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Taking an active role in the birth
The partners appeared to find it beneficial to take an active role. For some this increased their sense of sharing and involvement at this time:
“The massage was a very positive aspect of my wife’s labor. I felt that I was making a practical contribution to the labor and as a result of this feel that I would take a different approach to massage as a form of pain relief in future” (partner of nullipara).
“I felt usefully involved during labor, and looking back, feel that I had a part in the baby’s delivery” (partner of multipara).
Partners who took an active role also felt a sense of taking part in the birth of the baby, and their positive contribution reduced their anxiety. The benefits of the partner undertaking the massage are not just the massage itself, but also the specific role they are provided with during labor.
Preparation for massage techniques
Effective teaching of this type of massage needs to be done on a one-to-one basis, either antenatally or in early labor. Group teaching does not work well, as the women become inhibited when taking their clothes off to learn the techniques. Although the massage techniques in themselves are simple, it is necessary for the couples to practise them for it to work well. An hour taken to teach the partner is very worthwhile.
I wanted to find out what women felt about their preparation for the massage. The majority of women appreciated the preparation antenatally and would have liked to have had the opportunity to learn massage techniques to use in pregnancy. Some responses to the preparation are given below
“Invaluable – it would have been impossible and impracticable without” (nullipara).
“Yes, I would have jumped at the chance (to use massage during pregnancy), to help with sleeping, relieving tension and general relaxation’ (nullipara).
“Yes – essential!! Particularly synchronising massage and breathing” (multipara).
“The more the better” (multipara).
Conclusion
This review of my practice of massage suggests that it has a value in achieving positive physical and psychological effects. It may also have a role in reducing the amount of analgesia and promoting women’s ability to cope in labor. The positive responses from the partners were centred on their feeling involved and helpful. Massage will not always be a viable care option for everyone and the wishes of the individual to opt out of massage need to be respected. For those who are interested in massage, it is a positive way of giving the birthing partner an active role and therefore empowering the couple.
These massage techniques offer one way of overcoming the helplessness felt by many men when they are with women in labor.
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