by Rebecca Deen

Created on: March 14, 2010

Okay dads, I'm going to go through the things you should do during childbirth as well as the things that you shouldn't do. We women don't really expect a whole lot out of you when it comes to childbirth because there really isn't too much that you can do to ease our pain in the delivery room.

DOs:

Be There - It's always a good idea to show up for the birth of your child. If you're squeamish, that's okay because you don't have to look. You can stand up by our head and support us from there.

Hold Her Hand - We're already stressed out and we're in pain. That's not a good combination. We need to know that you're there to support us and holding our hand is a good way to show that.

Stay Calm - We're already freaking out and we're scared to death that something might go wrong for whatever reason. If you're freaking out then that's going to make us flip out even more, so it's very important that you try to stay calm.

Be Supportive - As I said before we need your support. You can help to keep us calm by being supportive and sweet. Women love compliments, so try to throw out a couple of compliments and tell us how good we're doing even if we're not taking it very well.

Be Prepared - We're in a lot of pain so it's very likely that even the mildest tempered woman is going to call you a few names and tell you how much she hates you. Don't take it personally and don't yell back. We don't mean the things we say and she'll be thanking you later when she's holding that adorable little baby.

DON'Ts

Stand Far Away - When I had my son, my fiance' stood way back and didn't hold my hand. I didn't fell like I had his full support and I felt alone in the delivery room.

Talk on Your Phone or Text - Many hospitals these days allow you to have your cell phone. When I had my son, my mom was also in the room and she was talking on her phone as I was starting to push. It's very distracting. Don't do it.

Say Stupid Things Like "Does It Hurt" - When I was born, my dad asked my mom "Does it hurt?". Well duh, of course it hurts. It's not a good idea to ask questions that have an obvious answer. My mom still holds it against my dad to this day, which is almost 19 years later.

Most of this stuff is common sense, but it happens. The key word here is support. As long as you're supportive you'll make it through just fine.

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