When it comes to pregnancy books, it's fair to say that there are very few aimed at birthing partners rather than pregnant people.
But supporting your partner through the birth of a child is without a doubt one of the most daunting tasks to be faced with - there's so much to think about, so much to remember and so much to be aware of that it can be incredibly overwhelming.
I know that for me personally, having my partners support throughout the birth of our 3 children was so important but I was so pre-occupied with my own nerves and anxiety that I really didn't want to have to talk him through all of the processes too.
Now that we're living in a post-pandemic world, there are still lots of situations where birthing partners are kept out of the pregnancy experience more than ever before - with many hospitals not allowing partners to be present during scans or check up appointments. But how can we expect a partner to be able to adequately support us through birth without the knowledge and information at hand to let them know what to expect and what to do?
Thankfully Daddilife books have created A Positive Birth - A Dad's Guide to Hypnobirthing & Becoming A Confident Birthing Partner. This book does such a fantastic job of breaking things down into easy-to-understand chunks and it covers everything from supporting your partner through the pregnancy to the birth itself. It doesn't scratch the surface either - the books goes into detail about the science of pregnancy and birth hormones, allowing the reader to gain a real understanding of his partner is experiencing.
Although my own birthing days are a few years behind me now that my youngest has turned 6, having read through the book I can appreciate just how useful it would have been. I particularly love the checklists throughout, as these provide a practical and useful way for birthing partners to feel involved, important and empowered in the birth process.
The section on breathing techniques is one that I know we would also have got a lot out of, as the book does a fantastic job of walking you through each exercise. This is where the hypnobirthing element comes into play. Hypnobirthing has become much more popular in recent years and, as a qualified registered hypnotherapist myself, I can see why - hypnotherapy techniques can be incredibly powerful in overcoming both physical pain and anxiety.
There's a saying I love which is "All hypnosis is self-hypnosis" - what this means is that hypnosis requires an open mind and a willingness to accept positive suggestions in order to work. People often confuse hypnosis as some sort of stage trick, but it really can be as simple as using techniques to calm the mind and the body - getting your mind to a place of peace where you can accept positive suggestions and visualisations to help encourage a positive experience.
This book talks the reader through these techniques with ease and makes them really accessible for beginners - I think that working through these techniques together during the birth would not only encourage a calm and positive birthing experience, but it would also really aid the bonding experience as a couple and set both parents off on the best possible start to their parenting journey - which is what all of us want, right?
A Positive Birth: A Dad's Guide To Hypnobirthing is available from Amazon now.