So your wife or partner has hit the magical 40 week mark. “What now?” I hear you ask. Well, expect an increasing barrage of well-meaning friends and family to drop the following… “So, any baby news yet?”, “Are you STILL pregnant?”, “Must be a little too comfy in there!”, “When are you getting induced?”, “Time to […]
Archive | Childbirth preparation
Pain Relief in Childbirth
Posted on April 27, 2014 in Childbirth preparation
The options are endless, the opinions often harsh, and for many first time expectant parents the choices are terrifying. So the intention of this blog is to ease the pressure and scope out the whole continuum. Pain management in childbirth is a highly controversial topic, which I am yet to find a person who doesn’t […]
Bonding with Baby
Posted on April 18, 2014 in Childbirth preparation, Life with your newborn
For 13 years I have sat in post natal support groups with women who have just had babies. This is where I learn most about the experience of having a baby. Women in a safe space will talk, and talk they do. They process their lives by talking. It helps them to come to terms […]
Hypnotic States, Childbirth and the Voice of Dad
Posted on January 29, 2014 in Childbirth preparation, Fatherhood preparation
It is widely accepted that birthing women enter a natural trance-like state which is natural hypnotic state. We know that in order for women to enjoy the benefits of this state (disassociation from time, pain, outside influences) her partner plays a key role in minimising distractions, managing medical staff and not engaging in too much […]
The Birth Story Debate!
Posted on January 23, 2014 in Childbirth preparation
So the day has come and gone, and you are now officially a dad! Congratulations! But what if the birth didn’t go to plan? And what if she thinks it did? Or vice versa. Oh the dilemma, do you fight it out – because clearly you were better place to know what actually transpired? Or […]
Top 5 mistakes the boys make during labour and birth
Posted on January 30, 2012 in Childbirth preparation, Fatherhood preparation
Just about every journo who has ever interviewed me about Beer + Bubs: childbirth education for dads at the pub or my book for the lads, Cheers to Childbirth, has asked me about the most common mistakes that men make when they support their partner through birth. Here are my top five, witnessed in the […]
How to get a woman in labour to hospital…when you don’t have a car
Posted on April 14, 2011 in Childbirth preparation
At my last Beer + Bubs session in Sydney, I was asked a question I have never been asked before. An expectant dad named Jeremy was wondering how best to transport his labouring partner to hospital on the big day when he doesn’t have a car. Another guy in the same group put his hand […]
Should men attend the birth of their baby? Not if they would rather be at the dentist.
Posted on March 23, 2011 in Childbirth preparation, Fatherhood preparation
“What used to be the secret business of the women’s circle is now the expectant father’s job description.” Lucy Perry, Cheers to Childbirth: a dad’s guide to childbirth support, Pure Publishing 2010. Unlike their fathers, men in the twenty-first century are encouraged to be present at the births of their babies. In fact, it’s a […]