3 Things to Do At the End of Your Pregnancy for a Faster Labor

Today I want to share three things you can do it try to make for a faster labor. That isn’t to say that these are going to PUT you into labor, but they have been shown to better birth outcomes and possibly make birth quicker.

As always, just because a study says XYZ works over a broad population, doesn’t mean that it will always work for you — so take these with a grain of salt. If you absolutely HATE doing them, maybe find a new way or stop. HATING doing things can have implications that aren’t any better than a longer labor. 🙂

Before we get going, if you’re looking for more labor tips, don’t miss these posts:

• Inducing Labor at 39 Weeks: Pros and Cons
• What a Birth Plan Can ACTUALLY Do For Your Birth?
• What do People Wish They Had Known About Before Birth?
• 5 Things You CAN Control in Labor (mostly)
• My #1 Tip for Hospital Birth

Eat Dates

Yes, I’m talking about the dried fruit. It sounds crazy but eating dates has been shown to reduce your need for an induction.

Ultimately, there’s something in it that they think causes your cervix to soften and put you into labor earlier than you might otherwise. Woot woot for that, right?

I have a whole post on when to start eating dates << and I totally recommend that post (it includes links to the studies too), but here are the cliff notes:

• You’re supposed to start at 34 weeks
• Eat SIX dates/day (you can spread them out or eat them all at once).

I also have some ways that people find them more easily eaten in that post because six/day could be a real bummer.

Pro Tip: It may also also help you not poop at birth as dates are known to help things run smoothly. 😜

While we’re here — have you worked on your birth plan yet? Let me help!

Perineal Massage

Ok, this one is ONLY for people trying for their first vaginal delivery (studies show that it doesn’t help if you’ve already used the birth canal — but if you’re trying for a VBAC this one is still for you!). Good news for busy moms of many kids! 🙂 Skip to #3!

You’re going to want to be sure to check with your provider before you start doing this one, there are some people who should NOT be doing it (looking at you “special” varicose vein peeps).

You’re going to take your finger and put pressure on the lower part of your birth canal opening. I did a video on it:

You’re definitely going to want to get your provider’s input on how to do it best for you — and for some people you may want to ask a partner to do it. It can be had to reach. Most people appreciate some lube while you’re doing it.

Again, you’re just stretching the OUTSIDE of the birth canal, not going “inside” — so check with your provider to make sure you’re doing it right.

Here’s the study if you want more info on it.

Source: Perineal massage in the weeks leading up to delivery helps some women avoid episiotomy. BMJ. 2006 Mar 18;332(7542):0. PMCID: PMC1403252.

BTW, decreasing tears is going to be so helpful postpartum. So is making a postpartum birth plan — grab my free one here:

Squat & Workout

The more studies and information I take in about our hips and mindset the more I think that working out during your pregnancy is a HUGE plus. While there are LOTS of benefits to your whole system, I want to point out a few of them:

Huge shout-out to people still doing physical jobs during pregnancy (especially the bedside nurses 🎉) — I also think that will be helpful as you approach your birth, but when you stop working remember to KEEP using that body.

1️⃣ We sit in office chairs a LOT (maybe you don’t — and you can skip this info if you want) — this leads to our hips being in a very specific position much of the day. It also means we’re just not great at squatting, and ultimately opening-up our pelvis.

In fact, later in life I learned that I needed to re-learn how to squat. At some point my hips couldn’t do it anymore.

I’m not talking about legs parallel to the floor, I’m talking about your bum almost touching the floor with knees out.

In LOTS of other countries they squat a LOT. In the US, and a lot of developed countries it’s become a lost art — and I think we’re realizing that is not helping our hips for childbirth. SO, I’d encourage you to re-learn to squat if you need to, but also to practice it several times/day.

If it hurts, talk with your provider and maybe get a physical therapy consult to see how you can do it safer. This type of squat can be problematic if you have pelvis issues, so doing it safely is certainly a priority.

You can also use a counter or a stable piece of furniture to hold onto as you squat (because getting-up can be tricky too).

Working out also moves our planes of motion. We’re so used to going forward sometimes we don’t get our hips to go side-to-side and really increase our range of motion. This is super important for our hips.

2️⃣ Working out has shown to decrease birth trauma. In LOTS of thinking about this, and in consultation with some providers I have realized that working out just gets us used to doing hard things with our bodies.

Birth is going to be one of the hardest things you do with your body. Think of it as training for birth.

Now, you don’t need to hurt yourself, or over-do it (pregnancy is enough of that) but getting up a sweat, using weights, moving your body into different positions is a HUGE win for:

• Pregnancy (I think you’ll ultimately feel better and may even have more energy — even though that’s hard to imagine)
• Labor (you’re used to doing hard things, and those hips will be more open)
• Postpartum (you’ll recover faster)

I just think continuing to work out has lots of benefits.

I will also be the FIRST to say that workouts are going to look different. I really thought I was into it once and my husband took a photo and it looked like I was barely moving, but I was doing it. I was getting my heart rate up, I was getting as full of range of motion as I could and I was also stretching which my body desperately needed.

I just can’t recommend it enough. Do what works for you, and you may want to get a physical therapist on your team too (or a trainer) to see what’s best.

And, if you’re one of the ones with a lot of pelvic pain — I am so sorry, and I have a few tips for you here:

BONUS Quick Labor Tip:

Ok, one more BONUS tip — take a birth class.

I can’t tell you, in my 20 years of being at the bedside, how much I saw fear and indecisiveness (or feeling pushed into things) held back labor.

Studies actually show that they reduce anxiety, lessen your need for an induction, cesarean or other operative birth — ultimately improving birth outcomes! They really are magical!

Be sure to take a class that:

• Helps you stay home as long as you can (this is going to make labor go faster too)
• Talks about all pain management & intervention options so you’re ready when YOUR birth happens to you!
• Covers postpartum too, because that is FAR too often skipped (not doing you any favors).

I recommend The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. It really prepares you for all those things….

• It’s available 24/7 — available when you are!
• The price point will shock you — it’s less than a third the cost of other classes (because so many couples take it)
• Gets your partner involved to be a teammate rather than just a cheerleader.

If you’re looking for a great birth — you can even use coupon code FASTERBIRTH to save 10% right now!

Not quite ready for that — get my best birth tips right here: