Planning who you want on your birth team is an important aspect of planning your birth. It most often consists of your midwife, doula, and support person, but a birth assistant is there too!
Who is your birth assistant?
As the name suggests, your birth assistant is someone that assists your midwife in managing your birth and the birthing space.
Their main task is to assist your midwife. However, they can help the mother with certain needs throughout labor and birth.
What do they do?
During your appointments, they can help by taking your vitals; including your pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. They may get your appointment started by asking you about any pregnancy symptoms that you’re experiencing or addressing any problems that you might want to talk about.
This saves time and helps your midwife address important concerns when they meet with you, ensuring that they don’t miss out on anything.
During the birth, the birth assistant helps by taking care of anything you or the midwife may need. They may help your midwife fill out important paperwork, administer any kind of medication if needed, or help with positioning the mother to ensure adequate labor progress.
If you need more information regarding the role of a birth assistant, you can always ask us at the birth center during your appointments so you have a clearer idea of what to expect!