As an educator, I am pretty easy-going. My main goal is to offer accurate, evidence-based information and trust the expectant family to make the decisions they feel are right for their situation. I don't give a lot of "you should do this" kind of advice -- it's just not my style, and I don't think it lends well to a person working to follow their plans and follow their intuition. One place where I throw this out the window, though, is when it comes to "rules" a partner absolutely must follow. These rules are not covered in a particular class, rather they come up according to what topics we happen to be discussing. In class last week we happened to touch upon quite a few of these rules, and I told my families, "I should write these down." Enter, the blog! These are for partners, so the "you" in the sentence is not the person who is pregnant, but their direct support person...and I think you know who you are. 1. You are not allowed to have bad breath. The laboring person's breath will probably be less-than-optimal -- they are working hard, breathing through their mouth, it could have been hours since they last brushed their teeth, or they may have thrown up their last snack. None of this matters. They need support, often in a very close, in-your-personal-space kind of way. If their breath causes you to recoil, you can muster up your strength and remind yourself of the awesome events unfolding during this birth. If your breath causes the laboring person to recoil, they may, very bluntly, tell you so, or maybe they will just involuntarily vomit in your lap. You have been warned. No chili cheese fries with extra garlic for you, my friend. Breath mints, gum, and mouthwash should be littered liberally around the room, and you should liberally use them.
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