When making out your birth guest list, don't forget to include Fluffy and Fido.
Pets make excellent birthing companions.
They have all the qualities you could ever want in a labor companion. And best of all, they offer their services free of charge. The concept that animals can help us in labor is certainly not a new one. Russian waterbirth proponent Igor Tcharkovsky has long believed that dolphins have mystical powers and can help us overcome our fears. He dreams of a day when women will give birth in the ocean surrounded by dolphins and other sea creatures.