When you reach the third trimester, all the “labor and birth” thoughts start to flood your mind. Everything is becoming very real! As your countdown to labor begins, you start to wonder if there’s anything you can do to help prep your body for labor. The answer is yes!
Labor is like a marathon. Would you jump into a marathon with no practice? Or would you only practice for a few weeks before the marathon takes place? Probably not. Labor is a lot like that. You don’t want to jump into an intense, tiring situation with no prep beforehand. Let’s discuss a few great ways to prepare your body for the marathon of birth.
Exercises to Help Prep Your Body
There are several exercises that will benefit your body leading up to the birth. These exercises will also help you recover faster after the birth.
- Walking This seems like a simple one, but it is super important! Not only is walking a great low impact workout, but it’s also a great way to keep your body moving. Sometimes the third trimester is physically draining and you don’t feel like doing a full blown workout. Walking is a great way to combat that fatigue. Labor is all about fluidity, and walking can help keep your body flexible and moving. Even when you’re too tired to workout! Another perk is, the movement included in a walk can help move your baby down into your cervix. Walking can also help stimulate contractions by releasing oxytocin. This is why your doctor might tell you to increase your walking if you are overdue. The release of oxytocin can help induce and regulate contractions naturally.
- Squatting We want to work towards fluidity in your body, and squatting is a great way to move your hips in many different positions. Especially during labor, squatting, can help create more room for your baby to enter the birth canal. Sitting in that position can open your pelvic outlet by around 10%. Squatting regularly in the third trimester can help move your baby down before labor begins. If you’re going to squat daily, I recommend checking with your doctor first and making sure baby is head down. If your baby is breech, squatting can still help them move down, but not in an ideal birthing position.
- Rebozo sifting Rebozo sifting works much like the squats do. It helps get baby in the right position and move them down into the birth canal. Rebozo sifting is a great way to get your partner involved in preparing your body for labor, since you have to have someone help you do it. This is a very relaxing and effective technique that you can try 1 to 2 times a week once you enter the third trimester. Rebozo sifting can help flip a baby out of the sunny-side-up position, and move them into an optimal position to come down into the pelvis.
- Birthing ball Sitting on a birthing ball throughout the duration of your third trimester can encourage your baby to get in an optimum position. When you sit on the birthing ball, you almost force yourself to “accidentally” sit with good posture. Just make sure your core is engaged and your back is straight. This helps keep your baby in a good position and keep your body in alignment, as well as open your hips and pelvis. You can do many types of hip circles while sitting on the birth ball, which can help your baby’s head drop into your pelvis. Bouncing/rolling your hips on the ball can also help keep your lower body open and flexible as you prepare yourself for birth.
- The forward leaning inversion My favorite labor prep position is called “the forward leaning inversion”. This position uses gravity to naturally move the baby into a more ideal position for birth. It creates room in the lower uterus and opens the hips, allowing your baby to move down properly. This position can help with many different issues including tailbone pain, back pain, hip pain, a baby positioned improperly, tension in your lower back and hips, and so much more. I’ll link more info on how to do the forward leaning inversion here. I highly recommend looking into Spinning Babies for more labor prep positions.
- Perineal massage Many women are terrified of tearing during birth. Perineal massage is a great way to help stretch the tissues that shape the birth canal in preparation for birth. Some people choose to start this in the last month of pregnancy, but I encourage my clients to start it at the beginning of the third trimester. The reason for this is, you never know when labor will start. If your labor starts at 37 weeks, you’ve only had one week of massaging to prepare your body. That’s not really enough time to stretch things and make a big difference. Perineal massage can help decrease the chance of tearing and episiotomy without damaging your perineum. This is another great way to get your partner involved in preparing your body for birth. Many women struggle to reach that area in the last months of pregnancy. Explain to your partner how to perform the massage and then have them do it a couple times a week leading up to your due date. Be sure to use a gentle lubricant or a natural oil when performing this massage to make any stretching more comfortable.
Things to Take for Labor Prep
There are certain things you can take at the beginning of the third trimester to help prep your body. Then there are other things that you should not take until about a month before your due date.
First, let’s discuss what to take at the beginning of your third trimester.
- Red raspberry leaf tea Some women use red raspberry leaf tea throughout their entire pregnancy, while others only use it at the end. RRL tea works by toning the uterus and providing your body with important vitamins and minerals. These include potassium and magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin E. Some women testify to RRL tea shortening the duration of their labor, while others say it helped balance their hormones after baby was born. Either way, I recommend starting RRL tea to my clients around week 28 as a great way to prep your body for labor and birth.
- Alfalfa Alfalfa is high in vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting. Therefore, it might help prevent postpartum hemorrhage. Taking vitamin K during pregnancy will help pass it on to your baby. So everyone benefits! I personally recommend that you start drinking alfalfa tea once a day at the end of your second trimester. If you can’t stand the taste of the tea, try eating lots of extra dark, leafy greens (such as spinach, collard greens, and kale). If that also sounds disgusting, you can try supplementing it with a vitamin capsule.
- Read! One great way to prepare yourself for labor and birth is to mentally prep yourself. Labor is a very mental experience, try surrounding yourself with information beforehand to help you be ready and excited when the big day comes! There are so many great resources to read/listen to before your due date. Start reading books at the big beginning of your third trimester so you have enough time to finish them. This will also keep that info fresh in your mind when the big day comes!
Moving onto things to try in the last month of your pregnancy.
- Dates This is a bit of a controversial recommendation. Some people swear by using dates to soften and ripen the cervix, while others don’t think it makes much of a difference. My recommendation is to try it if you’d like to, and to keep in mind that it’s not a huge deal if you don’t. All you do is simply eat six dates per day for a month leading up to your due date. That’s it! Some studies have shown that women who consume dates prior to their due date were more likely to be dilated, go into spontaneous labor, and have a shorter first stage of labor than those who did not consume any dates. Keep in mind that dates are high in carbs and sugars, so be careful eating that many dates if you have gestational diabetes.
- Evening primrose oil Many women have used evening primrose oil for decades to help prepare their cervix for dilation and birth. Some recommend that you take evening primrose oil orally, but that is not my recommendation. I have not personally seen enough evidence showing that consuming it orally will help your labor or birth in any way. I recommend taking it vaginally instead. EPO doesn’t induce labor, instead it helps ripen and soften the cervix. This can help trigger contractions and lead to labor beginning. A soft cervix can also help labor to be a little faster as dilation may happen quicker. You simply insert a gel capsule into your vagina before bed and leave it in while you sleep. Be sure to wear a panty liner as it will drain out and get oil on your clothes. Be sure to discuss this method with your doctor or Midwife before trying it. They may recommend that you wait until 38 or 39 weeks to try it.
Always remember to run anything you add or take away from your normal diet/activities by your medical provider. Everyone’s body and baby are different. Therefore, everyone’s needs are different. Something might work great for one person and not for at all for the next person. Be sure to include your doctor or midwife in any changes you make for yourself so they can help you determine if that choice will fit your specific needs.
If you have any other questions on ways to prepare your body for labor and childbirth, feel free to message me on my Instagram or shoot me an email! I’m always happy to answer any questions and I’d be so honored to speak with you 🙂 Happy prepping!
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