Scott Mair on what no one tells dads about birth

In this episode of Ready Birth Go, Carly Sandland talks to Scott Mair - dad of seven and founder of Fatherhood Solutions - about birth from a perspective the show doesn't often hear on its own: the birth partner's.

Scott has been in the room for seven births, from one textbook day to some genuinely frightening ones - a placental abruption, time in neonatal care, and a birth that nearly took everything from him and set him on the path to the advocacy work he does now. A former infantry soldier, he's spent the years since helping other dads prepare for a role almost no one teaches them, without ever taking the focus off the woman doing the hardest part.

We talk about:

• What a birth partner can actually do when something's gone wrong and they can't fix it
• Advocating for your partner when you're frightened yourself - and why "no plan survives first contact"
• The conversations worth having before the day: who goes with baby, pain relief, the what-ifs
• Skin-to-skin for dads, and the practical things no one mentions
• Why the romantic partner isn't always the right person in the room
• The birth that changed him, and the work it led to

Content note: this episode includes discussion of birth trauma, serious illness after birth, neonatal care and paternal mental health.

Scott: instagram.com/fatherhood__solutions_ · Fatherhood Solutions on LinkedIn
Carly: instagram.com/thedoulaclub
Ready Birth Go, Carly's birth preparation course: readybirthgo.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/william-proulx/for-me