Dos And Don’ts For Dads During Childbirth
Your partner may feel like a bit of a spare wheel when he’s in the maternity ward, but there are plenty of ways he can get involved and help you out during this special experience (as well as some ultimate no-nos if he wants to keep in your good books). If your due date is fast approaching, you may want to leave the below instructions below open for him to accidently find…
Do: Motivate and encourage
NEARLY THERE! A few words of encouragement can do wonders when you’re in a whole world of pain.
Don’t: Freak out
If you sense he’s feeling a wave of panic about the idea of his loved one pushing out his future child – or the reality of fatherhood itself – tell him to take a walk around the block to compose himself. You have enough to deal with!
Do: Bring sweet treats
You need all the energy you can get – especially in chocolate form.
Don’t: Spend all night on your phone
This is not the time to spend hours on Candy Crush or monitoring the football scores. But do encourage him to make use of the phone camera – it’ll all be a blur afterwards.
Do: Keep calm
Warn him to keep cool and composed at all times – even when you start making sounds or expletives he’ll have never heard escaping your lips.
Don’t: Faint
Fair enough, you can’t exactly control your urge to faint if you’re a bit squeamish – but warn him to take a few minutes outside and get some fresh air to clear his head instead if he’s feeling woozy. He will not be getting any sympathy from you!
Do: Make a great playlist
When you’ve been in labour for five hours, you’ll definitely be in need for some musical distraction.
Don’t: Belt out songs like you’re at the karaoke bar
Unless you’re Michael Buble, he may want to leave it to the experts when it comes to belting out ballads. Your head is throbbing enough as it is.
Do: Make her laugh
A bit of comic distraction is always welcome in between contractions. Especially when the drugs start to wear off.
Don’t: Sleep through the whole thing
Coffee is the answer. Childbirth isn't something you will want to miss. And you’ll never let him forget it if he does.
Do: Know the birth plan – but prepare to be flexible
A birth plan is something you can do together prior to the birth and it’s a great way to get involved on the day. However, do prepare to be flexible as childbirth can be unpredictable at times.
Don’t: Moan
Unless he wants a punch in the face…
Do: Bring your own supplies
Remember he’ll be waiting around for a quite a while himself, so pre-pack his own supplies and clean clothes to keep him going.
