Birth Partner

Labour comfort positions and counter pressure

Comfort positions and simple ways to support her in labour.

Educational support, not medical advice. Anything about her health or the baby's goes to your midwife or maternity triage.

Comfort positions for labour

Four positions worth trying together before the day. Most people have a favourite they didn't expect.

  1. A pregnant woman and her partner standing close, swaying together, his hands at her lower back.
    Standing, swaying gently, arms around each other. Gravity helps, and swaying gives her something rhythmic to move with through a contraction.
  2. She rocks slowly on hands and knees while her partner kneels at her shoulder, one hand on her upper back and the other holding her hand.
    Hands and knees, rocking slowly. Takes pressure off the lower back: a good one if backache is the main discomfort.
  3. She sits upright on a birth ball circling her hips, her partner steadying her from behind.
    Sitting and gently bouncing or circling on a birth ball. Keeps her upright and mobile without needing to stand.
  4. She leans her weight forward onto her standing partner, who holds her through the contraction.
    Leaning forward onto you, a bed, or a wall during a contraction, with you taking some of her weight. Good for a quick change of position without much thought.

Counter-pressure & massage

Simple hands-on techniques for back labour. Ask what pressure feels right, it varies a lot person to person.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Massage techniques for labour

Six hands-on routines to practise ahead of time. Light and slow to start, then take the lead from what she says helps.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Slow breathing pacer

A visual rhythm to breathe along with: in for four, out for eight. Practise it now so it's familiar on the day.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Skin-to-skin, step by step

What it actually looks like to do skin-to-skin with a newborn, whether that's her or you.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Setting up a safe sleep space

The seven things that actually reduce the risk, plus an honest word about the night you end up sharing a bed.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Making up a bottle safely

A job you will do half-asleep, where the order of the steps genuinely matters. Learn it once now.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Feeding: what to look for, and when to call

Not how to breastfeed, which is hers. How to see when it isn't working, who to ring, and what to do with your hands.

Included in Birth Ready, inside the app.

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Comfort techniques

Counter pressure on hips

Press firmly inward on both hips during a contraction: many people find this eases lower back pain more than a single-point back rub.

Just be still

Sometimes the most useful thing is doing nothing: sitting close, holding a hand, saying nothing at all. Presence over performance.

Open the free app