All posts filed under: Birth Tips

encourage your birth partner

Birth Partner Tips: words of encouragement

During labour and birth your partner may be feeling tired, frightened, unsure, overwhelmed and in pain. She may doubt her ability to do it, she may get angry, she might cry and she will definitely need some words of encouragement. Tell her she is doing it, when she says she can’t, tell her you love her when she feels unsafe, tell her she is amazing when she finished yet another contraction. Tell her she’s ok if plans change and that she is awesome. When women are having a baby, they can need to feel strong and capable – your words will help that. Book a session with me if you have questions, need some additional support or preparation for birth & baby. antenatal & postnatal specialist | working with parents since 2002 Always seek medical support if you are concerned about yourself or your baby. Even if it is just a feeling that something isn’t right.

prepare well for labour and birth

Birth Preparation Tips: Prepare Well!

As an antenatal teacher, this is – obviously – something I feel very passionate about. Not all birth preparation is the same and we all have different needs but there are some basic essentials when preparing for labour & birth. Being told what to do is not preparation, however being provided with a foundation of knowledge and a toolkit of strategies can help you know more about your options and to stay calm and gather information to make decisions. Good birth preparation is about being able to be involved, to say what you need and to navigate any challenges. Book a session with me if you have questions, need some additional support or preparation for birth & baby. antenatal & postnatal specialist | working with parents since 2002

go to the loo regularly in labour

Labour & Birth Checklist: go to the loo

There can be so much going on in labour that it is easy to forget our basic needs and going for a wee is one of them. It can be helpful to go to the loo about every hour – you need to be drinking plenty of water and you also need your bladder to be emptying. If your bladder remains too full this can be uncomfortable, it can affect how labour progresses and it can also affect the position your baby gets into. So something as simple as going for a wee can be really helpful in labour! Book a session with me if you have questions, need some additional support or preparation for birth & baby. antenatal & postnatal specialist | working with parents since 2002 Always seek medical support if you are concerned about yourself or your baby. Even if it is just a feeling that something isn’t right.

eating and drinking in labour

Birth Partner Tips: eating & drinking in labour

It’s really important to remember to eat and drink throughout labour – and to offer your labouring partner regular sips of water and bites to eat. Water is definitely needed by both of you during labour, especially if this is over a few hours. Being dehydrated can cause headaches and dizziness, it steals energy and it can cause labour slow. Please don’t wait for your partner to ask for water or food – she is busy and focused on contractions so it can be helpful to put a straw to her lips after each contraction so she can drink and to offer small, healthy snacks to keep her energy going. And you need to drink and eat as well so don’t forget your needs. Book a session with me if you have questions, need some additional support or preparation for birth & baby. antenatal & postnatal specialist | working with parents since 2002 Always seek medical support if you are concerned about yourself or your baby. Even if it is just a feeling that something …

Birth Preparation Tips: know more about what helps

As part of your preparation for labour and birth and it can be useful to know what can be helpful for you and for your labour and what might not. The intensity and the effectiveness of your contractions, how you manage and work with your contractions and your energy levels and how things progress can be impacted by the environment you are in, the positions you use and how you are feeling. It is worth knowing more and preparing for what you can do before labour starts. Book a session with me if you have questions, need some additional support or preparation for birth & baby. antenatal & postnatal specialist | working with parents since 2002 Always seek medical support if you are concerned about yourself or your baby. Even if it is just a feeling that something isn’t right.