QUOTE : ONE: Darkness and Solitude. The laboring woman needs a dark or dimly lit room. Bright lights disturb concentration and she needs 100 percent concentration on relaxation to work properly with labor. Solitude while the two of you are working together is also important. This means no mothers or mothers-in-law. If children are to be present at birth, this is not the time to have them in the room, except for short visits so they can see that Mommy is doing fine. Solitude also means no pregnant neighbor from across the street, despite the temptation to show off a bit. It is very distracting for most women to have observers in the first stage of labor. The laboring woman finds herself wondering what everyone thinks about how she is doing. The coach, in turn, spends less time thinking about the laboring woman and more time on what the observers think of his coaching. A laboring woman is not performing. She should simply work for herself and her baby. Keeping the room (even a hospital room) dark and keeping observers to a minimum is the coach’s responsibility. Whether they are in-laws or hospital personnel, this requires tact, but it should not be left to the laboring woman to deal with. As her work gets serious, she will have other things to think about.