Creating a Family-Centered Birth Experience: Including Children in the Birth Space
Show Notes:
[0:22] We have gotten a request to talk about siblings and having them there for your birth. Not your siblings, but your child's siblings. So if this is second, third, fourth, whatever, or you're pregnant with your first, stay right here, because you will eventually have another baby, and this is one of those fun things that we get to discuss.
[2:16] I will say children are so much more in tune to the needs, the situation, and the sacredness of the space than we give them credit for. The births that I have been a part of where siblings have been part of that birth story, they just get it.
[6:07] Little kids are smart. So we don't have to sugarcoat things. You can really be clear with them that baby's coming out of mommy's privates or vagina. Or I might make some vocal noises at this time, or this might happen, but if you understand what's going on with your body so that you can walk them through the process of what it might look like and what may occur, then that will be a way that you can kind of relay all that information to this little one.
[8:41] Make sure that you have the support that you need, especially from dad. It is really important, and I think needs to come number one, because when it comes down to it, and you're going through that hard, phase of labor or just all the emotions and everything that comes up during labor, you need to make sure that you have your support in place.
[10:29] I know people who have definitely used books or birth videos so that they can kind of walk their children through the process of it. It is a really good idea to kind of vet any video that you're going to show and that includes how mom handles it. You definitely probably want to show more of those peaceful things. But I would also include videos that show some like deep moaning, or where mom is kind of like just making some noises and moving around a little bit.
[11:36] As you are envisioning your birth and you're envisioning the next step and and what is going to be coming for you, it'll probably bring you to tears explaining all of it to your children because you get to walk through all of that. It is such a positive thing when you are relaying it to somebody else in a positive light, when you're explaining those things in a really positive light. It's actually rewiring your brain and helping you see it in a positive light. You talking to your children, you relaying it positively for you, for them.
[16:22] Give them little tasks to do for their age that is perfect. They want to be helpful. They want to be involved until they don't, and they get bored and then they head to the backyard or pick up their Legos or whatever it is. They can be as simple as like "bring this cracker to mommy" or make sure she has her water, hand her her chapstick, just little things to get them involved.
[20:06] Stephanie talks about how she incorporates teaching her kids about birth and how she would involve them if she were to have a baby again.
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