Some of the best tips for dads that we learnt in classes were:
It's important he reminds you to go to the toilet regularly and also to drink regularly - both of which are really important but apparently can often be forgetten about in the throws of labour! Can't possibly imagine how you can forget to go to the toilet but there you go..
He needs to be fully aware of all your birth preferences so if you're delirious on gas & air or just in too much pain he can help you to make important decisions.
If he wants to cut the cord (my partner doesn't!!) or tell you the sex of the baby and you haven't put this on the birthing plan, he needs to make it clear to them from the start, as both these things are often done quite quickly after the birth.
He should try and remain calm throughout the birth and concentrate on his own breathing as much as yours - apparently a woman in labour just hearing her partner breathing slowly can often remind her how to breathe, and she'll just subconsciously mimic his breathing.
Get him to have a list handy of who you want to contact immediately after the birth and tell the news - so if you're asleep he can just slip out and text your family and friends.
Best dad tip of all though - pack a wallet full of small change for the parking meter!! Don't think we would have even thought of that but it's a very good point.
Something else she said which I thought was really lovely was that babies love to sleep on their dads' chests! Apparently when they're around their mum they can smell her milk which acts as a stimulus and makes them restless, but when they're on dad they can just have a nice snooze without thinking about feeding! So she said that's a really nice way for dad and baby to bond each day. Although she also said that if the baby has skin on skin contact with the dad in the very early stages after birth it can sometimes try and latch on!! Ha ha
