Necessity is the mother of invention.

So this time the photo credit is mine. Blurriness aside, I was excited to capture not only this sweet moment of partner support, but also a new thing I discovered.

As the old adage goes, necessity is the mother of invention.

When it comes to birth support, one of the most often craved positions is for the birthing person to lean forward onto their partner or doula, let their weight go and be held. They may be sitting, standing, or kneeling, but the holding of birthing people in this way is practically birth support 101.

At this most recent birth, I kept seeing my client sliding down into the birth tub. So desperately wanting to let go and not have to continuing holding up their own weight, especially while resting between contractions, yet with no way to do so without slipping completely down into the water.

As any partner or doula who's been there before knows, holding someone up like that with sheer upper body strength is hard, perhaps even impossible when you consider the length of time such a demand is being placed.

So what's a person to do?!

I thought to myself, if I could just wrap her up so she would be supported without anyone having to hold her in place...???

I got it! Get a sheet, secure it under her arms and around her partner's back and tie them together so no one needs to hold on to anything, and voila! It was magic.

My client felt held and supported enough to relax and let go. Her partner was able to be supported by the way the sheet wrapped around him too. And hands were free for holding water at the ready and to be available for more emotional, less physical holding. It was a win-win!

I love moments like that in the birth room. Simple tricks of the doula trade and creative mind that make things feel a little easier, more supported and held.

A sheet trick like this is cool for sure and feel free to use that one anytime, but nothing, nothing beats the power of touch for physical, and often, even emotional support. That's what Comforting Touch for Doulas is all about. Check out my workshop calendar here.

Just like this little maneuver, I'm always learning new things to do, and teach, from trial and error and each birth teaches me something new. I'm especially excited to share some new moves I've been using to great effect for back labor.

I hope you or someone you know can make it to my next workshop!

And if you're out of town or can't make it in-person, I invite you to check out my Virtual Comforting Touch for Doulas class for the next best thing to my in-person program. I recently received this heart warming message from a recent student who took my virtual class...

"Seriously I was channeling my inner Yiska hoping that all I was doing was good for her, and she even mentioned that something I was doing on her back felt good and I was like YESSSSSS."

YESSSSSS indeed.