As your due date approaches, it’s natural to wonder whether there’s anything you can do to prepare for labor. While every birth is different, certain habits, techniques, and forms of support may help labor progress more smoothly and comfortably.

As a birth doula who has supported hundreds of families through labor and delivery, I’ve seen firsthand how preparation, movement, mindset, and support can influence the birth experience.

Here are nine practical tips I often share with my doula clients to help support an easier labor and birth.

Tips for an Easier Labor

While there is no guaranteed way to predict how labor will unfold, certain habits and strategies may help support labor progress, comfort, and confidence during birth. Here are some of the approaches I most often recommend to my clients.

1. Eat Dates in Late Pregnancy

Studies show that women who eat dates daily during the last 6 weeks of their pregnancy are less likely to be induced or need Pitocin to help the progression of labor.¹ They were also more dilated upon arrival at the hospital and labored for seven hours less. For many women, dates can be a simple addition to late-pregnancy birth preparation.

Related: Eating Dates During Pregnancy: Benefits for Birth & Beyond

2. Stay Active During Pregnancy

Of all the births I have attended, the women who stayed active and in shape during their pregnancies tolerated labor better. They also tended to have shorter labor. In addition, a recent study shows that women who continue to exercise during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester, are in labor for a shorter duration.² But, of course, get your doctor or midwife’s approval before beginning an exercise routine.

Staying active is also beneficial when in labor. Upright and leaning-forward positions allow gravity to help baby move into the optimal position, which can shorten your labor by an hour. It’s common to get tired with all this activity while also experiencing contractions, so strengthening your legs is key.

Related: Exercises You Should Do Before Giving Birth

3. Hire a Doula

Even with your partner and family by your side, you may want additional professional help. This help can guide and support you continuously throughout your labor. For example, according to studies, women who had continuous care provided by a doula were 50% less likely to need a C-section, 30% less likely to need pain medication, and experienced a labor 25% shorter than those without doula care.³

Doulas also provide emotional support, comfort measures, position suggestions, and reassurance throughout labor, helping many families feel more confident during birth.

4. Prioritize Sleep

A study found that women who slept fewer than six hours during their last month of pregnancy labored for 11 hours longer and had C-sections four times more frequently than women who slept seven hours or more.² That means you must prioritize sleep as you approach your baby’s due date. I recommend reading the best sleep positions during pregnancy and tips for overcoming pregnancy insomnia.

5. Use Hydrotherapy (Shower or Tub)

It’s a common reaction to tense your muscles when you feel pain. Unfortunately, that is not what you should be doing during labor. Tensing and tightening your muscles can worsen discomfort and prolong your labor. Getting into the shower or the tub can counter that response.

Many women find hydrotherapy to be one of the most effective natural comfort measures during labor. It can relieve a fair amount of discomfort during labor. A shower is fine at any stage of labor. However, you want to ensure you are in (at least) active labor, preferably transition labor, if you get into a tub. (We don’t want the water to slow down or stall your labor pattern.) The water can help relax your muscles and encourage your body to work more efficiently during labor.

Related: 7 Things NOT to Do During Labor

6. Get a Massage

When stimulating an area where you feel pain, whether with pressure or heat, you soften the pain messages sent to the brain. This is why it is normal to immediately respond by putting your hands on the painful body part and applying pressure. This is why massage during labor is very beneficial.

Studies show that laboring women who received massages during labor reported feeling less pain and anxiety than those who were not massaged.⁴ Talk to your partner or doula about massage during labor. Let them know what feels good and what doesn’t. Even if you prefer not to be touched during certain times in labor, that is normal and okay, too.

Related: Benefits of Prenatal and Postpartum Massage

7. Stay Open-Minded and Flexible

It is important to mentally and physically prepare yourself for your labor and birth experience. This is why I recommend taking a childbirth class and hiring a doula. However, no one can predict what your labor will be like. It differs from woman to woman and from baby to baby.

Your first birth could be completely different from your second birth. This is why I tell my clients that it is good to have goals for their birth experience, but also to remain open-minded and flexible regarding their birth plan. You may not be able to get an epidural as you wanted, or your epidural may not work like you were expecting, or you may need an epidural or a C-section even though you didn’t want or plan for one.

Women who remained flexible, worked with their labor, and adapted when circumstances changed often reported feeling more satisfied with their birth experiences.

8. Keep Breathing

This may seem silly to say that you need to remember to keep breathing, but you must keep a consistent pace of slow, deep breaths during labor. Sometimes, women hold their breath in labor or begin to hyperventilate because they are not focusing on their breathing patterns. The more oxygen you take in, the better. It can help you stay relaxed and remain focused through each contraction.

Related: Breathing Techniques for Labor and How They Help

9. Create a Calm Birth Environment

This is probably one of the most important points of labor and birthing. Your mindset and emotional state are connected to how your body can respond to the sensations you’re feeling. If you’re scared, stressed, rushed, or feeling pressured, it can (and usually will) negatively affect your labor progress.

The opposite applies as well. If you feel comfortable and supported during labor, that you’re free to labor at your own pace, and you can focus inward on your body, you’ll have a more successful time allowing your body and baby to do what they need to do. Keep calm, mama. You will soon meet your baby.

Final Thoughts

Labor may feel uncertain, but preparation can go a long way. Whether your labor is fast or slow, medicated or unmedicated, having the right support, tools, and mindset can help you feel more confident along the way. And no matter how your birth unfolds, one thing is certain: before long, you’ll be meeting your baby.