always wanted to have our kids with as little intervention as possible. And for the last three we have tried for home births. Until last year, things conspired against us and prevented that from happening. Then last year that all changed.
As it turned out, we had baby number nine a little more unencumbered than we had planned. My wife has always had fast deliveries so she called the midwife in what she thought would be enough time, but with bad directions and the first snow of the year, we ended up having the baby before she was able to get to us. Heck I was was out of the room getting a towel when the baby actually came. (That is a story for another day.)
When the midwife did arrive I finally got the question about hot water answered. It was for tea. For the Midwife of course. Well that and to sterilize her instruments. This of course was the real reason, but she did ask me to put two pots, one of the instruments and one for the tea.
So the moral of the story. If some one asks you to get hot water during a birth, you better also bring some tea and a couple of mugs as well.
The Great Hites 
And here I had heard it was something to have the man do so he wouldn’t run around freaking out (and to sterilize if need be)
I am sure it was at least in part to keep me busy, but there was plenty of other things to do.