November 2022 - Tina Gibbs

Posted on November 28, 2022November 6, 2026 by Tina G — Leave a comment

10 ways for partners to support breastfeeding

Is your partner breastfeeding (or chestfeeding) your baby, or planning to? Expectant parents often ask how partners, dads, friends and family can support a breastfeeding parent. Here are 10 ways to help.

1. Learn about breastfeeding

The first step in supporting someone who is breastfeeding is to understand the basics of how it works. Put in some time and effort to learn about the physiology of breastfeeding, and you’ll be the best support your partner could hope for. A fun and interesting read is Kate Evans’ “Food of Love” (Amazon affiliate link). You’ll find more websites and books in the sources and further reading at the bottom of this page.

2. Offer reassurance

Reassure your partner that you’re there to support them, offer encouraging words and be positive about their progress. As with any new skill, reassurance and praise are a great help!

3. Create a comfortable space

Your partner may spend a lot of time feeding your baby, so a comfortable, relaxing space matters. Help set up a ‘nursing nest’ with cushions, snacks, the TV remote, a book, muslin squares and a drink (staying hydrated is important). Many parents keep a little basket of essentials nearby for feeds.

4. Take on more household chores

Take on more than your usual share of chores, and/or get extra help – a postnatal doula, a cleaner or a dog walker, for example. The more your partner can focus on feeding your baby, the better.

5. Get involved in your baby’s care in other ways

Your baby needs much more than feeding! Get involved by playing, reading stories, bathing, changing nappies, taking them for walks and having cuddles. This gives your partner time to recharge or have a shower – and helps you bond with your baby too.

6. Know where to find support

Many places in the UK run regular breastfeeding peer support groups, in person and online. Find out about local groups during pregnancy, and encourage your partner to go along to one or two before the baby arrives. The Breastfeeding Network also has lots of valuable support and information.

7. Offer a massage

A massage can help your partner relax and feel more comfortable, which supports milk flow – the hormone oxytocin is what lets the milk flow. Not everyone loves a massage, but if your partner does, it’s a great way to help!

8. Keep them fed

Feeding the breastfeeding parent is feeding your baby! Plenty of nutritious food (and some treats) helps with comfort, energy and a rewarding feeding experience. Top tip: food that can be eaten with one hand and without cutlery is the most practical during feeds. A pizza cutter is handy too, as you can use it with one hand!

9. Protect their privacy

Too many visitors in the first few weeks can make feeding harder. Help by keeping visitors to a minimum, or inviting them once breastfeeding is established. See my post on visitor boundaries for more ideas.

10. Look after older children

If you have older children, look after them while your baby is feeding. Being able to focus on feeding without worrying about older siblings is incredibly helpful.

10 ways for partners to support breastfeeding

Sources and further reading

Posted on November 17, 2022November 6, 2026 by Tina G — Leave a comment

5 must-haves for every antenatal educator

My five must-haves for every antenatal educator are visual and tactile learning aids. They encourage active engagement and participation, and help parents remember what they’ve learned.

1. A pelvis model

A pelvis model helps you explain the mechanics of childbirth and explore helpful positions for labour and birth. I like to pass it round the class, asking parents to point out what they notice and why upright positions might help the birth process. On a budget? Try my printable Build a Female Pelvis activity.

2. A uterus model

A uterus model helps you explain how the uterus works. A knitted or crocheted uterus and a soft ball work really well – some educators use a balloon and a ping-pong ball instead. The soft ball I use is similar to this one (Amazon affiliate link).

3. A placenta model

A placenta model helps explain how the placenta works and what happens during the third stage of labour. It’s also a useful prompt for discussing what parents might like to do with their placenta after the birth.

4. A childbirth timeline

A labour timeline helps you explore what happens when, and how to support the birth process. You could use a timeline banner, a beadline or make your own. Timelines also work really well for exploring induction and augmentation of labour, the birth partner’s role and more. I tend to use more than one type of timeline to emphasise that every labour and birth is unique! See my teaching ideas using labour and birth timelines. I’ve seen birth workers draw their own timelines on the back of a roll of wallpaper, and some very impressive, intricate ones made from fabric! If you’ve made your own, please share a picture – I’d love to see it!

5. Images of positions for labour and birth

These could be photos or drawings, like my childbirth positions cards and printable flashcards, or a poster.

