how to be an epic caesarean birth partner
- Pooja Mistry
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
Being a birth partner is a MASSIVE ROLE! You may not be physically birthing baby, but you know what... That means you are doing EVERYTHING ELSE!
Yes you read that right... EVERYTHING!
Whether you are opting for an Elective Caesarean birth or not, it is always worth planning for all types of births as no one can predict what can happen on the day. With the current statistic in Leicester sitting at 44.1% chance of experiencing a Caesarean birth (combination of elective and emergencies) it is super important to know what to expect and how to support the Birthing woman as she brings her baby Earthside. If you wanted to know more about Caesarean birth rates and statistics you can read more about it in this blog.
Now before I talk more about how you can be an epic Caesarean Birth Partner, let me just clarify that a Caesarean birth is NOT the easy way out and it DOES NOT mean that the birthing mother has failed. It is a major abdominal surgery and if she has an emergency Caesarean, she is going to need you to hold the fort for her massively!
So how can you help?
Massage her- it releases lots of positive hormones and allows her to feel calm and relaxed as much as possible.
Make her laugh- I know it's not always easy but distracting her can allow her to relax down which can help her mindset and body.
Reassure her- she is going to need it. Whether it's reassurance about how she has already done, how she has managed herself, her choices- anything! We want to try and reduce the level of self- doubt as much as possible. She is amazing and she needs to hear it!
Keep notes- of who you meet, the information you are given, timings etc. This will help you both to understand how things change/ progress and give you an opportunity to revisit anything you may need support with in the future.
BE PRESENT- if you forget everything else, remember this one! Be present with her, trust her, listen to her and respect her. You don't need to do anything, nothing needs fixing, she just needs that one person in the room to be emotionally and mentally with her!
Obviously there are no many other things you can do to support her but these are key! And if you find this overwhelming or confusing or don't know how to be present- you need to join my hypnobirthing course today!
Remember you only get to birth your baby once. Take the control and don't be a lemon!
Pooja xo
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