How to Use Labor Support

Labor support is vital for laboring women. Studies have found that simply having another person in the room with a laboring woman, even if that person is doing nothing, will reduce a woman's pain during labor and reduces her need for interventions. If you plan on having someone support you during your birth, you may be wondering how they can help you. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Decide who your labor support will be. Anyone can support a woman during labor, including partners, spouses, sisters, friends and mothers. You can even hire a professional labor support such as a doula. Be cautious about filling up the room with people though, as many birthing facilities have limits on the number of people allowed in a room.
2. Talk to your labor support. Make sure you invite them. Discuss with them whether they want to simply be observers or whether they want to be providing labor support, and what kind of help you expect from them.
3. Inform your labor support of your birth choices, so they can support you to the best of their abilities. It's extremely important you discuss your plans of pain relief with them, so they support your wishes. Many people have very strong feelings about epidurals and natural childbirth and you need to make sure your labor support will support what you want, and not what they want.
4. Let your labor support know of any birthing facility policies such as food in the laboring room, number of people, security policies or any additional rules.
5. Set ground rules. For example, choose not to have stinky foods such as coffee or French fries in the room during your birth. Make sure your support plans on talking in soft voices and will focus their attention on you, rather than on each other.
6. Educate your support people about labor. Make sure they understand labor may take a long time, is exhausting for everyone involved and that laboring women may behave in atypical and irrational ways.
7. Protect your modesty. Make sure your labor support has a comfortable place to look at or be if they don't want to see any nudity.