If you gave birth in hospital did you get the impression that hospital midwives or obstetrical nurses didn’t care about you in labor? Or did you have a wonderful experience with an obstetrical nurse or CNM (certified nurse midwife)? Was your birth long enough that a whole new shift of obstetrical nurses or nurse-midwives suddenly arrived and you had to build whole new relationships?

Now let’s look at this from the viewpoint of an obstetrical nurse and/or nurse-midwife. Have you found yourself coming onto shift with women already in labor? Of course, you have and you know this can be challenging. Have you found yourself wondering why so many birthing women aren’t coping with their labor or fathers standing around looking helpless? Have you found yourself frustrated with the obstetricians and how they treat birthing women? Do you want something to change in childbirth but aren’t certain what it is?

A good idea

Here’s a novel idea … let’s grow a skilled birthing population. You’ve seen some birthing women coping well with intense labor contractions and fathers really engaged and helping. But those numbers are 1 in 20 maybe. You’ve also seen women behaving totally out of control, stressed and overwhelmed … probably about 8 out of 20. The rest of birthing women are getting through the birth behaving on a scale from handling things to almost out of control. And how many skilled birth-coaching dads have you seen?

What’s it like to be around skilled birthing mothers and skilled birth-coaching dads? Great! You just want to see more families being skilled.

The reality is … Hospital midwives or obstetrical nurses love seeing a birthing woman cope well in childbirth and adore fathers who know how to be a great birth coach. You know this. You just don’t know how to make that happen. Is it the responsibility of expectant families? Childbirth educators? Midwives? Obstetricians? And probably you do your best to help birthing women who aren’t coping but it’s so much easier when women bring in their own set of skills.

Most expectant parents never attend births other than their own. You know it’s hard for mothers and fathers to know what to expect or what to do during their birth if they lack experience being around birth.

Most mothers-to-be and fathers-to-be have no idea how many out of control birthing women maternity staff see and how many fathers who stand around and do nothing.

Birth unit CNMS/obstetrical nurses will love to see you use birthing skills

When you’re in the throes of another painful contraction and you and your birth coach are working well, the hospital midwives/obstetrical nurses will be saying to themselves …

‘Wish more couples could work SO VERY WELL together. We’d love to see more good births like this.’

Susan P …

‘The staff at our hospital couldn’t praise us enough for how well we worked together. My wife and I never thought we were preparing for birth to please them but we felt so good that these strangers were so impressed. The secret? Birthing Better skills.’

Stevie and Carol C …

I’m a staff midwife (CNM) in a small, rural maternity unit. A few years ago a couple used Birthing Better skills and had such a wonderful birth. Our unit has 6 copies which are always out. We see more couples working together and better outcomes just from this one resource.’

Geri P …

All Birthing Better skills were developed by hundreds of dads and moms and used in their baby’s birth. Birthing Better skills are housed in Common Knowledge Trust and are available as an online birthing class