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Healthy Relationships
Dad: Be a Better Childbirth CoachGet closer to the miracle by getting more involved
Michael Gill was involved from before "day one". The first step is to go to doctor visits and attend childbirth education classes together, Mackinder says. You’ll learn about breathing techniques, helping her focus on something other than the pain, and also about the stages of labor and changes to her body. “This information helps take the fear out of the process so you don’t clam up when you see your wife in pain,” she says. “You’ll have an easier time asking what you can do and then responding—even if she just wants you to leave her alone.” Michael Gill of Allentown used the information he and his wife learned in childbirth education classes to help his wife, Melissa Plesh, through a 12-hour labor. He brought a CD with soothing music to help her relax, talked to her throughout the day and got ice cubes when she ran out. As labor wore on, he also calmly convinced her that pain medication would help her along and was safe for the baby. When Meara Plesh-Gill was born at 2:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, Gill discovered that being an involved childbirth coach is one of life’s most fulfilling experiences. “It was like a miracle happening,” he says. “I saw her head pop through and it seemed like she was crying before she was all the way out. They put her on Melissa’s chest and then gave her to me to take to the warming table. She stopped crying, started making little cooing sounds and looked around. I can’t imagine having missed the birth.”
Want to Know More? For childbirth classes, see calendar of events, or for a brochure on childbirth education, call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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