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Archive for the ‘labor support’ Category

Resources for Fathers to Be

Posted in birth, birth education, fathers, labor support, tagged , , , , , on August 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

“The transition to fatherhood is one of the most significant and challenging experiences a man will ever face. In order to have a satisfying and successful experience fathers must feel safe, supported and confident. To optimize the possibilities for our families, we need to provide appropriate educational, physical and emotional support for ‘father love’.
–Patrick M. [...]

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Comfort Measures Illustrations

Posted in Resources, Tools, active birth, birth, birth classes, birth education, labor support, normal birth, tagged , , , on August 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

We spend a lot of time in my classes talking about different comfort measures for birth. In fact, one of my most popular classes is my “Labor Support and Comfort Measures” single session class in which we practice all kinds of different skills that may be of use for birthing.
I enjoy Childbirth Connection’s free pdf [...]

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Birth Affirmations for Fathers

Posted in Birth Thoughts, Resources, Tools, birth, fathers, giving birth, labor support, mothers on April 28, 2009 | 2 Comments »

In my classes, I suggest the use of affirmations. Affirmations are short, positive statements that inspire confidence and positive feelings. I have a handout that is printed on the front side with affirmations for mothers to read to themselves and the reverse has the same affirmations worded in such a way that they can be [...]

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Just Relax?

Posted in Birth Thoughts, Neat stuff, Tools, birth, birth education, birth experiences, giving birth, labor support, mothers, tagged , , , , on April 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Most approaches to birth preparation emphasize “relaxation” and being able to “relax” during contractions. Some people have noted that the word “relax” isn’t very descriptive to women in labor–or, it can irritate them (“Just relax?!”) while at the same time not really giving them anything specific  to work with. I recently finished a really incredible [...]

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Non-verbal Communication

Posted in birth, birth education, fathers, giving birth, labor support, mothers, tagged , , , , , , on April 13, 2009 | 4 Comments »

Birthing women tend to enter “birth brain” while focusing during labor–this is a more primal, instinctive, intuitive, primitive part of their brain and it tends to be fairly nonverbal. I often remind fathers-to-be in my classes not to ask their partners too many questions while they focus on birthing, because questions pull women out of [...]

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For Labor Support Remember TLC or BLT

Posted in Birth Thoughts, Tools, active birth, birth, birth education, fathers, giving birth, labor support, natural birth, tagged , , , , on April 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

When supporting a woman in labor, remember to use “TLC”:
Touch–this can be massage, hand-holding, foot rubs, stroking her hair, and encouraging frequent position changes. It also includes the use of water (hydrotherapy).
Listen–this is half of the emotional support in labor. Listening builds trust and meets emotional needs. Use active(reflective) listening and lots of encouragement.
Communication–there are [...]

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