Hi and welcome to today's video where I'll be sharing my top five tips for your birth
partner. Please make sure that you stick around till the end of this video because I'm going to
be sharing my favourite birth partner tip! If you're new to my channel welcome my name is
Anja and I'm a hypnobirthing practitioner. On my Youtube channel you'll find videos and audios to
support you through pregnancy birth and motherhood. Don't forget to click the subscribe button and
the bell icon so you don't miss my weekly videos, there's a new one every single Tuesday. So whatever
kind of birth you're hoping to have - whether that be a vaginal birth or a C-section birth -
there are things that your birth partner can do to support you and play a really hands-on role.
My first birth partner tip is to support you with your breathing and there are three
really effective breathing techniques that you can use during the birth process one of
them's called Up Breathing then there's Down Breathing and J Breathing. They're all quite
different from one another but you can learn how to do those by watching the video on the screen
right now. I will also link it in the video description below. During contractions in labour,
it can be really helpful for your partner to keep you on track with your breathing techniques
so that you can stay focused and relaxed and, even if you're having a C-section birth,
learning how to do Up Breathing is a great way of keeping you calm and at ease during surgery. My
second tip is for your birth partner to reassure you and encourage you throughout the birth process.
During childbirth, at times, it can feel intense and challenging so it can be really helpful for you to
hear soothing and comforting words from somebody that you love and trus.t Hearing things like
"I'm so proud of you", "I love you so much", "You're doing so well", "Breathe slowly, that's it", "You'll be
holding your baby in your arms really soon", "You can do this!" Those kind of words can really help you
to not feel stressed, to not get over anxious about things and it can really make the world
of difference to your experience of childbirth. My third tip is for your birth partner to be
aware of your birth preferences so that they can advocate for you stand up for your wishes and make
sure that your needs are understood respected and heard by the medical staff allocated to your care.
It's really important that your birth partner has at least 3 copies of your birth
preferences to give out to medical staff in case any copies are mislaid during a shift changeover
at the hospital or birth centre. My fourth tip is to receive gentle touch from your birth partner.
Feeling physical touch from somebody that you love during childbirth can instantly relax you
and make you feel more at ease whether that be a shoulder massage, having your head stroked,
somebody holding your hand or placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. Now you may not always feel
like being touched during childbirth but having a loved one there to provide physical touch when
you want it and need it can make such a positive difference to how you experience the birth process.
My final tip for your birth partner is to keep your birth room quiet and calm. So whether
you have a vaginal birth or a C-section birth, the role of your birth partner is to ensure that your
birth environment is as relaxing as possible. It's also important that your birth partner make sure
that all members of your care team are speaking quietly, that they're not talking unnecessarily and
that they're allowing you to listen to peaceful music and meditations of your choice to add an
extra layer of auditory comfort. Essentially, your birth partner is responsible for protecting and
guarding your birth space, so they have the right to tell medical staff to keep their voices down
if it's disturbing the peacefulness of your birth environment. Thanks so much for watching this video
today! I hope that you found it helpful if you've got any questions about the role of
the birth partner please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.
If you would like your birth partner to learn all of the ways that they can support you physically
practically and emotionally throughout the remainder of your pregnancy and the birth process,
one of the best things that you can do is sign up to one of my free hypnobirthing taster sessions
on zoom and you can find the link to that in the video description below. Just click on my website
link and you can sign up to my taster session. On the taster sessions, you get exclusive access
to a 20% saving on a hypnobirthing course of your choice. They're only available via
the taster sessions, so you have to sign up to one of those if you want to access a saving on
one of my full hypnobirthing courses. On my full hypnobirthing courses, your birth partner
will learn exactly how to support you to the highest standard during the birth process :)
Thanks so much again for watching this video today! Take care and see you in my next one bye!