I love it when it says protect your nuts :-)
Think again. Most antenatal classes focus solely on how to help your partner through childbirth, without ever considering your needs or concerns. Sure, you’re not the one doing the pushing, but you will be the one getting pushed around if you’re not fully prepared. That’s why we’ve created a handy childbirth guide to ensure you make it through this momentous — and frequently overwhelming — experience with your wits intact. Fill up your cup of ice chips, as we teach you how to survive your partner’s labour.
1.Be Prepared
Nobody warns you, but the average labor for first-time mothers lasts from 15 to 16 hours, so you’re bound to have ample downtime while waiting for your baby to make his grand entrance. You could spend the time reading hospital pamphlets about anal dilations and middle ear problems, or you could dip into your carefully packed bag full of games, cards, magazines, and other light distractions. You’d be amazed at how a simple game of rummy can help to bring you and your partner together while keeping your minds off the hours of active labor that are just around the corner.
Nobody warns you, but the average labor for first-time mothers lasts from 15 to 16 hours, so you’re bound to have ample downtime while waiting for your baby to make his grand entrance. You could spend the time reading hospital pamphlets about anal dilations and middle ear problems, or you could dip into your carefully packed bag full of games, cards, magazines, and other light distractions. You’d be amazed at how a simple game of rummy can help to bring you and your partner together while keeping your minds off the hours of active labor that are just around the corner.
2.Be Present
Remember when you pledged to stay with your partner in sickness and health and in good times and bad? Here’s your chance to prove it. You can help alleviate some of the pressure on your partner by being physically and emotionally present throughout her labor. You’ll be required to help her regulate her breathing techniques, offer her water as often as possible, reassure her through the pain, and encourage her with each and every push. You may also be called upon to be her advocate in the event of an emergency. The maxim “happy wife, happy life” is true at all times, but it’s especially applicable during your partner’s labor.
Remember when you pledged to stay with your partner in sickness and health and in good times and bad? Here’s your chance to prove it. You can help alleviate some of the pressure on your partner by being physically and emotionally present throughout her labor. You’ll be required to help her regulate her breathing techniques, offer her water as often as possible, reassure her through the pain, and encourage her with each and every push. You may also be called upon to be her advocate in the event of an emergency. The maxim “happy wife, happy life” is true at all times, but it’s especially applicable during your partner’s labor.
3.Keep Snide Remarks To Yourself
You may be the funniest guy in the world, but your partner won’t find anything humorous when she’s actively pushing an object the size of a bowling ball through a hole the size of a golf ball. You’ll eventually be able to laugh about her delivery and her horribly tangled hair, but it won’t be until well after your child has graduated from university.
You may be the funniest guy in the world, but your partner won’t find anything humorous when she’s actively pushing an object the size of a bowling ball through a hole the size of a golf ball. You’ll eventually be able to laugh about her delivery and her horribly tangled hair, but it won’t be until well after your child has graduated from university.
If your first instinct is to compare her pain to one of your old football injuries, you’re probably not cut out to be a father. Now is not the time to play a game of one-upmanship. Unless you’ve passed a gallstone the size of a watermelon or successfully pulled your lips over your forehead, nothing you’ve ever experienced can compare to the excruciating pain of delivering a child.
Don’t Take Her Insults Personally
Pregnancy can bring out the best in a woman, but childbirth often brings out her worst. Odds are your spouse will scream at you, blame you for knocking her up, and even rue the day that you ever met. If her labor goes on long enough, you may also hear her utter swear words so remarkably repulsive that you’ll want to rush to the Urban Dictionary to find out what they mean. It’s important at this time to understand that your wife is under an exceptional amount of physical and emotional strain and that her words are not a true reflection of how she really feels about you. Well, most of them, anyhow.
4.Protect Your Nuts
At some point during childbirth, your wife will want to squeeze something very, very hard. If you’d like to have a second child, it’s in your best interest to stay out of arm’s reach and offer her a rolled up towel or a squeeze ball. After all, you’re no good to her if you’re passed out on the floor.
At some point during childbirth, your wife will want to squeeze something very, very hard. If you’d like to have a second child, it’s in your best interest to stay out of arm’s reach and offer her a rolled up towel or a squeeze ball. After all, you’re no good to her if you’re passed out on the floor.
5.Tag Someone Else In
Some deliveries can take over 32 hours, with long stretches of time with little or no activity. If you’re experiencing one of these lulls, you may want to briefly trade places with a family member in the waiting room. You’ll return fresher and more energized, and your wife will likely appreciate having another friendly face to support and encourage her.
Some deliveries can take over 32 hours, with long stretches of time with little or no activity. If you’re experiencing one of these lulls, you may want to briefly trade places with a family member in the waiting room. You’ll return fresher and more energized, and your wife will likely appreciate having another friendly face to support and encourage her.
6.Remember To Breathe
It isn’t uncommon for men to faint in the delivery room. It also isn’t uncommon for doctors and nurses to leave them lying on the ground while they attend to their partners. Fortunately you can take precautions to ensure you stay on your feet. Remember to breathe, try to relax, have a light snack every two to three hours, and drink plenty of water. If you have a particularly weak stomach, you may also want to wait until your child has been thoroughly cleaned before seeing him for the first time. After all, there’s nothing like catching a glimpse of a handful of placenta to make your knees buckle.
It isn’t uncommon for men to faint in the delivery room. It also isn’t uncommon for doctors and nurses to leave them lying on the ground while they attend to their partners. Fortunately you can take precautions to ensure you stay on your feet. Remember to breathe, try to relax, have a light snack every two to three hours, and drink plenty of water. If you have a particularly weak stomach, you may also want to wait until your child has been thoroughly cleaned before seeing him for the first time. After all, there’s nothing like catching a glimpse of a handful of placenta to make your knees buckle.
