This Pregnancy Guide is for you and your partner to become a strong, loving, and energetically connected team. Some of these questions might seem obvious, but you might be surprised at how NOT obvious they are once you begin sharing your thoughts and feelings. Write down some of the most meaningful responses in a pregnancy journal.
Questions about your pregnancy:
What do I need from you during this pregnancy? What do you need from me?
What feelings do I have right now about this pregnancy? What about you?
What are we like sexually during this pregnancy?
What would I need to feel prepared for this birth? What would you need?
What are my greatest fears about this pregnancy? Yours?
What are my greatest joys about this pregnancy? Yours?
Questions about labor:
What do I want from this birth experience? You?
What will I need from you if this birth is complicated? If a cesarean is necessary? What would you need?
What are my fantasies about this birth? Yours?
What would I settle for/be ok with? You?
How do I want to be during labor? How do you want to be during labor?
How do we want us to be during labor?
How would I feel if labor takes a long time? You?
What are my greatest fears about this birth? Yours?
What are my greatest joys about this birth? Yours?
What are ten things that relax me and would help during labor? How do you feel about doing them?
What are ten things that you can do for me in labor, including places you can touch? How would you feel about doing them?
How would you feel about having someone there who is trained to do these things, like a doula? Do I feel it would free me up to have my own experience? Do you feel it would free you up to have your own experience? (if so, I recommend inviting three doulas to come talk to you both about how it might work).
Questions about being new parents:
How can we be the best team, the strongest unit we can possibly be during the first few months?
What if I am recovering from a Cesarean in bed? How will you feel about doing the dishes, the meals, the laundry?
If not, how do we feel about asking friends/loved ones to sign up for tasks in that first month?
What do I want for this baby in the first few months? You?
If this is not your first birth:
What are my strongest feelings about our last birth?
What do you remember most from the first few weeks of the last birth?
How do I imagine that this time will be different?
How do I want this time to be different?
