Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Helping her through labour

gibingus · 02-18-2004, 01:46 PM

1. bring water, juice, gatorade, whatever she likes to drink - and bring gallons of it. it's a physical marathon. hydration is key.

in the hospital we delivered our first child at, the nurse told us to keep drinking, gave us a dinky little cup and pitcher and was never seen again. we felt bad repeatedly hitting the call button and getting them to keep bringing us fluids, because we thought they might be off doing important nursey stuff instead of being our personal busboys. instead, they were just being lazy. which brings me to point 2 -

2. bring a six pack of whupass.

your wife is going to be in unspeakable pain and working her ass off and then she is going to be absolutely wrecked mentally and physically by the birthing moment. you need to be her advocate and champion. getting attention in hospitals can be rough, you need to be polite but insistent and firm.

3. music helps set the tempo

bring a boombox and a wide selection everything from your favorite psych up music to relaxation and new age meditation tapes. some lamaze people will also tell you to bring something nice to look at for a focal point. something comforting and reminiscent of home might be good.

4. bring confidence

there is a high chance that at some point in the labor process, your loving wife will hate you like you have never been hated. this didn't happen to me, but i've heard it many times from several sources.

5. don't forget your wallet.

you'll buy her extra food and drinks and stuff at the hospital gift shop. it's not cheap, but you gotta get it where you can get it. our hospital didn't provide food for husbands either.

everything else you will need will be there... wet washcloths, showers, tv, blah, blah. be prepared to stay a few days. in the end, the ob-gyn will take over your breathing pattern and guide you through it. basically you'll just count and she pushes.

i did know a guy who snuck a thermos of very nice champagne into the hospital, so that was the first thing that touched his son's lips. he claimed his son had excellent taste because of it.

good luck man, it's a harsh but beautiful thing. we're taking our second trip in what should be just a few weeks.

02-18-2004, 01:46 PM	#10 (permalink)
gibingus Insane Location: 38° 51' N 77° 2' W	1. bring water, juice, gatorade, whatever she likes to drink - and bring gallons of it. it's a physical marathon. hydration is key. in the hospital we delivered our first child at, the nurse told us to keep drinking, gave us a dinky little cup and pitcher and was never seen again. we felt bad repeatedly hitting the call button and getting them to keep bringing us fluids, because we thought they might be off doing important nursey stuff instead of being our personal busboys. instead, they were just being lazy. which brings me to point 2 - 2. bring a six pack of whupass. your wife is going to be in unspeakable pain and working her ass off and then she is going to be absolutely wrecked mentally and physically by the birthing moment. you need to be her advocate and champion. getting attention in hospitals can be rough, you need to be polite but insistent and firm. 3. music helps set the tempo bring a boombox and a wide selection everything from your favorite psych up music to relaxation and new age meditation tapes. some lamaze people will also tell you to bring something nice to look at for a focal point. something comforting and reminiscent of home might be good. 4. bring confidence there is a high chance that at some point in the labor process, your loving wife will hate you like you have never been hated. this didn't happen to me, but i've heard it many times from several sources. 5. don't forget your wallet. you'll buy her extra food and drinks and stuff at the hospital gift shop. it's not cheap, but you gotta get it where you can get it. our hospital didn't provide food for husbands either. everything else you will need will be there... wet washcloths, showers, tv, blah, blah. be prepared to stay a few days. in the end, the ob-gyn will take over your breathing pattern and guide you through it. basically you'll just count and she pushes. i did know a guy who snuck a thermos of very nice champagne into the hospital, so that was the first thing that touched his son's lips. he claimed his son had excellent taste because of it. good luck man, it's a harsh but beautiful thing. we're taking our second trip in what should be just a few weeks. __________________ if everyone is thinking alike, chances are no one is thinking.