TEN: Allow labor to begin on its own. Getting induced with Pitocin tends to lead to further complications and more painful contractions. Inductions should be reserved for medical indications only.
NINE: Allow yourself movement. You’ll be more comfortable if you are able to move freely during labor. Your labor will most likely progress quickly if you are able to keep active and respond to your labor pains by changing positions.
EIGHT: Say no to routine interventions. Ask for intermittent, instead of constant, fetal monitoring. Having belts, cords or wires on your person can tie you down and won’t allow you to be free in your movement.
SEVEN: Eat and drink. Keep up your energy by staying hydrated and by not going hungry.
SIX: Use pain management strategies to relieve your pain. Take a childbirth education class and use the techniques you learn from it to avoid pharmaceuticals.
FIVE: Don’t give birth on your back. The supine position goes against gravity and can be more painful to endure then upright positions.
FOUR: Push when your body tells you to. Being at ten centimeters dilated does not necessarily mean that your body is ready to expel the baby. You will typically feel yourself “bear down” when it is ready. Push during a contraction, and stop if you feel you need to rest.
THREE: Hire a doula. Doulas are trained labor support professionals who can maintain continuous emotional and physical support. Interventions are lower for women that have sufficient labor support.
TWO: Choose a healthcare provider who supports your birth plan and the other nine tips listed here. Make your choice based on their perspective of normal birth, and if it matches your own.
And the NUMBER ONE way to ensure a normal, natural birth is:
Choose a place to deliver that supports natural birth. This could be a hospital, birth center, or your own home. Whatever the place, make it one that is most comfortable to you, and one in which you will feel safe.
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