Labour and birth can feel overwhelming, but having the right support can make a world of difference. Whether it’s your first baby or a subsequent birth, a supportive partner plays a key role in ensuring a calm, prepared, and positive experience.
Here’s how partners can step up and help with both labour preparation and support to help have a more confident and enjoyable experience.
1. Attend a birthing class together such as One Mama Midwife Antenatal Class
Understanding what’s ahead helps both of you feel more prepared and confident.
Partners can:
- Attend One Mama Midwife antenatal classes together
- Learn about the stages of labour and what to expect
- Understand pain relief options, including natural methods like TENS machines, breathing techniques, and medicated pain relief options
- Familiarise themselves with birth plans and hospital protocols
- Understand their role throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum including any concerns that may start to arise throughout labour
By educating themselves, partners will know how to offer practical and emotional support when it matters most.
2. Help with Birth Preferences & Planning
Understanding all of the options and being on the same page can help set expectations for labour and birth. It is so important to know what you want for your labour, what you don’t want for your labour and have the confidence to advocate for yourself.
Partners can:
- Sit down together and discuss birth preferences, considering all the options
- Pack a hospital bag together
- Ensure any birth preferences are printed and ready for the midwife or doctor
- Pack a postpartum healing bag
- This will consist of everything you will need to maximise your healing after birth. This would include the Bare Mum Warm and Cool Insert, Skin and Scar Oil, Sitz Bath Salts, Perineal Foam, Postpartum Pads, Postpartum Briefs and Bralette.
Having a partner who understands and advocates for birth preferences is invaluable when navigating the birth space.
3. Provide Physical Comfort in Labour
When labour starts, having a hands-on partner can bring immense relief.
Ways they can help:
- Massage & Counterpressure – Using firm touch or heat packs on the lower back and hips can ease contractions.
- Breathing Techniques – Helping to slow down breathing during intense contractions.
- Setting the Birth Environment
- Dim lighting, calming music, and a stress-free space can make a big difference.
- Using Bare Mum's Warm and Cool Insert on the lower back or abdomen can provide natural pain relief before and during labour.
4. Be the Ultimate Supporter (Emotionally & Mentally)
Labour is not just physical—it’s emotional too.
Partners can:
- Offer words of encouragement: "You’re doing so well," "I’m so proud of you."
- Provide reassurance during the intense moments: "Breathe with me, we’re in this together."
- Be patient and responsive to needs, whether it’s heating the Warm and Cool Insert, getting water, or simply being present.
Sometimes, just knowing they’re there can make a big difference.
5. Take Charge of Practical Tasks
Labour is unpredictable, so having a partner on top of logistics is a lifesaver.
They can:
- Keep track of contractions & call the hospital or midwife when needed
- Be responsible for transport (knowing the best route & having the car ready)
- Ensure the hospital bag is packed and ready
- Handle communication with family & friends so the birthing person can stay focused
6. Support Post-Birth Recovery
Often we spend so much time focusing on labour that we forget to plan for our postpartum period. Labour doesn’t end when the baby arrives—postpartum recovery is just as important.
Partners can help by:
- Ensuring plenty of rest and handling household chores
- Keeping hydration & nutrition on track
- Offering emotional support through the postpartum ups and downs
- Using Bare Mum’s Warm and Cool Insert for soothing relief after birth
Small actions can make a big difference in postpartum recovery, helping new mums feel supported and cared for.
Remember, having a supportive birth and postpartum support person can make all the difference through such a transformative time. By learning, listening, and actively supporting, partners can change the whole dynamic of the experience.
Partners, your presence, encouragement, and support matter more than you know! Explore Bare Mum’s range of labour & postpartum essentials to make birth preparation as smooth as possible.
Written by Lauren Brenton,
Endorsed Midwife & Founder One Mama Midwife Pty Ltd