How to Prepare for a Natural Childbirth Experience

When I was eight months pregnant with my daughter Ella

Giving birth is truly a spiritual rite of passage.

It is holy, primal, intelligent, and exquisitely designed. For centuries, women gave birth with no machines, no interventions, no experts telling them what they could or couldn’t do. They trusted their bodies, their babies, and the timeless wisdom encoded in their wombs.

If you're drawn to the path of natural childbirth, know this: it is not about being fearless. It’s about trusting your inner knowing. It’s about clearing away the noise, reconnecting with your body, and surrendering to birth as nature designed.

So What Exactly Is Natural Childbirth, and How Does It Differ From a Medicated Birth?

A natural, vaginal childbirth refers to the process of giving birth without medical interventions like epidurals, induction drugs, or cesarean surgery.

It centers the mother’s intuitive rhythm, allowing labor to begin, unfold, and complete on its own timing.

Unlike medicated birth—which often shifts power from the woman to the institution—natural birth restores sovereignty. You are not a patient; you are a portal, a priestess, a vessel of life.

What Are the Main Benefits of Natural Childbirth for Mother and Baby? Why Would We Do it if We Don’t Have To?

Birth without medical interventions allow for:

• Greater hormonal flow: Oxytocin, the “love hormone,” surges naturally in unmedicated birth, supporting bonding, breastfeeding, and emotional healing.
• Faster recovery: Without intervention, mothers often experience shorter recoveries and fewer complications.
• Empowerment: Women often describe natural birth as life-changing—a moment of claiming power, trust, and awe for the body.
• Safer transitions for baby: Babies born naturally often connect with mom more easily facilitating breastfeeding.

How Can I Prepare Mentally and Physically for a Natural Childbirth Experience?

Preparation is less about doing and more about undoing. Undoing fear. Undoing cultural programming. Undoing doubt.

Here are some possibilities:

1. Clear Emotional Patterns

Fear lives in the body. I offer womb healing sessions to gently release trauma, anxiety, and ancestral imprints that might inhibit a natural birth. In session, we soften resistance and restore your body’s trust.

👉 Learn more about womb healing + book a free 20-min consult

2. Call Upon the Women Before You

Write out the names of any women you know who have birthed vaginally and naturally. Then widen the circle: your grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and the thousands before them. They did it. You can too. Call upon this lineage in your labor. Trust that your body can do this (it was literally designed to).

3. Unplug from Fear

Gently turn away from media, stories, or even friends whose energy brings fear into your field. You are sensitive now. Protect that.

4. Read + Listen to Empowering Birth Stories

Let your subconscious be fed by stories of power. I recommend Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley—a fierce reminder of the sacred simplicity of birth. You can also listen to my birth story here.

What Are Some Effective Natural Pain Management Techniques During Labor?

Pain in birth is is sensation and POWER. We can meet it with tools:

• Box Breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat. This calms the nervous system and brings presence. Try “Ujayi breath” with this (make a HA sound in the back of the throat but keep lips sealed)
• Sounding: Low, open-throat sounds move energy and help open the cervix. Let the primal sounds move through you.
• Movement + Positions: Sway. Walk. Be on all fours. Move your hips. Your body knows what to do. Hands and knees is a great position to help baby get into the ideal position to emerge (this also helps avoid “back labor” or when a baby emerges “sunny-side up”)
• Water: Warm water and cold washcloths on the lower back can support you to find comfort. Baths and showers can ease intensity and promote calm.

How Can a Birthing Partner Support Me During a Natural Birth?

A birthing partner is your witness, anchor, and protector of the birth field.

• Hold eye contact and breathe with him/her.
• Speak affirmations with a birth partner, give them a list to remind you: “I am doing this. I am safe. I am powerful.”
• Ask for pressure to the lower back or hips during contractions.
• A birth partner can protect you and act as a buffer from unwanted energy or interventions.
• A birth partner can simply hold space and be in reverence honoring this sacred moment. Sometimes all you need is a loving witness to get through the intensity.

How Does Water Birth Work, and Is It a Good Option for Natural Childbirth?

Water birth involves laboring—and often birthing—in a warm tub. Water relaxes the body, softens sensations, and supports a gentle, fluid birth. You can use a regular bathtub or a tub especially designed to birth in. It also creates a safe zone where mom gets to be in her own space.

✨ I birthed my daughter in water—and I’ll never forget the power and intensity of that moment. You can listen to my full birth story here.

More Tips…

• Visualize the birth often. Picture your baby descending, your body opening, your breath flowing.
• Talk to your baby. Watch a youtube video of the optimal position for baby to descend, and then visually show this in your mind to your baby. Ask them to support and participate in this process.
• Prepare for postpartum. Have emotional support in place before baby arrives. Birth can stir up a lot. Don't wait until you're sleep-deprived to seek help. Explore my womb healing offerings here.
• Surround yourself with allies. Choose care providers and friends who honor your choices.

Ready to Clear Fear and Call In the Birth You Desire?

I offer gentle, intuitive womb healing sessions to help you release fear, reconnect with your power, and prepare your body and spirit for natural birth.

✨ Book a free 20-minute consultation to learn more and receive support on your path to empowered motherhood. You are not alone.

You were born for this <3