Sometimes (shocking, I know) you just might jump in a car and head to a birth with your head a little addled. First time Dads or excited Grammas are often most susceptible to this phenomenon. Why? Because they are EXCITED! The magic day is finally here and did I bring the car seat and where is the camera and did I remember the spare batteries and which pocket did I stuff her slippers into...
Sound familiar?
After being to many births, you can be sure that I have it down now, baby!
Here is my checklist:
1) Do I pass the hygiene test?
How are the pits, friends? If you don't have time to take a shower, guess what? You have probably have baby wipes! It's like a shower in a can! Stinky pits are not really what a labouring woman wants near her face, even if it is a gentle embrance. I'm just saying!
2) Are my shoes comfortable and will I be able to wash blood or other fun fluids out of them?
Do not be alarmed by this. Blood and poo and fluid are all a normal part of birth. And if the labouring woman doesn't get you, odds are the baby will pee on you, or better yet, you'll drop that first exciting meconium (baby's first poo) diaper right on your foot. Also assess the shoes for standability AKA "will I be able to stand in them for hours?" Don't even dream about complaining that your feet hurt to a labouring woman.
3) Am I following the layers rule?
Will I be able to peel off if it gets too warm, or throw on a hoody if the labour room is an arctic zone? Labour rooms are often kept quite cool, as labouring women are working really hard and get quite sweaty. The cardigan is your friend! Make sure you have something that you can throw on if you get too chilly, but make sure you can move in it and that it is soft, for all those gentle embraces you'll be giving the labouring mom, and the new baby. Studded leather jackets are not going to cut it. I would say throw on all the layers to get to the hospital,and peel off what you don't need once you're there. It also frees up your hands for carrying stuff.
4) Do you like to smell like vomit? No? Neither do I...
If you have layers on, if she starts retching and some splashes on you, you can just slip off that layer and you'll smell fresh as a daisy. It's magic!
5) Do I know her special needs?
Make sure you assess her special needs prior to labour starting. If she is allergic to cats, I actually keep a set of clean hoody and pants in a plastic zipper bag straight out of the dryer. That way I don't have to risk bringing cat dander.
I hope this goes without saying, but if you need to have a cigarette or 5 during the labour, wear a big coat over your labour room attire, put it on to smoke, then take it off and re-enter the labour room. Women are often highly sensitive to cigarette smoke smells when labouring, so avoid making her retch. Refer to step 4.
Well, I hope this helps you to maximize your enjoyment of and involvement in the birth process.
Happy birthing!
copyright 2007 Sarah Hilbert-West
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