As someone who has experienced an epidural-free, or an “all-natural” birth with my firstborn, the honest truth is this: nothing can truly prepare you for the unique birth you’re about to experience. You can have your birth plans, visualize your ideal labor, believe in your heart that it will all go exactly the way you visioned it to. But I can bet that every single mother who’s chosen this path can agree that it’s impossible to predict how your labor will go and what will work for you.
Before my son’s birth, I watched hundreds of birth videos – which I still personally recommend doing – and none of them would prepare me for the wildly intense, fetal ejection and en caul delivery that I experienced (you can read my full birth story on my IG.) The only thing that did prepare me was having an open mind and hearing other people’s stories and what worked for them. Why? Because it revealed how wildly different everyone’s labor experience is. There are no two experiences that are the same.
But as I tell you that nothing can truly prepare you for the unique experience you’re about to have, there are things you can do to prepare for the possibilities of what may happen. And that’s where this list comes into play. I’ve asked our community on social media to share their biggest tips for an unmedicated labor – from books and mindset adjustments to the things that got them through each contraction.
1. “’Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth‘ and ‘Natural Childbirth: The Bradley Way‘ are really empowering books!”
2. “During labor, be open to trying different positions until you find the comfortable one. Even if you’re birthing at the hospital, you’re allowed to birth in any position you want – make sure to talk to your doc or midwife about it before going into labor.”
3. “Smelling alcohol wipes helped me with my nausea.”
4. “Drink water or an electrolyte throughout, have hubby or your partner hand it to you with a straw.”
5. “Breath work – ‘mooo’ing like a cow, telling baby to ‘mooove.’”
6. “Having people to keep you focused on your goal in the moment- partner, doula, midwife.”
7. “Hold, stroke and/or squeeze a comb to direct any pain away.”
8. “Have a *detailed* birth plan written down in case you need to get transferred to the hospital (and especially if you’re birthing in a hospital.) Delayed cord cutting, skin to skin, birthing positions, dimmed lights, etc. whatever is on your wish list. It helped us make the most out of our situation and so glad the nurses were on board.”
9. “Hire a doula, especially for your first birth. Not only are they an amazing resource for YOU, but also for your partner. Ours helped my husband navigate how to best help me in the heat of labor.”
10. “Familiarize yourself with spinning babies positions (a big plus if you have a doula or midwife who is knowledgeable with it.) Doing inversions and side-lying release helped me pop baby right out.”
11. “Rest as much as you can once your contractions start to become regular. Eat little bites of bland food if you can. I was not able to eat at all during labor but electrolytes helped.”
12. “Watch a sh*t ton of birth videos. There’s a lot on instagram these days. Every birth is different and it’s good to see how different (and beautiful) they can be!”
13. “Right when you think you can’t physically handle it anymore, THAT is when baby is so close. Keep that in mind and don’t forget it. You can do this!”
14. “Find other moms (or communities) during pregnancy that are also planning a natural birth. Having a support system of positive moms is everything. Birthing classes are great for this – and a perk is that you’ll have babies roughly the same age.”
15. “Write down mantras and give them to your partner to read to you.”
16. “Remember – you can do anything for one minute. Remind yourself of this in the weeks leading up to your due date.”
17. “The birthing sling (the one you put in the doorway) is amazing – highly recommend.”
18. “The tub was like an epidural for me but it slowed down my labor. Be open-minded to hopping in and out throughout your labor.”
19. “Don’t fight the pain – it’ll slow your progress. You really gotta surrender to it and remind yourself that those sensations are bringing baby closer to you.”
20 . “Read positive birth stories, watch med-free labor videos, and surround yourself with women who believe in you. Your brain will believe what you feed it.”
21. “Try rebozo or scarf tricks. Your partner or doula can use a long scarf to shake out tension in your hips and belly. It feels weirdly amazing and helps baby rotate if needed. You can YouTube videos for this.”
22. “Sucking on ice cubes and cold compresses on my head saved me. Have them handy.”
23. “Rest as much as possible in early labor. Get some food in your system and then sleep – you’ll need the energy.”
24. “Know that having a birth ‘plan’ is just an ideal scenario. You may plan to birth in your tub and birth on the bed, or you may plan to birth at a birthing center and might have to get transferred. Staying open-minded to all possibilities (while remaining optimistic of course) will help keep your stress low and baby healthy.”
25. “Talk to your midwife or birthing team about every possible scenario during birth. Transfers, hemhorraging, etc. I hemhorraged after delivering my placenta but luckily I had already discussed that scenario with my midwives prior to my due date. They swiftly took care of the situation (had a shot of pitocin handy) and I felt oddly stress-free about it.”
26. “Make sure to have a calm birth playlist ready to go.”
27. “Have your partner or birth team (or family) have a hot meal ready for you immeidately after giving birth. You may not want to eat immediately but it’ll help milk production and any blood loss.”
28. “Don’t stress about tearing – it happens to most women during birth and getting stitches sounds WAY worse than it actually is.”
29. “My most used ‘props’ during my natural labor: physio ball, birth comb (gripped onto this for dear life to direct pain away), and my husband who used a rebozo on my hips.”
30. “Remember – YOU WERE DESIGNED FOR THIS. Women have been doing this for centuries – you CAN do this. Don’t let fear take over and trust in your body.”
Have any other tips that you found helpful? Share in the commments below.
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