We’re still going to talk about the split that occurs from 24-32 weeks of pregnancy. On one hand, you need to continue to grow your fatherhood qualities such as ‘being able to see what needs to be done and doing it’ and how that fits into preparing your pregnant partner’s body to birth your baby. Go back to the beginning of pregnancy and notice how you’ve grown this quality as you dealt with morning sickness in your partner and the other ‘WOW, we’re pregnant’ during the 1st and 2nd phases of pregnancy. As you discovered a woman who experiences morning sickness needs those around her to see what needs to be done then do it!
Between 24-32 weeks she should be feeling really good. That doesn’t mean you should stop developing this quality. Within 16 weeks or so you will be a father and if you don’t already have children you’ll discover how much you need to do what needs to be done. First babies take a huge amount of time as you and your baby’s mother will discover within the first week after the birth.
If you already have children then you KNOW how you need to help each other out as parents and partners. Many families implode because of this time consuming new role.
However, there is the other side … preparing your pregnant partner’s body to give birth. Birth is one day (or two). Once it’s over, you don’t repeat it again until another pregnancy. So now is the time when you need to study this pregnant body and begin to think 3-dimensional plumbing and reality.
Birthing Better online birthing classes gives you ALL the childbirth preparation skills as well as the birth and birth-coaching skills so no matter where you birth, with whom or what happens to or around the birth that the two of you can manage and cope well. And all these skills were developed by fathers and mothers just like you.
Your pregnant partner may not know her body well
She certainly may not know her birthing body well even if she has given birth before. Having skills is a new concept although the woman in your life might feel very body aware. In Birthing Better there are a number of video segments that will guide you through such skills as Map Your Pelvis, The Hip Lift, Sacral Maneouvre, Sit Bone Spread and more. You can feel these as well. Birthing Better skills are based on our shared human body. That means you can learn what she is experiencing by also experiencing it in your own body. This means you, as a man, can kinetically understand this 3-dimensional relationship. This insight enhances this particular fatherhood quality.
You do not want your baby or its mother to suffer during this process of moving apart. Birth is the process of separation. Unless you’ve had your head in the sand or elsewhere, you know that childbirth can be painful.
Now that you are developing your ability to see what needs to be done, you can appreciate that if the woman’s container is tight and rigid during these last months of pregnancy AND in childbirth then you can see how this can unintentionally hinder the journey your baby must take.
You and your baby’s mother need to learn about her body as it will birth. This is something that should give joy, develop fascination, increase confidence, dissolve the veil of ignorance and grow your teamwork.
As you grow
As you ‘Map The Pelvis’ and learn what shape your baby must navigate through you will be able to assess how much work the two of you need to do on behalf of your baby. When you learn about internal tension and how the woman can begin to learn where and how to reduce her own tension you suddenly realize how important you are in helping her maintain that internal and hidden relaxation.
You have had a job to do from the moment of conception. That job has skills attached to it so you can do this job of ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ a father really well, feeling confident, delighted, capable, respected and amazed!
Head to Udemy for all the Fathers-to-be Pregnancy Academy courses. Then at 24 weeks of pregnancy, come back here for the online birthing classes and start with the birth preparation and birth-coaching skills … all developed by hundreds of dads and moms.
Birthing Better skills are housed in Common Knowledge Trust.