Mothers who give birth normally will certainly be happy if their husband accompanies them. This is the benefit and important role of a husband’s presence when his wife gives birth.
According to the Verywellfamily page, research shows that continuous support during labor can provide positive benefits for pregnant women and their babies.
Emily Guarnotta, PsyD, PMH-C, licensed clinical psychologist and certified perinatal mental health provider says childbirth can be a very scary and overwhelming experience. “It can also be very vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. Having a supportive partner during labor can help a person feel less alone and more safe and comfortable,” said Guarnotta.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO RESUME CONTENT
This positive support from the husband plays an important role in improving outcomes and reducing the length of labor. Apart from that, your husband’s support can help you and your husband bond more closely.
If your husband wants to be the one to support his wife during labor, it is important to gather as many tips and suggestions as possible to be ready to help her through the process. Here’s what you need to know about supporting your partner during labor.
The mother gave birth normally accompanied by her husband
Sabia Wade, a full spectrum doula and founder of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings and For the Village, a non-profit organization, actively involves husbands in their birthing process can help their partners feel safer. As well as helping your husband feel useful and involved.
“Having an active support team is critical in ensuring that decisions are made with the consent of the birthing person and are in the best interest of the family,” adds Wade.
What’s more, active support can reduce the need for medical intervention, promote quicker labor, and reduce the need for pain medication.
Conversely, failure to provide good support to the person giving birth can leave the mother feeling alone and vulnerable. This may even cause birth mothers to experience birth as traumatic, he said.
“If the partner is not supportive, the person giving birth will feel closed off,” says Wade.
The body will go into fight or flight mode when we feel unsupported, and in the birthing process this can physically slow the progress of labor, which can impact the number of interventions required, as well as the overall safety of the birthing person.
Here are some other benefits of a husband accompanying a mother to give birth normally.
Reduces the length of labor. Reduce the amount of pain reliever you need. Reduces the chance of assisted birth or caesarean section. Increase your self-confidence and improve your experience. Husband’s support plays an important role in increasing satisfaction with the birth process and improving bonding. Mothers who feel supported are less likely to experience a traumatic birth process. Even if someone experiences trauma during childbirth, support from a partner can help a wife cope and give her a feeling that she is not alone. The experience of supporting childbirth becomes the basis for husband and wife to work together as a couple in facing the challenges of raising children in the future. Research shows that the father’s presence and involvement during pregnancy and childbirth is associated with increased cognitive development and socio-emotional development of children as reported by Timesofindia.
Childbirth Illustration/ Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto/SDI Productions
Here are some more specific tips on how the husband’s role can support his wife during labor.
1. Create a supportive environment
To create a supportive environment, make sure the room temperature and lighting are comfortable. Husbands should also do their best to keep the room free of trash and clutter.
Husbands can help minimize visitors to reduce stress in the room. Offer hydration in the form of water, ice cubes, clear soda, or popsicles. Mothers giving birth need a lot of hydration because their bodies are working hard.
2. Offer to go to the bathroom
Offer your wife to urinate once an hour. This helps keep the bladder empty, gives the baby more space to descend into the pelvis, and encourages labor to progress more quickly.
3. Help your wife change positions
Shifting positions during labor can help change the shape of the pelvis, so the baby can navigate the birth canal, which is very important.
Gently suggest that the laboring mother move to a new position every 30 minutes to an hour and support her in the transition. This may mean helping the wife to stand and kneel and apply counter pressure to the lower back, get into a squat position, or lie on her side.
4. Give praise and encouragement
Let your wife know what a great job she is doing and how proud her husband is of her. As labor becomes more challenging, this encouragement will become increasingly important, so remember to praise the laboring mother consistently throughout labor.
Verbal support is one of the most helpful things a partner can give. Verbal and emotional support increases birth satisfaction and labor progress. Even without other techniques, verbal support alone can shorten the labor process.
5. Encourage breathing exercises
Good oxygenation is important during labor. For this reason, it is important to help your partner breathe through their contractions.
6. Relaxation
Promoting relaxation and helping the partner find ways to relax is important to help the wife find a comfortable position.
If the birthing mother can remain in a relaxed position, contractions can pull the baby in and down more effectively, putting pressure on the cervix and increasing the progress of labor.
7. Use touch
Dad can massage his wife to make her feel calmer because she usually has back pain. Touch provides stimulation to the brain which can block pain signals from entering the brain. This also helps the mother in labor to relax and find a comfortable body position.
For mothers who want to share about parenting and get lots of giveaways, come join the HaiBunda Squad community. Register click HERE. Free!
(pri/pri)