3 Simple Ways To Support Your Expecting BIRTHFIT Partner

Often times when a couple is expecting, I get questions and concerns from the partner on how they can best support mom and have some more intentional involvement within the pregnancy. It is easy to feel disconnected since you are not carrying or birthing the baby, at times feeling like there is not much you can do to help. This is certainly not the case, as there is a long list of ways to support your expecting partner. Below are just a few helpful ways to support your significant other as she carries your child as seen and taken from other couples who’ve navigated through pregnancies together.

Join her frequently in her prenatal training workouts.

Whether mom is already following our BIRTHFIT Prenatal Training or possibly taking a Prenatal Fitness class with a BIRTHFIT Regional Director or Coach, she will likely really want or even need a training partner from time to time. What better way to bond than to share a workout together?! Although the BIRTHFIT Prenatal Training is a specific training program for a mom who is in season for birth, it also involves all of the necessary components of a program for ANYONE (male, female, expecting, or not expecting) to become a better mover and a more capable human being. Through an intelligent variety of intensity between strength and conditioning components, the program entails multi-plane movement, triphasic muscular contractions, and accessory/mobility work to complement the training program. In joining mom in her workouts, you’ll have a better understanding of what she’s doing in the gym, and you’ll learn more about how her body is adapting and changing as it prepares for birth.

Attend a childbirth education class together.

Just as many partners are unsure how they can be more supportive during pregnancy, they also don’t really know how they will be able to help during birth. It is important for both partners to plan for birth together, to create a birth preference sheet, and to set their intentions on what they want their birth experience to be like. It can be overwhelming for first time partners to experience labor and delivery. Check with your local Regional Director for the BIRTHFIT Prenatal Series. This is a comprehensive childbirth education class that is designed for mom and partner. You will learn so much in this highly informative course including the opportunity to role play through labor scenarios as well as learn comfort measures and specific ways to support mom directly through the labor and delivery process.

Continue to plan date nights and special occasions for the two of you.

It is not uncommon for the expecting mom to experience fatigue, mood swings, food aversions, or just not fully feel like her usual self. It is easy for a partner to be frustrated by these things if they aren’t aware that they are all normal occurrences that come with pregnancy. One of the best ways to lift the expecting mom’s mood is to continue to plan date nights and special occasions for the two of you. This might be the first time she’s been motivated to do her hair and put on makeup in a while. Maybe mom has a favorite restaurant that she’s been really wanting, or maybe she has just felt low energy and not left the house much. These simple gestures will allow for more connection and bonding between the two of you, and mom will likely appreciate your efforts to tend to her current needs. It won’t be long before another is added to the family, so savor this time as it is special and meaningful for many reasons.

As I mentioned before, there are many other ways to support your expecting partner in this motherhood transition. I encourage both partners to use this time as an opportunity for open communication and understanding, extending and receiving help, and getting creative on ways to walk through this journey together! A woman who feels supported through pregnancy will walk into labor and delivery with a special confidence knowing that she is never alone in this beautiful journey.

Leah Barto
BIRTHFIT Houston @birthfihouston