10 Natural Ways To Nourish And Prepare Yourself For Labour And Birth

As you and your new little one settle into your lives together, it can be an emotionally overwhelming and physically demanding time.

Your baby is coming soon. Without a doubt this can be a time of mixed emotions.. Looking forward to meeting the little soul you’ve been making in your belly, and maybe some nervousness about how the birth is going to go.

As a pregnancy and fertility focused acupuncturist I see a lot of people pre-birth and have also birthed 2 babies of my own.

Here are 10 of my most recommended ways that you can help love yourself up, get connected with your body, and prepare yourself physically and mentally for what is going to be your own beautiful, unique birth story.

ONE: ACUPUNCTURE AND ACUPRESSURE

Acupuncture may help relax tense or sore muscles, calm anxiety, calm your nerves and promote positive feelings in your body to help promote trust in anticipation of birth.

I get a lot of people coming to my clinic for pre-birth acupuncture, some trying it for the first time, who naturally feel a bit nervous, but are often pleasantly surprised by how deeply relaxing and calming acupuncture can be.

Acupuncture may help address mild fluid retention, aches and pains associated with late pregnancy, fatigue and sleep deprivation as well.

I highly recommend having your support person learn acupressure for pain relief in labour in advance so that it is familiar to them before the day.

You can read more about acupuncture and acupressure for labour, labour prep and post natal recovery here on pioneering midwife Debra Bett’s incredible website Debra Betts - Acupuncture and Acupressure for Pregnancy and Childbirth

TWO: OSTEOPATHY AND OTHER BODY WORK

In my 15 years of practice I have often shared a clinic space with many other modalities including highly trained cranial osteopaths and I love to refer patients to them to help with pre birth check ups and health.

Gentle cranio-sacral style osteopathy with an osteopath, or with a chiropractor or physiotherapist experienced in treating late pregnancy may help you to work on pelvic alignment, cerebrospinal fluid health and other subtle issues to make sure you are in peak alignment and healthy condition for your birth.

Pregnancy massage:

A qualified pregnancy massage can help move lymph and circulation in the muscles and skin while promoting feelings of deep relaxation and well being, all of which can help promote a positive relationship with your body, self care practice and promote better circulation needed for birth.

Please talk with your medical professional and seek good recommendations before trying any new therapies during your pregnancy, especially if you have had a high risk or difficult pregnancy.

THREE: EXERCISE AND POSITIONING

As you come closer to your birth, how you sit and exercise can be helpful in making sure your baby stays in a good position for birth.

And again if you have any concerns or complications with your pregnancy please talk to your medical provider before trying any of the following.

Sitting:

In general it is better to try to sit in a forward position, with your knees lower than your pelvis, rather than leaning backwards.

It can be helpful to have a small pillow or something with you to help you lean forward rather than back while driving or sitting. If you are tired after work and wanting to flake on the couch, try lying on your side or sitting on or leaning forward onto a birth ball while on all fours.

Light walking:

Walking is a wonderful form of exercise- it’s good for your circulation and healthy lymphatic drainage. It helps regulate blood sugar levels and fluid retention. It can help improve sleep and even improve your mood and makes you feel good!
I always recommend erring on the side of caution in pregnancy- no need to power walk or overdo it. Just walk enough to get the blood flowing and endorphins going.

The idea is to feel good after your walk. If you feel depleted, then keep it short and gentle or rest instead and wait until you are feeling less tired. Of course avoid excessive walking if you have been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, threatened early labour, pubic symphysis dysfunction or other similar conditions that may make it painful or not recommended.

Yoga:

Yoga can be lovely and truly and deeply relaxing. A few specific and simple yoga poses that you can do towards the end of your pregnancy are cat/cow, squats and child’s pose that help with pelvic toning and may be helpful for helping baby to be in a good position, or see if you can find a good prenatal yoga class in your area.

Swimming:

Is great! Just keep your belly downwards while swimming (no backstroke).

FOUR: PREPARE YOUR PERINEUM

Perineal massage:

Learning how to do perineal massage can be a good thing to add to your prep for birth list as it can decrease the likelihood of tearing or episiotomy.

It can help you get and feel familiar with what is about to happen vaginally, and physically prepare yourself too.

However there are ways to do it safely. Please DO NOT do it before 34 weeks, if you have an infection, thrush, herpes, low lying placenta or vaginal bleeding.

The Mater hospital has a beautifully comprehensive online brochure on how to safely and comfortably do perineal massage so please follow these guidelines:

Perineal massage - Patient Information Brochures - Mater Group

Pelvic floor exercises:

Doing daily pelvic floor exercises also can help reduce the risk of tearing during birth, reduce the length of labour and lead to better post-birth recovery.

