Birth companions are women who have experienced the process of labour and provide continuous one – to – one support to other women experiencing labour and child birth. The presence of a female relative during labour is a low cost intervention that has proved to be beneficial to the women in labour. Birth companions provide emotional support (continuous reassurance), information about labour progress and advice regarding coping techniques, comfort measures (comforting touch, massages, promoting adequate fluid intake and output), and advocacy (helping the woman articulate her wishes to the other).
Pre-requisites for a birth companion
The World Health Organization promotes labor companionship as a core element of care for improving maternal and infant health (WHO 2002). The regional plan of action for maternal and neonatal health care includes the monitoring of maternal and foetal well-being, and encourages the presence of a companion to provide support during labour and delivery as one of the interventions to improve neonatal health. A trained birth companion contributes to reduced tension and shortened labour, increased mother’s feelings of control, decreased interventions and caesareans. It also enhances the partner’s participation, improves outcome for the newborn, facilitates parent/infant bonding, and decreases postpartum depression while increasing positive feelings about the birth experience.
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