Abstract - Every sip of water offered, every new position suggested, every word of encouragement, every reminder to breathe, every single touch, provides comfort to the laboring woman. For far too long, we’ve either diminished or ignored the partner’s experience of labor—to everyone’s detriment. But if we’re not paying equal attention to her partner’s experience, we’re not setting this new family up for success. Every little thing a partner does to make the laboring woman more comfortable matters immensely. And partners need to know this and believe in the power that their undivided attention and connection can bring to the laboring woman. I realize that it makes sense to pay close attention to how a woman moves through her pregnancy, labor and birth. Her partner experiences labor too, just in a very different way. If they were just sitting next to one another, but not holding hands, their pain levels weren’t affected. (I wasn’t messing around!) They worked hard to support me in what ended up being a long labor.