The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast
Everything a pregnant woman and her partner need to know to support them in preparation for labour, birth, and the early days with a new baby. This podcast gives both you and your partner the confidence and knowledge about the role they play throughout your birth, so they don't undermine or ruin the birth for you. Throughout these episodes, my guests and I will share with you our experience of being a birth keeper and advocate for women across the globe. This podcast is inclusive and invites guests from all backgrounds to enable you to hear a wide range of experiences.
The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast
Episode 164 - Beyond the BRAIN Acronym – Rethinking Communication in the Birth Room
In this episode, we dive deep into communication in the birth room — going beyond the widely taught BRAIN acronym. While BRAIN (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, Nothing) can be a helpful tool, waiting until labour to rely on it often means you’ve already been pulled into reactive decision-making. We discuss how true advocacy, sovereignty, and physiological birth are protected long before labour begins, through preparation, clear values, and embodied support.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why relying on BRAIN mid-labour can disrupt physiological birth.
- The limitations of checklists and reactive decision-making.
- How to prepare proactively with your partner to communicate effectively.
- The importance of embodied presence, clarity, and boundaries in the birth room.
- Practical ways your partner can advocate and protect your space and flow.
- How to anchor decisions in intuition and values rather than fear or pressure.
Action Steps for Listeners:
- Create your own Birth Manifesto, tailored to your values and needs.
- Practice clear, confident language with your partner for common birth scenarios.
- Focus on presence, breath, and embodied trust to support physiological birth.
- Prepare together for advocacy — your partner is your voice and protector when you need it most.
Resources:
- Discover Your North Star course for deeper preparation and tools for both you and your partner.
Key Takeaway:
True communication and advocacy in the birth room happen before labour, rooted in preparation, clarity, and trust in yourself. BRAIN can be a tool, but your sovereignty, instincts, and presence are far more powerful.
If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford
If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:-
Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove
The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df
Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth'
- Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO
Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth'
- Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF
You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpartner
Book a 1-2-1 session with Sallyann - https://linktr.ee/SallyannBeresford
Please remember that the information shared with you in this episode is solely based on my own personal experiences as a doula and the private opinions of my guests, based on their own experiences. Any recommendations made may not be suitable for ...