Guide map of labour

Birth is creativity... dads got into the equation of creativity in my previous stages of labour class. Once we cleared the "woman-labour-pain" roadblock, they just knew that they could be there for the moms in so many ways.

Of many classes I have discussed stages of labour this Saturaday was a exceptionally creative one. My recent experience, with my doula client, who kept timing her contractions and wanted internals to check progress was disappointed with how things were not as advanced as she thought they would be. I saw a collective disappointment on the faces of an entire family and it honed the fact that no matter how much we talk of natural birth, in the end we talk numbers. No matter how much we talk instinct but we try and make it rational. So this class I experimented with "feel of labour" rather than stages of labour.

The dads were incharge of mapping the lay of the land. Good! since they are the primary support people here. Instead of the numbers we talked of how they would see labour progress and it was divided into 5 categories of reference.

First was the Sense of rhythm: timing to begin to get a sense of things
Second was Feelings or emotional assesment: how she would look and feel
Third was What may be happening in the body: effacement, baby moving lower, rotating

Fourth was what she may be experiencing: backache, hot/cold

And the fifth was what mom could be doing and what the support person could be doing.

This led to a lively interactive discussion. Significantly, everyone began thinking of various possibilities as soon as I said a emotion, or experience.... the focus shifted away from the timing and numbers. As we went through the labour, the couples discussed various scenarios and each partner made the next step of his guide map.

At each point food, drink, mobility, rest was discussed.

Maybe I was able to convey that labour is timeless, unique and different for everyone. Its like preparing for the birthday party of the baby and both parents work hard to have a great birthday.