Labor Support Resources

[ZoeyZoo]

I'm looking for some labor support resources for DH... either a book or DVD. I would prefer a dvd of some sort. By labor support, I mean labor stages, breathing, pressure points, etc. Not the stuff you usually see in most birth/pregnancy books. I have been looking closely at Doula-type materials.

Can anyone provide any suggestions?

[MamaRabbit]

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[jeninejessica]

Have you tried "The Birth Partner" by Simkin? It's designed specifically for hubbies or doulas. There's a couple good "quick reference" sections too with massage tips, relaxation or "what do I do if..." type materials. It may be helpful for him.

[MamaRabbit]

That's the book I usually recommended. Have not found a good video that does the same that I like.

[BirthIsAwesome]

I recommend "Husband Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Robert Bradley to all the husbands of my doula clients. It has a slightly male chauvanistic/sexist view point, but is an invaluable resource about every aspect of labor. It has info on breathing, stages of labor, massage/comfort instructions (for hubbie), common interventions ect. It conveys a strong trust of the birthing process and stresses not forcing anything. Dr. Bradley once had a client go to 49 weeks and she delivered completely naturally with no complications.

One thing that I don't care for is that he states some of his opinions as the "only best" way to do something (i.e. sidelying during active labor; some women would enjoy that, others would be in agony). Every woman is different. What I'm trying to say, is that you need to read the book with a grain of salt (keeping in mind that it was written a long time ago) but don't throw the baby out with the bath water; it is an awesome book for dads/hubbies.

Just my two cents!