The vast majority of us can successfully have a natural labor and delivery. We have evolved to do so. Nature ensures that we procreate so that we don’t die out.

Our society has become very fear based around labor and birth. We treat it as a medical emergency instead of the natural bodily process that it is.

From television with women screaming and rushing to the hospital immediately (Which is all very unrealistic) to our friends and family’s attitudes toward it. Unless you take the initiative to steer yourself off of the beaten path of normality, all you’ll hear, see and interact with is fear based concern.

However natural it is though, labor and birth is most definitely a marathon, and marathons are hard and require training. It’s no secret that in general, as a species, we’re not in as good of shape as we once were.

Progressing society has softened us from our once athletic bodies with getting us out of the wild of farming and battling for survival and into the comfort of air conditioned desk jobs.

Therefore, if an easy as possible, tolerable, quick and smooth labor is what you desire, there’s some things I’d start doing in preparation for you and your baby’s big day!

Exercise

I was pretty active when I became pregnant with my daughter. I was at the yoga studio every time the doors opened. Which was only three days a week but in those three days I was doing both yoga and tai chi and had begun to contemplate also starting kung fu, which was another class offered there.    

In between these days at the studio, I was going on walks, having adventures with my family and overall just always moving and on the go.

I never slowed down until half way through my second trimester and only then because any sort of exercise kicked up Braxton hicks that forced me to lie down.

Eat Properly

Everything you eat is being divided between you and baby. This means you need to take in more vitamins and minerals to make sure both of you are getting everything you need to grow and sustain optimal health and endurance.

It can be harder to eat right when you’re pregnant. Both cravings and morning sickness can vastly get it the way of your healthy food intake. That’s why mindful eating is so important.

Pay attention to what and how much you’re putting into your body. Food is our energy source. You want a good clean energy source for a smoothly functioning machine.

What “eating properly” means for you could look like a variety of different things. It’s important to remember that everyone is built differently and what diet works perfectly for one person, may not work for another.

Keep in mind that a solid rule of healthy eating is no soda or sugar. Processed foods are bad because they contain chemicals and preservatives that aren’t food. But whether or not you decide meat is good or bad for you or if dairy is digestible or not is up to you.

Listen to what your body tells you. Indigestion, bloating and heartburn aren’t just part of life. (With the exception of heartburn during pregnancy, haha.)

Our meals should energize us. Not make us tired.

Prenatals

No matter how good we eat, we just don’t get all the nutrients we need. This is in part to how we live now compared to how we lived in the past.

We use to absorb minerals through our feet, walking barefoot in the grass and dirt. We use to get it from the dirt on our fruits and veggies that we now wash off. There are tons of tiny factors that influence how well we absorb that which we do take in.

No matter what, there are always holes. This is why taking our vitamins are so important. Unfortunately, vitamins and supplements fall into an unregulated limbo, meaning what they say they are on the bottle aren’t necessarily what they are.

It’s super important to do thorough research on a vitamin company before you decide to buy from them. Many are full of chemicals and preservatives or just completely not what they say they are.

Hydrate

I’m sure you’re aware that you need to drink more water. We all do. It is, of course, even more important when your pregnant. Water helps to keep fluid levels up around baby, providing a good cushion for them to grow and develop all of their proper functions such as healthy kidneys and digestion.

Baby needs water to be able to do all sorts of things and so do you to keep your body running smoothly.

Being well hydrated can minimize constipation, braxton hicks and provide skin with more elasticity, ya know, for when it’s stretching.

Meditate on a Natural Labor

There are tons of meditations created souly for pregnant moms and their babies. You can find meditations on labor, birth, bonding, breastfeeding, etc.

They’re all super helpful but any meditating will do since meditation helps us to relax, which lowers stress. Any time we lower our stress levels, we’re doing ourselves (and our babies) a lot of good.

I tried several different meditation apps and websites geared specifically for pregnancy. My favorite was hypnobabies. Headspace is a good app for beginners to meditation but it can get very repetitive. I wasn’t a personal fan of it and quickly regretted my subscription but you may love it.

However you decide to meditate, the most important part of it is the relaxing.

