deafness
FIVE VITAL TIPS FOR A SMOOTH DELIVERY:
• Prenatal classes - encourage your birthing partner to come along to any classes with you. This is a good way for them to learn what to expect on the big day.
• Birth plan - you might know what kind of birth you want to have, but does your partner? It is important to keep your partner informed to reduce any panic in the room should a change occur.
• Make sure your birth partner knows their role - let them know what you want from them during labour - whether it is to massage your feet, or sit silently in the corner. The last thing you need is your partner standing looking clueless on the day.
• Check they have packed their own bag - labour can be long, so make sure your partner knows that they need to be fully prepared. A change of clothes, food/drink and something to read are essentials.
“I can honestly say that being there for the birth of my niece, and assisting my sister through her journey was an eye-opening, firework-exploding, tears-flowing experience that I will never forget”
strong one and encourage her to keep going, but at times, particularly when she was frustrated with not understanding what the midwifes were asking, it was hard to keep my emotions together. Another issue which came with being
birthing partner was the fact that Kirsty was unable to take phone calls. Tis may sound silly in a world where texting has taken over, however not being able to quickly phone and ask what was going on, particularly when she first went into hospital, was very frustrating. Te midwives were, however, very helpful and oſten rang me themselves to keep me up to date until I got to the hospital. Te day aſter Kieva’s birth, it was time for
the hearing test. While for most people this is a calm, stress-free experience, for us it was an extremely tense time. Because hearing
tests are such a standard procedure for newborns, the hospital were actually going to go ahead and do it with only Kirsty present, but she eventually persuaded them to allow our mum to come and interpret for her. Aſter a lot of stress - and what seemed like
a lifetime of waiting - the results of Kieva’s test came back and it - thankfully - revealed that she was fully hearing! We have all watched the movies, and I for
one used to squirm at the over exaggerated, cheesiness of TV births, never really expecting it to be as glorious as they made out. But I can honestly say that being there for the birth of my niece, and assisting my sister through her journey was an eye- opening, ffirework-exploding, tears-flowing experience that I will never forget. „
Autumn 2016 MODERNMUM 13
• Encourage them to ask questions - depending on what pain relief you choose, you may be feeling slightly out of it - so make sure your partner knows they can ask questions on your behalf.
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