 There are many excellent antenatal classes to help couples prepare for labour. Classes may be run through your local hospital, or, in many areas, classes are offered through the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). To find out about classes in your area log on to http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/nearest_branch.asp click on "find out about antenatal and postnatal classes UK wide".
For mothers these classes are often not too much of a surprise, as would-be-mums tend to swot up on the subject of labour. And who wouldn't, it's intimidating to fathom how to push a big object out of a small opening, so it's good to have some ideas in advance!
For Dads however, it tends to be something they don't want to think about at all. In Jani's experience many would-be-fathers adopt an ostrich like mentality and just hope that the doctors and midwives will take care of it all. When they do go along to classes it is often their first exposure to the process of labour.
Some men find the classes a difficult experience, not liking to discuss things about childbirth in front of other people, and many tell Jani about how they find it difficult to take in all the information they are being given, especially if they find it embarrassing.
Jani offers couples sessions for labour preparation in an effort to help overcome this hurdle of embarrassment, providing a private environment with the time and space for personal questions.
She brings to this work a unique perspective of having worked in many different settings, in both NHS and private hospitals, in community hospitals and at home births. This has left her with a great capacity to help couples anticipate what to expect in terms of policies and procedures, to help couples understand about the different interventions that may be offered, and with an ability to help coach Dads into understanding how important their roll is as a birthing partner.
NB: 'dads' is shorthand for any birthing partner, Jani is happy to coach anyone a woman feels she would like to have with her throughout this extraordinary experience.
The session lasts for 2 hours and covers many aspects of the process of labour, helping dads to realise the variances of the different stages of labour. She teaches dads acupressure for labour and encourages them to recognise their own capacity to be an active part of the labour process. Jani is able to provide many tips to help dads recognise how and when they can be most useful to their partners.
Hospitals can be intimidating environments, and many people find it difficult to understand how to easily fit in with what is happening in the flow of hospital procedures. Many doctors and midwives move through the familiarity of their daily tasks, using language that makes perfect sense to them, without necessarily realising that some people may find this very difficult to interpret. Jani is able to help couples to have a sense of what to expect and to minimise the uncertainty that might arise from not understanding what is happening around them.
Good births happen when a woman feels in control and feels she can trust those she is with. If her environment is making her feel uncertain this will inevitably have a detrimental effect on the labour. These sessions are all about minimising that potential.
Jani believes strongly in an integrated approach. Interventions do not make a bad birth. But not trusting what is happening to you certainly will make you feel that you are having a bad birth experience. Her objective is to reassure couples about what to expect so that any potentials can be dealt with from a basis of understanding.
It can be very helpful to do this session after having done antenatal classes, as a reminder and to help clarify. It is helpful for couples who didn't feel classes were the right learning environment for them, and it is also useful for couples who didn't sign up for classes in time (this happens a lot)!
The feedback that Jani receives from Dad's is always about how glad they are to have come, that they find it helps them to feel more prepared, with a clearer idea of the processes involved and how they can help their women go through this experience with a feeling of trust and support. They also mention that they find it much more relaxing and much less embarrassing than attending classes.
Mums feed back how helpful they find it to clarify their own expectations, and that they feel much better knowing their partners aren't still in ostrich mode!
To book a pre-labour session please ring Jani on 07932 00 00 25
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