FIVE: NUTRITION

Labour is one of the most physical things you are going to do with your body so it makes sense to nutritionally prepare for labour in the same way you would any athletic event.

No need to freak out or go overboard, just make sure you are eating real foods, with plenty of protein, that you will need for strength during labour, and also not just relying on processed carbs and sugary treats to get you through so that you can avoid blood sugar spikes and feeling toxic leading up to the birth.

You want to make sure you have plenty of absorbable calcium and magnesium in your diet or through supplements so that your muscles contract well during the birth and help keep labour efficient and working well.

SIX: REMEDIES

There’s plenty of word of mouth recommendations out there when it comes to getting ready for birth but which of them should you really try?

Eating dates and drinking raspberry leaf tea actually do have a bit of evidence behind them and are worth trying if you’re looking for something extra to add to your preps list.

Red Rasberry Leaf Tea:

Drinking Red raspberry leaf tea from 32 weeks is said to decrease the need for medical interventions, labour length and improve the general ease of delivery,

The tea contains Frararine compound that helps tone uterine muscles by improving blood flow and strength.
You can read some of the evidence here Red Raspberry Leaf - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

We stock some nice quality red raspberry leaf tea on our shop page here.

Dates:

Eating about 6 dates a day for about 4 weeks before birth are said to help soften and dilate the cervix, reduce need for interventions, decrease postpartum bleeding, and may shorten labour.

Essential oils:

Some essential oils are great for labour and some are to be avoided. Here are a list of safe and recommended ones put together by Dr Morris, a Sydney based obstetrician that I have shared many patients with:

Essential Oils Helpful for Labour - Dr Morris.

SEVEN: REST

I cannot stress enough the power of good solid rest and not overdoing things leading up to your birth.

I know you are busy, working, renovating, or moving house to accommodate the new little person, trying to maximise maternity leave by working as close as you can to the birth and all that…but just think about how many times you are going to give birth in your lifetime.

An effective, efficient labour is a lot more likely if your body has some good reserves to draw from.

EIGHT: MIND AND BODY CONNECTION

In Chinese medicine we say that the mind affects the body, and the body affects the mind.

Preparing your mind to stay out of the way of your body is just as relevant to preparing for birth as anything you can physically do.

Birth can be powerful, and your body has one job to do- get that baby out, and it does its best to do that. But the motions of your uterine muscles that do that can feel intense and overwhelming. Preparing yourself mentally to go with that and not against it can really help. Think back to any time you have had gastro and how hard your body works to get that bug out- sometimes birth can be a bit like that. It wants the baby out and your uterus is like hands pushing the little person out, closer and closer to meet you!

Yoga, kirtan singing groups, Calmbirth or Hypno birthing classes or even your own guided meditations and visualisations can be beautiful ways to reconnect to your own inner voice and tap into that innate wisdom that sometimes work or too much thinking can train us out of.

If you have fears about your ability to give birth, you might like to try tapping as a really physical way to address anxiety or strong emotions. The Tapping Solution is my go to place to learn more about that.

We also have some beautiful Birth Affirmation cards you might enjoy (link to shop page)

NINE: BOOST OXYTOCIN

Life and work can be serious sometimes so remembering to enjoy the small stuff, spending time with people you love, having good belly laughs, lots of hugs, being loving or intimate, shopping, lighting candles, getting out in nature, having a bath with rose petals, having flowers around, or whatever floats your boat can actually increase your oxytocin and this happy hormone also doubles as the hormone you need for birth to get and stay going so do what makes you happy and take it as doctor’s orders, guilt free medicine!

TEN: BEING PREPARED

Other than all of the above of course being ready for birth - having a birth support person or team (I highly recommend having a birth Doula!), a music playlist you love and feel psyched for, your birth bag packed- with comfy clothes, maybe some fairy lights, rebozo, birth sponges and combs, birth ball to help with early labouring at home, and whatever you need for labour might help you feel safe, secure, at home and in an environment of love even while in hospital is all going to be helpful in being able to feel relaxed and ready.

Things I DON’T recommend for labour are castor oil, evening primrose oil or any non-medically prescribed vaginal suppositories.

As always, check in with your own inner guidance system as to what may work for you and feels safe and healthy. You may find just one thing from our list or many things that resonate and help you.

Whatever you do to prepare for labour, know that your birth story is going to be uniquely you. You don’t need to worry or put pressure on yourself to plan and be perfect. The above list is there to support you in your self care practice and body-mind awareness, and help you be as rested and strong as you can be during labour.