A Father’s Role in the Birthing Process

"The transition to fatherhood is one of the most significant and challenging experiences a man will ever face. In order to have a satisfying and successful experience fathers must feel safe, supported and confident. To optimize the possibilities for our families, we need to provide appropriate educational, physical and emotional support for father love". Patrick M. Houser 2009

The days when a father paced up and down in the waiting room while his wife gave birth elsewhere is over. Now fathers are in alliance with the creative process of pregnancy and birth with mothers. Today nearly 90% fathers are present at the birth and are also involved in the caretaking of their children. In 1995 fathers only spent 15 minutes a day with their children and in 1995 it went up to 2 hours. This coincidence may be due to fathers entering the birthing room and becoming involved in the birth process. Fathers are beginning to discover facets of their instinctive and parental love and are putting it into action.

The father/birth companion an integral role in the birthing. The success of the mother’s birth experience depends on the support and assistance of the father/birth companion. The father role as a facilitator during the birthing process helps to condition the mothers mind to relax and respond to his prompts, giving support and continuous assurance of her ability to birth her baby gently. He will instinctively know what to do and maintain peace and calm surrounding the birth.

The father will be a liaison between the mother and her health care professionals before and during birth as a woman in labour can be sensitive and unassertive.

The father/birth companion can protect the mother’s space, be her advocate and give her gentle prompts, gentle touches, arm stroking and shoulder stroking. He can play the CD- Relaxation for Natural Birth. He can make her a jug of water with Five-flower Remedy, spray Essential oil of Lavender in the room. Have Homeopathy-Arnica 200c from Helios ready –give her one when she will go into labour and maybe give her a couple during labour if there is time. He can also give her when her baby is born and each hour for the next 3 hours. (A good idea is to give this to a mother to support tissue under stress).

The father’s is the main point of contact between the midwife and the mother, when she is in labour. He will answer the midwife’s questions about the mothers needs. The father will be the guardian of the birthing room to make sure the environment remains conducive to a relaxed happy birthing. He has learnt hypnobirthing techniques together with the mother, which will enable her to relax and to be her coach at the birth. Fathers find that being involved to this extent enables them to form a very strong bond with their newborn. Father/birth companion involvement is integral for a successful birth as it empowers the mother and is a positive experience when both actively contribute to the birth of their child. Single mothers can have a good birth with hypnobirthing too with support from the midwife or a birth partner.

The couple can come to hypnobirthing classes together learn to enjoy their pregnancy and remain calm and confident throughout. They can practice the scripts together and the father/ partner can use the back-stroking or arm stroking method to gently sooth the mother and create a closeness between them and the baby. Together they can learn the suggested relaxation techniques and practice them daily. There is a bond already formed between the two parents and their baby, who will be tuned in to both the parent’s voices. By knowing that birthing and caring for their baby is a natural process, a mother can allow her birthing body to birth her baby naturally. ‘Whatever you do is right’ is a concept they should follow throughout the pregnancy and birth. By learning what is best for them and their baby they will create an empowering labour and birth.