Every couple deserves compassion and support throughout labor and birth.  Many couples want a romantic experience: just the two of them (maybe more) and their caregiver checking in occasionally. This can sometimes be very lonely, frightening, and overwhelming for the both of them.

 

Some women feel very alone and abandoned during their birth experience.  Some don't feel listened to or supported.  A woman once shared with me that her husband ate popcorn and watched a Jackie Chan movie while she suffered through her long labor alone. At my own first birth, my midwife "went to bed" and left me alone in the care of her medical assistant until I was nine centimeters dilated.  It was the support of my husband and mother that helped me endure.  And while my husband didn't know what to do, my mother did.

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Labor and birth can be compared to a marathon.  Having a goal to finish might not be enough.  Chances are you need a plan to help you cope, endure, and thrive.