Kegels

To increase our chances of the labor and birthing process going smoothly, minimize tearing and have a quick recovery, we need to have a strong pelvic floor.

Keeping these muscles strong also helps us prevent those dreaded bladder issues that sometimes come from giving birth. Do your kegels often and regularly. And simply google “kegel exercise” if you don’t know what they are.

Self Education on Natural Labor

Learning more about the process of labor and birth can help you better prepare and manage it. Knowing that the pain has a purpose and is good can help you to relax into it.

Knowing that relaxing into it can help things progress faster and knowing that fighting it can stall things out can help you. When we know what helps us to relax, like candles, music, ambiance, etc we can help ourselves to do that.

When we know the natural labor process so well that we can picture it happening in our heads, we can incorporate it into our visualization exercises and meditations, encouraging our bodies to embrace what is happening during labor. Knowing the extent of how natural labor and birth are, helps us to trust our bodies and let them work uninterrupted.

Also, knowing more about the process in health facilities can better help us make educated decisions on ours and our baby’s care.

I highly recommend The Birth Hour podcast, Free Birth Society and Birthful for learning and positive birthing stories. A positive mindset and attitude are everything!

Start formulating your birth plan here.

Chiropractor Care

Going to the chiropractor during pregnancy is a wonderful thing! It helps with managing the aches and pains of pregnancy that we find in our back and hips and helps us to keep our bodies properly aligned to make the birthing process easier. My recommendation is to find a chiropractor who specializes in pregnant folks.

I would go routinely, as needed, during most of pregnancy, increasing to once a week in the later third trimester to make sure you’re properly aligned during labor and birth.

If you’re in my area, (Athens, Limestone) this is THE guy.

Birthing Ball

Sitting on a birthing ball is good in general because when you sit on one of these, instead of a regular chair or couch, there’s a tad bit of exercise in it. It’s increasingly beneficial in the third trimester as it can help get baby into optimal positioning for labor and birth.

Bouncing and rotating your hips in a circular, side to side and front to back motion can combine with gravity to help baby to descend into the birth canal, giving your body less work to do during labor.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

*There is some controversy around starting it before the third trimester. Especially if you’re at risk for preterm labor. Always consult your healthcare provider and do your own research.

I, however, was very not at risk for preterm labor. Both my babies came after their due dates. So, in my first trimester, I started drinking red raspberry tea daily.

Red raspberry leaf tea strengthens the uterus so that contractions are more efficient when the time comes. More efficient contractions means each one is doing more which leads to a shorter labor. My second natural labor was a total of 4 hours and 48 minutes from start to finish.

Red raspberry leaf tea is also great for aiding your menstrual cycle if you have a particularly irritable one.

Dates (the fruit)

The recommended dosage for dates to aid in the labor and birth process is six a day starting in your third trimester. It’s surprisingly hard to get six dates in in a day because they are incredibly sweet. I highly recommend incorporating them into your food as it is much easier to get them in that way.

I chopped them up and added them to oatmeal, cereal and fruit wraps. They go really well with peanut butter and bananas!

Putting them in smoothies is also an option although you may want to soak them in milk (I use nondairy) for about thirty minutes first or they don’t really blend very well.

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening Prim Rose comes in capsules in the vitamins area. It works to soften the cervix for natural labor and birth. You can take one 1000mg capsule daily by mouth starting in the first trimester. in the last two weeks of pregnancy you can begin taking one by mouth and one vaginally.

Evening Primrose oil also helps with your menstrual cycle if yours gives you trouble.

Also check out the Ultimate Guide to Essential Oils During Pregnancy, Labor and Beyond

Did you do anything to help you prepare for your labor and birth? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Best vibes always,

S.S.Blake

Other Articles You May Enjoy:

• Common Pregnancy Myths & Fear Mongering Misinformation as Told By a Midwife
• Birthing From Within; a book review for new parents
• Your Beliefs Around Birth Can Make Labor Easier or Harder
• Expecting Trouble; Prenatal Care in America (A Book Review)
• The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding; a book review for new parents

Author

S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water

LET’S BE FRIENDS!

• TikTok
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Facebook

Explore working with me to find your voice and share your message with the world.