Before the Birth
How to actually prepare, not just show up
Your Job Starts Before Labor
The birth partner's role is active, informed, and present, not a passive bystander. Partners who know what normal labor looks and feels like, and who have practiced the comfort measures, are measurably more effective. You cannot over-prepare.
Hospital or Birth Center Prep
What to Pack
Late-Pregnancy Exercises to Know
Tracking Fetal Movement
The Count-to-10 method: at the same time each day, count fetal movements and note when you reach 10. Most babies reach 10 in under an hour. If 10 movements take longer than 2 hours, eat something, lie on your partner's left side, and try again. If still slow after another attempt, call the caregiver.
The Birth Plan
Keep it to one page. Include: who is present, freedom to move, IV preferences, pain medication preferences and a code word, newborn preferences (delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin, who cuts the cord). Start with a short, human note to the staff: \"We are grateful to be in your care and hope you can help us stick to these preferences when possible.\"
The Code Word
Before labor, decide together on a code word for \"I am done and ready for an epidural.\" When your partner uses it, there is no debate. When your partner doesn't, you don't offer it. This removes one entire layer of pressure from the labor room.