These are my top five must-haves as a perinatal educator and doula. What are the five things you couldn’t teach without?

Posted on November 15, 2022November 6, 2026 by Tina G — Leave a comment

Birth Bag – Teaching Ideas

Birth bag teaching ideas for your antenatal classes! As birth workers – doulas, midwives, student midwives or perinatal educators – we aim to prepare expectant parents for their birth experience, and part of that is packing the birth bag (aka hospital bag).

Birth bag teaching ideas for in-person classes

Show and tell

Ask each family to bring up to three items for their birth bag to the next class. During “show and tell”, they share their items and why they chose them.

Brainstorm

Split the class into similar-sized groups. For couples’ classes, I split into two or four groups, separating birthing parents from birth partners. Each group writes or draws the items they’d like to take to the birth – giving you one list for birthing parents and a separate list for birth partners! If you’d rather not use paper and pens, or want to set this as homework or a pre-course task, try a Mentimeter word cloud instead (see below).

Paperchase

Split the group into three and set out three sheets of flipchart paper and pens. I like to draw a suitcase outline on each and add a heading: birthing parent, birth partner or baby. Each group brainstorms on its sheet for two minutes, then moves on to the next sheet to add to it, and then to the last one.

Sorting game

My Hospital Birth Bag Sorting Game is a ready-made, no-prep way to get everyone talking about what to pack.

Birth bag teaching ideas for virtual classes

Birth bag scavenger hunt

A good old scavenger hunt is a great way to explore what might go in a birth bag! It gets clients thinking about what they need and would like, and gets them off their seats during a virtual course. I like to include it as part of the break: I share my screen with a short list of things that might be useful for the birth, then ask clients to grab a drink and a snack, go to the loo, and bring as many items as they can back to the screen within 15 minutes.

You’ll find my very long birth bag list in another blog post – pick a few items from it, or write your own short list!

Word search

A birth bag word search is another way to create engagement in online classes. I make mine on my husband’s website, add it to my slides, and ask parents-to-be to annotate the slide with what they find. Then we discuss what they would add to or remove from their birth bag.

Quick competition – show and tell

Like the scavenger hunt, I like to build this into a break. It’s far too easy to stay sat in one place during an online workshop, so this is another way to get clients moving and engaged!

Ask each couple or client to think about what they might need during the birth, and bring three items back to the screen – three items each, helpful to themselves, not their partner.

This is often the first time birth partners realise they need to look after themselves too, and may need some comfort items of their own.

Word cloud

Set up a word cloud on Mentimeter and ask clients to add their essential items. It’s a very engaging, fun and visual way to build a birth bag list together – and it’s anonymous! You can save the results as an image or PDF afterwards and send them out as a reminder or handout.

How do you teach the topic of birth bags in your childbirth preparation classes? Please share your ideas in the comments or email me!

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Posted on November 10, 2022November 6, 2026 by Tina G — 1 Comment

Clothes checklist for your summer baby

Having a baby this summer? Congratulations! You may be wondering how many clothes, and which types and layers, your baby will need.

When buying baby clothes, make sure they are machine washable, flame-resistant and made from soft, comfortable materials. Choose clothes that open at the front or have wide, envelope-style necks – this makes frequent nappy changes much easier!

The checklist below is a minimum guide only, and you may like to have a few spares of each item if your budget allows. Please also see the guidance from BASIS and The Lullaby Trust.

Clothes checklist for your summer baby

4 sleepsuits/babygrows
4 vests or bodysuits (check for a wide neck opening) – short-sleeved ones are ideal on hot days
2 cardigans or jackets
4 wide-necked cotton T-shirts or dresses
4 pairs of trousers, leggings, shorts or skirts
1 summer sun hat (for outdoors)
2 pairs of socks
1 light baby blanket

As well as clothes, your baby will need nappies (reusable or disposable) – and you’ll want plenty of muslin squares! They’re very handy for protecting your clothes, mopping up sick and other bits and bobs, and can even double as an emergency nappy or breast pad 😉

Not sure how many layers your baby needs? My baby clothing layers guide shows you at a glance. Expecting a winter baby instead? See my clothes checklist for your winter baby, and for hot days, my tips for keeping your baby cool.

Sources and further reading: