ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore practical ways to support women during labour and birth, drawing on the principles of promoting physiological birth and what we know about approaches to pain in labour. We focus on the features of labour and birth that most women experience, as well as acknowledging the uniqueness of an individual woman’s journey. Illustrated with line drawings, the chapter provides a ‘toolkit’ of resources and ideas that we can offer to women throughout the continuum of labour and birth, from early labour through to transition and pushing, and the immediate time after the baby is born. This ‘toolkit’ is relevant and adaptable to all birth settings, and we suggest how midwives can improvise in both home and hospital environments to create safe and supportive spaces where women can find physical and emotional comfort.
