Birth can be a beautiful, exciting, tiring, scary, amazing, stressful, awe inspiring event, even if you are not the one going through it.

All of these can be a bit overwhelming but you are in the right place learning the right things, take heart and know that millions of couples are going through this right along side you!

For dads and other birth partners this experience can be one of the most amazing of your life and even more so if you feel like you are an indispensable part of the process.You both have your roles in this journey, but your main focus is to love and support her. She needs to feel like you are there for anything, that with what she is going through you are right there with her.

So partners, we are going to be diving right on in, giving you tips to help this wonderful woman while she is going through the inspiring process of birth.

1. Be prepared (mentally, emotionally, physically)
2. Be Flexible
3. Be sensitive to her needs
4. Take care of yourself
5. Help her be comfortable
6. Have a good distraction ready if needed
7. Be Patient

One quick note for you Dads, Dads-to-be, birth partners, and family members - Hire a Doula! They will make all of this easier, more calm and they can help you know what is going on through out the entire process. For more info on what a Doula is and how they help read our “What is a Doula” article.

1. Be prepared (mentally, emotionally, physically)

Even if you were never a Boy Scout (or Girl Scout) this is one of those times in your life where you can never be too prepared. Here at Brio Birth we talk about three areas of preparation; Mental, emotional & physical.

Mental

First comes the mental preparation. This begins long before labor and often early in the first trimester of the pregnancy, right around the time you first find out you are creating a new life. The emotional starts here, too but we will cover that in a bit.

Knowledge is power, safety, security and peace of mind. At Brio we want to take the fear out of birth and the only way to take the fear out of anything is to understand why you should not be afraid of it.

Birth is a natural process that happens everyday in hospitals, in birth centers, and in homes. Sometimes it even happens on the way and if for some reason you can’t make it to the planned birth place in time, the knowledge we will give you here at Brio Birth will make all the difference.

Emotional

From the moment you first find out about your new bundle of joy, a whole rush of emotions came along with the news. Many dads think about the logistics first, everything from what to do next to college education funds.

For you ladies and moms-to-be reading this, realize that the connection to this process may be more difficult for him. Be patient and give him opportunities to bond - both prenatally and once the little one arrives.

For you Dads, partners, family and support structures, take the time to do this bonding. Talk to the belly, touch, snuggle, send out positive vibes. Do just about anything you feel comfortable doing to connect to this new life as an individual coming into this world and as a  family.

If I could only impart one tip from this article it would be this - Be understanding -- Your new momma will need a ton of love and support. She will have dozens of new hormones playing with her emotions, body chemistry and her body image.