How to be the Lionel Messi of the Labour Room!

​
You are sitting in the dressing room, you have been waiting for this match for 9 months ....Any minute now, you will be walking out on to the pitch.

It all boils down to this.......this match, the most important match of your career to date.

You are calm and focused; you know you have prepared for this, mentally and physically.

You look around, your team mates Neymar and Suarez also prepared, ready to take part.

This is your game, they know this, and they are a part of the team offering support and encouragement.

Everyone has the same goal. Everyone wants one thing....Everyone wants to WIN!

You may be asking yourself how on earth does football have anything to do with birth or being a good birth partner but the truth is, it’s has a lot to do with it but we must first ask ourselves.........

What is it that makes Messi one of the best footballers?

When he steps on that pitch, what is it that makes him glide past the opponents to score those goals??

What is it that makes him get up after hitting the crossbar or getting into a squabble and still give 120%?

It is undeniable that he is incredibly talented and that he loves the game and although he would go far with these two attributes alone, unfortunately it would not make him the super athlete he is today.
Sports physiologists call it the ‘Head Edge’ or ‘Mental Success’ that makes athletes perform at the top of their game. This mental training helps athletes possess emotional resilience (the ability to adapt to stressful situations) which is very important in a high pressure game, much like birth.

This Mental Success means that players can stay Focused, Prepared and Confident. This ‘Winning Mentality’ helps players (and dads) focus on the overall Goal, which is to win the game or league and even though it will consist of many little wins, sometimes drawing or losing a match, there is always one thing in Mind.....’Keeping the goal the goal’!

They do not attach themselves to the momentary tensions or disappointments, they keep going because they have already won.......in their head at least and this helps them stay confident while giving that 120% to achieve what already is.

As an individual player his talent, his passion, his ‘mental success’ and his superhuman skills make Messi one of the best players but could he really be the best without the support of his team-mates? The synchronicity between him and his team-mates Neymar and Suarez is incredible to watch. They are so in sync and supportive of each other bound together by that common Goal.
​
So yes, we get it, I am a FC Barcelona fan but does football REALLY have a part to play in your role as a birth support.

So what is the goal when talking about birth?
Yes, of course a healthy mum and healthy baby is the most important outcome but in this case the Goal is Mum and Baby having a positive and gentle birth experience (this can go hand in hand with a healthy mum and baby) as this can also shape the post partum period and all these are memories that last a life time......
How do we become that all star in the labour room?
Some of this will be so natural to you, so instinctive and some of it will require a bit of preparation and work but nothing a weekend away (I am talking about a birth preparation workshop! Maybe book two weekends off!) Having the craic with your partner as well as figuring out what you do and don’t want for your newbie’s birth, won’t achieve.

The natural and instinctive part is......Love. Don’t underestimate the power of love especially in the labour room as the love hormone is the same one present and needed for your partner to birth your new little baby. The more Oxytocin (Love/Birth hormone) present, the better mum will feel. (There is no need to start your rendition of ‘When a man loves a woman’!)

In the Gentlebirth workshops we go in depth into aspects of sports psychology to help pave the way for a positive, fear-free birth experience along with the process of birth, comfort measures, neuroscience and so much more so you are prepared for the physical, emotional and mental changes that come with labour and birth.

The ‘Mental Success’ plays a big role for both mum and dad as both must stay focused, confident and emotionally resilient so if any opponents (unexpected situations or change in the birth preferences) you can glide past them knowing that you used the skills and resources that you acquired, doing all you could so you can continue giving that 120% while staying focused on the goal. After all Birth can be very unpredictable but we must remember to ‘Keep the Goal, the Goal! (Positive experience for mum and baby!)
​
Messi does not go it alone; he has a wonderful team behind him that want him to succeed. In this case I am speaking about Doula’s. Doula’s are labour and support companions, they become part of the birth team and they have the same goal as you do.
A Doulas aim is to protect the memory of your baby’s birth by using their skills, resources and knowledge to assist in making it as much as a positive experience as possible. It is a common misconception to think that when you hire a Doula that Dad becomes redundant..........but has no one told you, YOU ARE MESSI and absolutely anything other than redundant but the star player. In the same way Neymar and Suarez support Messi to score goals, a Doula will support you by suggesting comfort measures, reminding you of your skills, resources and temporarily taking the lead if you need to catch your breath.
 
So be prepared.
Take a birth preparation workshop
Consider hiring a Doula for extra support
Know that Messi could not be as great as he his unless he had the natural talent...........these are qualities that you posses that make your partner your number 1 fan!
Be yourself and trust that you know how to support your partner.

Just to note, playing football in the labour ward may cause health and safety issues.........so please leave the footballs at home but birth balls are okay!
​
If you feel so inspired that you break out your Barca kit, please bring a spare pair of clothes.
Initially mum might think it is funny that you are strolling around the maternity unit in your footie kit (which will be great for the Oxytocin release) she may tire of watching you do imaginary headers as labour intensifies!
 
BALLON D’OR HERE YOU COME!!

---