Beside You

About Beside You

You've been given a lot of information about what they're going through. Almost none about what you're supposed to do.

This is for the person who will be in the room and has no idea what their job is.

It doesn't explain labor in medical terms — the care team has that covered, and you can look it up. It covers the part nobody tells you: what to do with your hands, what to say, what not to say, and how to ask a question in a hospital room without it turning into an argument.

There's a chapter on early labor, which is mostly waiting, and waiting is a skill. There's a short list of things not to say, learned from rooms where it went wrong. There's a chapter on cesareans to read whether or not one is planned, because the people who cope best with one are the ones who thought about it once, early, on a calm afternoon.

And there's a page for how you are doing, because nobody is going to ask.

What's inside

• The Long Beginning — early labor, the call, the car, and arriving
• The Work — your hands, what to say, what not to say
• When Decisions Come Up — asking questions, when things take a different route, cesareans
• Afterwards — the first hour, the first week — including what needs a call straight away — and how you are doing
• What We Agreed — a page to fill in together, out loud, before 37 weeks

At a glance

What it is

A practical guide for the person supporting someone through labor, birth and the first week. It was called The Partner's Guide until September 2026.

Who it's for

Partners, family, friends — anyone who said yes to being there, whatever your relationship. It says "they" throughout and assumes nothing about either of you.

How you use it

Read it once, early. Fill in the last two pages together. Take it with you on the day.

Format

One PDF, US Letter, 22 pages. Read it on a phone or print it. Real text, so a screen reader can read it.

Printing

Optional. Any home printer; the last two pages are meant to be written on.

What you receive

An email right after checkout with a download link for Mycelia_BesideYou_v1.1_2026-09.pdf.

Before you buy

How you get it

A download link, emailed right after checkout. Each link works for 7 days and 5 downloads; if it runs out, request fresh links on the order page or write to contact@myceliabirth.com.

Yours to print

For you and your household — as many copies as you need, for yourself and your support people. Please don't resell, share or post the file.

Updates included

If I revise it, you get the new version free, by email.

Refunds

Within 14 days, for any reason, and you can keep the file. See the shop terms.

Reading it

Real text, not scanned images, so a screen reader can read it and you can search and zoom. Need a different format? Ask me and I'll sort it out.

What this is

Educational and supportive material from a non-clinical doula practice. It doesn't diagnose anything and it doesn't replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911.