What Men Can Do For Their Partners During Pregnancy

The very reason that prompted me to right this article was that I’m always hearing women say that men don’t know how to help them enough during pregnancy. This seems to be what a majority, not all, of women have to say about their partners.

Some of the complaints, women come to see me for, during their pregnancy could easily be treated at home by their partners. Many ailments could be treated at home, by just using some simple massage techniques and some simple dietary guidelines. You don’t have to be a masseur or a qualified practitioner to do this and your partner will love you for it.

By using a few Chinese Medicinal Principles, massage, and other useful hints you will have your pregnant princess feeling on top of the world.

So, come on guys. Let’s show these women that we can do this and lets prove them wrong.

What you need

What you can do to help

Morning Sickness
  1. Before your partner wakes in the morning gets up and make a pot of ginger tea. You can buy ginger tea bags from the supermarket. In the teapot put 1 ginger tea bag, a few pieces of fresh ginger, and 2-3 slices of lemon.

    The Ginger will settle the stomach and stop any nausea and the lemon acts as an astringent that help stop vomiting.
  2. Moxa and is a great way of helping Morning Sickness. Measure half way between the bottom of the Sternum (Ziphoid process) and the Belly Button. This point is an Acupressure point call Ren 12. It is used for a lot of Stomach conditions such as nausea and vomiting.

    Light the moxa stick with a lighter and hold it about 1-2 inches above this point. The idea is to warm this area to promote digestion. Just ask your partner to tell you if it gets to hot. Do this for about 15 mins per day.
Back Pain

The most common back pain experienced in pregnancy is lower back pain. This is mainly felt down in the Sacrum/Lumbar region. Massage, Acupressure and heat can be of great benefit to this problem.

Before you start your treatment mix 8 drops of lavender oil and 6 drops of sandal wood oil into 500 mls of olive oil. This will be you massage oil and can be used whenever you massage your partner.

Next, get your partner to straddle on a chair facing the opposite direction (Them facing the back of the chair). They will need to be just in a pair of underpants or have no pants on so that you can rub some oil into their lower back/butt muscles. This wont be a problem if you are home because nobody else will see.

Find the very top of the fold of the Butt Cheeks. Some men show theirs regularly when wearing a pair of stubbies in the back yard. (hahaha).

From this high point of the fold of the butt move your two thumbs out about 1-inch at a 45-degree angle till you find two depressions. These depressions are what we call the sacral foramen and they are also the sights of two Acupressure points. If you keep moving your thumb out slowly at this 45-degree angle you find 3 more depressions. This is because there are 4 sacral foramen on each side and each of these is an Acupressure point. These points are called Bladder 27,28 29,and 30. Massage these points on either side using firm pressure. Also massage either side of the lower spine. After massaging heat the area by either using Moxa once again or using a Heat Wheat pack.

Also you can use the TENS machine from the list I have given you. Remember you get it from the Physiotherapy department. Ask the people there to show you how to use it. Have a play around with it and get familiar with it because it can be a very useful tool during labor. It really help reduce labor pain. It does feel funny when you first use it but persevere with it because it really does help.

Place the pads on either side of the butt cheeks on those pressure points I’ve shown you. Honestly she will really love you after this. Trust me I know. My wife said it was the best alternative to acupuncture during labor.

Constipation & Stretch marks

The reason I have put these two together is that you can fix two problems at once by using the same treatment.

Get your partner to lay back, on the floor or bed. Get your bottle of oil you made up for the back pain and rub it on lightly over her stomach.

By using small little round massaging motions, start massaging around the circumference of the belly. Make sure you travel in a clock wise direction. This follows the flow of the Large Intestine which is responsible for helping excrete all our waste matter. Some times it gets a bit blocked and this is why we get constipated. By gentle massage we can help move any blockages that might occur.

The beauty of this treatment is that at the same time you are moisturizing the belly area and helping stop any stretching. It also helps with indigestion and help promote your stomach function.

Indigestion

This terrible ailment usually occurs in the later half of the pregnancy and can be a night mare when you wont to sleep. It usually gets worse when you lay down too.

I find that by putting some malt in a glass of milk will help settle this problem if you don’t want to use formula’s like Gaviscon. They do have a lot of aluminium in them but if you suffer from really bad indigestion then use what ever works. Especially if it gives you relief.

Also add Ginger to your meals as it helps promote digestion or once again drink some ginger tea after meals.

Also I use an excellent Chinese Herbal Formula called “Bao He Wan”. Every one I get to tackle this never has any problems with indigestion. It is very safe for pregnancy and you can get the Chinese Herbal Store in the Valley or from myself.

Pelvic Pain and Relaxing of the Pelvic/Uterus Muscles

Raspberry leaf tea is great for these two. Raspberry leaf tea can help with pelvic pain as well as it helps soften and relax the muscles of the Uterus. Women who take raspberry leaf tea regularly say that it helped them have an easier birth.

Now guys, it’s your job to make your lovely partner this tea every day to help her have an easier birth. You give them one cup per day if the first trimester. Two cups in the second, and three cups in the last trimester.

Also a Heat wheat pack down under their belly, in the pelvic/pubic region, bring great relief to pain in that region. Use the heat wheat pack during the labour in that region and she will love you for it. It brings great relief from labour pain.

Labour/Labour Pain

This is where you have to use several of the methods I have told you and use them all at once. Have the whisky ready if all else fails.

This is where your partner really needs you to know all those things that will ultimately make her birthing process easier.

Firstly get your two Heat Wheat packs heated and ready to go. Secondly get your massage oil out and start massaging those Acupressure points down at the sacrum.

Get one of the heat packs and put it around the pelvic/pubic region like I said before. Some heat packs that you but now have straps on them so you can fit them around your waist and back. If your don’t have straps get some sewn on. Just sew on some of those plastic clip straps that you can buy for travel bags.

When the pain and contraction start to intensify connect the tens machine to the lower lumbar region at those Acupressure points on either side of the butt cheeks. Most of the have a remote button that can be connected to them. Press this button at the peak of the contraction as it turns the tens on full. By doing this it helps reduce the pain.

Also rub some lavender oil into your partner’s temples to help relax her. Get the oil burner on too. Put a few drops of the lavender oil in some hot water in the burner. Also you can add some sandalwood if you like.

The rest is up to you and what ever your partner wants you to do for her. Every one is different in their needs.

And last but not least, when it is all over and your nerves have been shot to pieces, break open the Whiskey again. Wait till wife and new baby is asleep though. (hahaha).

After Labour

Give me a call and get a copy of my replenishing recipe that you can cook up to help your partner recover from the birthing process. It is specifically designed to replenish her energy and blood after labour. It contains some Chinese herbs and a few other bits and pieces. Basically it’s a ancient Chinese chicken soup recipe that has been used for centuries.

So hopefully I will never hear another woman from the Birth Centre complaining that her partner doesn’t know what to do for her during pregnancy. That way we can keep our partner happy and they will never nag at us again.

OOPS spoke too soon. My wife is calling me again.

“Yes dear!” “ I’m coming”

Well you can’t please them all the time guys.

Where’s that bottle of whiskey? (hahahahaha)

ANDREW ORR (Shen Therapies)
(Qualified Practitioner of Chinese Medicine & Proud Father.)

Loading