Most of us don’t think of childbirth as something to prepare for. It’s something we brace for, or try not to think about too much until it’s close. Part of that comes from how little we actually talk about childbirth in our culture. The less you know, the more intimidating it can seem. Understanding what’s ahead won’t guarantee how your birth unfolds, but it will change how ready you feel.
In many ways, labor can be viewed like a major athletic event. Just as an athlete prepares for the specific demands of their sport, you can prepare your body for the specific demands of labor.
In this article, we’ll discuss four physical and mental demands of labor and what you can do to start training for them now.
Read on to learn:
- What actually happens during labor
- The four physical and mental demands of labor (and how to prepare for each)
- Why your medical team is part of childbirth preparation
- The importance of adaptability
Quick Answer: Preparing for labor means training for what it specifically demands of you: energy through repeated cycles of effort and recovery, mobility to move through different positions, core and pelvic floor function for pushing, and the ability to stay calm as intensity builds. Choosing a supportive medical team and staying adaptable as your birth unfolds are part of that preparation too.
What Actually Happens During Labor?
Before we get into the specific demands of labor, it helps to understand what your body and baby are working to accomplish.
The baby grows inside a muscular organ called the uterus. The bottom of the uterus is the cervix. As you can see in the image below, the cervix is closed and does not look like it would be very easy for baby to get out. Therefore, the first part of labor involves the cervix softening and—with the help of uterine contractions—effacing (thinning) and dilating (opening) to allow the baby to pass through. At the same time, the baby must perform a series of rotational movements to align with the vaginal opening.
In short, three key things must happen before pushing can begin:
- The cervix must soften, thin, and dilate to allow the baby to pass through.
- The uterus must contract to push the baby downward and pull the cervix up and out of the way.
- The baby must rotate to align with the vaginal opening.
Labor itself is generally divided into three stages:
- Stage 1: Uterine Contractions & Cervical Dilation. This is the stage when the uterus is contracting, and the cervix is softening to allow baby to pass through. Contractions typically start short and mild, and gradually grow longer and (much) stronger. The whole process of Stage 1 labor takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days – and is often longer for first-time pregnancies.
- Stage 2: Pushing. Pushing can occur once the baby has descended low enough in the pelvis and the cervix is fully dilated (open and out of the way). The length of Stage 2 varies widely by individual. Those giving birth for the first time typically – but not always – have longer Stage 2 labors (up to 2 hours). Those who have had prior births often have shorter Stage 2 labors – even as short as a few minutes.
- Stage 3: Delivery of the Placenta. Once the baby has been delivered, there is one final – and often overlooked – stage: birthing the placenta. This entirely new organ, grown to nourish the baby, sometimes comes out with very little effort. Other times, it may require work to push it out. Sometimes contractions occur; other times, they do not. Either way, the placenta is typically delivered within 30 minutes after childbirth.
Now that you have a better idea of what happens during labor, you can likely already begin seeing the “demands” it places on the individual. Let’s discuss four of them now.
The 4 Physical and Mental Demands of Labor (And How to Prepare)
While no two labors unfold the same way, there are four demands that you can prepare for to increase your chances of having a successful, fulfilling experience with healthier outcomes.
1. Energetic Demands: Preparing for the Stress-to-Recovery Cycles
Think about the pattern of contractions during labor. A contraction creates a period of intense physical work, followed by a period of recovery before the next contraction begins. As labor progresses, those work periods typically get longer and more intense, while the recovery periods get shorter.
Sound a bit like interval training? In many ways, childbirth is nature’s ultimate interval training.
Preparing for this energetic demand is not simply about building endurance. It is also about preparing your body to transition from periods of intense effort into recovery, so you can make the most of the rest available before the next round of work begins.
Learn how you can prepare your body for these energetic demands through our training technique: LIIT™ (Labor Intensity Interval Training).
2. Biomechanical Demands: Being Able to Access a Variety of Positions
Movement can play an important role throughout labor. Changing positions can ease discomfort and assist the baby as it performs the movements necessary to navigate through the birth canal.
Depending on how labor is progressing and your baby’s position, your doula, midwife, or other member of your birth team may encourage you to move into different positions. This makes having access to a variety of positions an important part of physical preparation.
For example, a deep squat may be useful during labor, but it can be difficult to get into comfortably if you have limited hip mobility. Preparing during pregnancy gives you an opportunity to develop the strength and mobility needed to move into a greater variety of positions when the time comes.
Learn how to prepare for the biomechanical demands of labor with these pelvic mobility exercises for birth.
3. Pushing Demands: Preparing the Core and Pelvic Floor
Pushing is perhaps the most obvious physical demand of childbirth, yet many people receive very little education about how to prepare for it.
Effective pushing requires strong, responsive pelvic floor muscles that can work through their full range of motion. This means the pelvic floor needs more than strength. It also needs the ability to lengthen and release.
Pushing also requires you to generate enough force to help move your baby through the birth canal while managing pressure within your core. Preparing these capabilities during pregnancy can help your core and pelvic floor better meet the demands of the pushing stage.
Learn how to prepare to push during childbirth.
4. Mindset Demands: Stay Calm Under Stress
Childbirth doesn’t just test you physically. The combination of increasing physical intensity and the uncertainty of how your birth will unfold can also challenge your mental fortitude.
Just as athletes practice staying calm under the stress of competition, learning how to shift your body toward a calmer state can be an important part of preparing for labor. Remaining calm can help conserve energy and support the production of oxytocin, the hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. Conversely, fear and stress can increase cortisol and adrenaline, which can interfere with oxytocin production and potentially slow labor.
One strategy you can practice during pregnancy is 360° Breathing, which can help activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system and support a calmer state.
Learn how to perform 360° Breathing and how it can help you remain calmer and more focused during labor in this article on how breathing impacts your health.
The Medical Team Is Part of Childbirth Preparation Too
Another important part of childbirth preparation has nothing to do with exercise.
Your medical team.
Many expecting parents spend more time choosing a stroller than choosing the medical professional who will deliver their child. However, the doctor or midwife often has the greatest impact on one’s birth experience. These professionals shape the way their patients think about their bodies, their births, and their babies. All four of the demands we discussed are greatly influenced by the medical provider.
Many people continue seeing the same OB/GYN they have worked with for years without giving much thought to whether that provider’s approach to birth aligns with their own preferences. Sometimes, those differences don’t become apparent until much later in pregnancy.
This is why it can be helpful to think about what matters to you in your birth experience and whether you feel supported by the medical team you have chosen.
One Final Note: The Importance of Adaptability
It is impossible to know exactly how any birth will unfold. Preparing for childbirth isn’t about trying to control the outcome. It’s about preparing as best you can and recognizing that there will always be factors outside your control.
As we think about training for childbirth like the major athletic event that it is, adaptability is a hallmark of great athletes. Think of the Olympic athletes who train for years for a specific event – envisioning every last detail – only to be confronted by factors outside of their control on their big day (injury, illness, weather, etc.). They must make the mental shift and adapt to their new situation. If you can do this too, that is truly something to be proud of.