two other children to be aware of. I swear this is a true story; I am aware of the fact that it sounds a little too idyllic, perhaps stolen from an episode of "Little House on the Prairie", but it did happen. In the middle of the night...as is customary...I was called to join them. Their two older girls had been asleep for awhile, and mama had been laboring with her husband running interference and making sure that all his girls had what they needed.
Once I arrived, we labored without interruption till the early morning hours, Daddy was steadfast in his support when needed, and would occasionally excuse himself to check on the sleeping babes. He knew that mama would feel more comfortable, that her mind would be free to focus on the baby in her pelvis, if she knew that the other girls were alright. When the midwife arrived, labor picked up speed quickly and their 3rd daughter joined the family at home, with her sisters sleeping less than 10 meters away. Mom and Dad had a few minutes to focus on this new addition to their family before the sound of little feet and a very curious big sister peeked into the room. Daddy was quick to respond, guided her sweetly to the bed and lifted her up to meet her new baby. She adored her for a few minutes, and then she realized that her other little sister was still asleep. It felt like a Christmas morning. She hopped off the bed and we all waited, giving her the opportunity to wake her sister and guide her in, holding hands, to meet their new baby. Then the whole family crawled up into the bed together and fawned over their beautiful gift.
I hope that what I have demonstrated here
I hope that what I have demonstrated here is that there is no ONE way to provide support in labor. Your unique personality, the dynamics in your love relationship, your understanding of birth, the circumstances that surround you, the additional support you have with you (whether it be a doula, family, friends, midwives, nurses, doctors), the specific mental, emotional, an physical needs of the laboring woman before you, they all come together to create the story of birth that will eventually be told. I don't honestly know how often fathers are asked to share birth stories, but I know that mothers will tell this story no less than a thousand times. Women who are now grandmothers still tell me their birth stories. I love that our birth culture has evolved from the days of the red tent, when women were cast away. We passed through the inclusion of fathers at midwife attended home births. Through the industrialization of birth, which evicted fathers and anesthetized mothers, essentially evicting them as well. And we are now working on leaving behind the patriarchal ideology that "coaches" should bear the whole burden of support on their own shoulders, having probably never witnessed a birth before. We are beginning to recognize that it is possible and important to have it all. While I would love to have the opportunity to teach every family the in’s and out’s...pause for laughs...of birth, in person,
is that there is no ONE way to provide support in labor. Your unique personality, the dynamics in your love relationship, your understanding of birth, the circumstances that surround you, the additional support you have with you (whether it be a doula, family, friends, midwives, nurses, doctors), the specific mental, emotional, an physical needs of the laboring woman before you, they all come together to create the story of birth that will eventually be told. I don't honestly know how often fathers are asked to share birth stories, but I know that mothers will tell this story no less than a thousand times. Women who are now grandmothers still tell me their birth stories. I love that our birth culture has evolved from the days of the red tent, when women were cast away. We passed through the inclusion of fathers at midwife attended home births. Through the industrialization of birth, which evicted fathers and anesthetized mothers, essentially evicting them as well. And we are now working on leaving behind the patriarchal ideology that "coaches" should bear the whole burden of support on their own shoulders, having probably never witnessed a birth before. We are beginning to recognize that it is possible and important to have it all. While I would love to have the opportunity to teach every family the in’s and out’s...pause for laughs...of birth, in person.
Dads! Why YOU Are The Perfect Partner During Labour & Birth
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