If you ask my mum she’ll probably tell you that the birth partner’s role is walking up and down the hospital corridor, nervous, smoking (yes, you could smoke in hospitals 41 years ago) waiting for the midwife to come out the theatre and say “congratulations, you have had a beautiful boy/girl”
Thank goodness this has change! And I’m not only talking about smoking in hospitals.
Nowadays 80% of women give birth to their babies in presence of their birth partners, so there is a new motivation of making sure that birth partners are ready to play their roles effectible, being hands on and useful instead of a hopeless participants that bring more anxiety to room and likely to faint in any minute.
Hypnobirthing provides to your birth partner all the information they need to become your advocates, they’ll have an active role in pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond
They will understand how your birthing body works therefore they’ll be able to assist you in every step.
You’ll practice the hypnobirthing techniques together in pregnancy; this will bring them closer not only to you but also to your baby. You’ll discus your birth preferences together so they’ll know exactly what you want and don’t want for your birth experience.
Your birth partner doesn’t need to be your life partner, you can attend with your mum, your friend, sister or any person that you think will be the best companion for that important day.
Some of the birth partner’s roles in labour and birth are:
-Your only continuity of care.
-Doorkeeper
-Spokesperson
-Trigger of relaxation
-Food and drink provider
-Guardian of the oxytocin
– And over all your absolute advocates.
Yes, they’ll be very busy being a very important part of the birthing process and this will not only help them to feel useful in birth but to become confident, hands on parents afterwards when attending with your other half.
I won’t say any of this to my dad because he would never understand it 😉
