Preparing for Labour

Labour and childbirth are natural processes. Throughout pregnancy your body is constantly busy helping your unborn child to develop and preparing you for labour.

However, the fact that labour is a natural part of life doesn’t mean you should sit back and relax. By preparing thoroughly for it – equipping yourself with knowledge and information about exactly what will happen – you can help yourself develop extra skill and confidence.

When to start preparing for labour

For most women, labour does not begin earlier than Week 37 of pregnancy (three weeks before the due date, but forward planning from a much earlier stage can help you with many of the most important considerations and questions that help you to prepare for labour, including:

• Knowing the signs of labour
• Making a birth plan
• Packing a bag for labour
• Preparing to recover from a Caesarean section
• Getting to the hospital
• Understanding induction
• How long will labour last
• The role of the birth partner
• Pain relief options
• Giving birth at home

Expert-led guidance for pregnancy, labour and the early years

My BabyManual is packed with resources and information to help women and their partners at every stage of the parenting journey, from pre-pregnancy through to pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period.

For more information and guidance from the My BabyManual team, which includes our expert medical contributors (made up of doctors, midwives, nurses, obstetricians, personal trainers, nutritionists and more) browse our articles today.