Here are just a few of the ways you can relax for labour. Note that this list is not exhaustive and that there are many others. Adding a calm atmosphere, subdued lighting, soft music, reducing stimuli and the number of people around you will help you to listen to yourself, let go and better focus on what’s happening to you.

During labor, we suggest different positions to help calm and relieve discomfort. You need to try things out to see what does and doesn’t help you during labor, such as using a balloon, a suspension bar, a bath, heat,… The worst thing you can do is not try anything and just lie on your back.

All of these methods are linked to finding your inner strengths, which will help you at every stage of labor and delivery. Continuous support during labor from your partner, nurse, midwife, companion or doctor helps you feel confident, and reduces fear, stress and anxiety. Being relaxed and secure is the basis for letting go, for surrendering to the moment, and it greatly helps to significantly reduce the frequency of obstetric interventions.

Body movements and positioning help the work progress, as is the philosophy of Dr. Bernadette de Gasquet. Gentle and sometimes deep massage, caressing, immersion in water, hot or cold compresses of the most painful areas, exposure to vibrations, making sounds, acupressure… the injection of sterile water, the practice of yoga, relaxation techniques, visualization, meditation, breathing, self-hypnosis, sophrology are all natural means of relieving pain, injections of sterile water, yoga, relaxation techniques, visualization, meditation, breathing, self-hypnosis and sophrology are all natural means of pain relief that should always be recommended first, in order to promote physiological childbirth as much as possible.

Visualization

Visualization is a method of concentrating on detailed mental images that generally encourage calm.

As you’re in labor, you can use visualization to imagine the contraction as a wave coming, going and going. Take them one by one, no matter how many come next, no matter how intense the next one. You take them all in, one after the other, relaxing your muscles as much as possible between each one. Good concentration helps release the natural endorphins that help reduce stress and pain during your work. Don’t force relaxation, let it happen gradually.

Visualization is a useful technique for physical and mental preparation for labor and childbirth. Having mental images, positive thoughts, a pleasant place, seeing her cervix opening and her baby descending in the right axis etc… The woman’s attention is then diverted away from the pain she may be feeling in her body.

Meditation

Meditation increases the power of concentration, particularly on breathing, to better control thoughts. For example, concentrating on relaxing tense muscles, one at a time, with your eyes closed, enables you to focus on relaxation rather than tension.

Relaxing music can accompany this concentration of the self; gentle music chosen by the mother can help to regulate her breathing, as well as promoting relaxation and a lowering of heart and breathing rates.

Breathing

You breathe normally in life, you have to continue to do so in labor. Under the effect of pain, many mothers stiffen, clench and stop breathing. Breathing becomes very shallow, which often increases the sensation of pain intensity of the contraction.

How can you breathe properly in such circumstances? We know it’s not always easy, but trust yourself. Stay aware of your breathing, concentrating on taking in air through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. This makes all the difference in controlling your breathing and its benefits. Keep your rhythm as slow and steady as possible, focusing on taking in air and expelling it, one at a time. This keeps your mind occupied at all times and helps to divert your attention once again from the pain you’re feeling. Breathing is one of the most effective means of relief a woman in labour can adopt at any time.

To see a demonstration of the different types of breathing, take a look at this video.

The bath

Immersion in water or the spray of a shower can help a woman in labor to relax, thanks to the pleasant stimulation of water on contact with the skin. This gesture diverts attention away from the sensation of pain, enabling relaxation that encourages the release of hormones (oxytocin and endorphin). This relaxation helps to reduce pain, speeds up labor (relaxed muscles) and adds to the satisfaction of the woman in labor.

It’s very interesting to change positions in the bath. Naturally, mothers-to-be often lie on their backs, at the bottom of the bath, to get as much water around them as possible. Don’t hesitate to turn to one side and then the other as required, and even get down on all fours so that your belly is completely immersed in the water. In this way, the baby’s head pushes differently on the cervix during contractions, which indirectly helps the cervix efface and dilate.

Note that the water should not be above 38 degrees Celsius, for the baby’s safety and to avoid a temperature rise in the mother.

Hot or cold compresses

With the application of hot or cold compresses, women in labor may notice a partial soothing of pain zones. We understand that heat and cold can interfere with the transmission of pain signals, thereby reducing the sensation of pain. Compresses on the neck, lower back or stomach, face or other areas can be tried before or during contractions.

Applying warm compresses to relax muscles can also help with vulvar distension in the final stages of labour. A cold compress, on the other hand, can be used to reduce inflammation, muscle spasm and tissue swelling.

Hypnosis

It’s a technique that allows you to reach an altered state of consciousness. It does not take away the pain, but helps the mother to cope with it. Pregnant women must be adept at this approach.

This practice focuses on a woman’s strengths, helping her to trust herself and recognize her full capacity to give birth, through deep relaxation and simultaneous breathing. Hypnosis helps reduce tension and pain during labor and delivery. This state of being activates the secretion of natural endorphins, enabling the woman to cope better with pain and often shortening the duration of labor.

Sophrology

This technique is similar to hypnosis and positive visualization, and aims to reconcile body and mind. It uses mental exercises and breathing to better manage emotions and feelings, while promoting general well-being.

Move, mobilize

The worst thing to do during labor, if there are no medical constraints, is to lie on your back. This position does nothing to help the baby descend into the pelvis, and is often far more painful. The baby is trapped. This position doesn’t give the baby the space it needs to position itself properly and align itself with its mother’s pelvis.

The practice of yoga can also help some women during labour, especially when combined with breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques.

Walk if you can, dance if you wish. Rock yourself; many positions can be taken to facilitate both your well-being and your baby’s descent:

• on all fours,
• leaning on your lover,
• squatting,
• certain yoga positions,
• ect.

Ideally, in the words of Bernadette de Gasquet, physician and trainer of the method she recommends, STRETCH THE TRUNK! Leave room for the baby to get off. And the support bar is perfect for doing just that. Anything that relieves, stretches and relaxes is a good thing to do. The upright or sideways position during childbirth helps to reduce pain, and any position the woman takes that feels good, standing, sitting, squatting, is a good one to take if the mother lets herself be guided by her feelings.

For a more concrete visual of several possible positions during labor and delivery, see the following link.

An upright position during labor: helps reduce pain, promotes blood circulation between mother and baby, facilitates the baby’s descent into the pelvis, reduces the duration of labor and often prevents lacerations of the perineum.

You will also find photos and a visual in the

video on Natural and alternative pain relief methods.

The ball

The therapy ball is also very helpful for many women during labor.

We invite you to use it in a variety of ways:

• swinging from side to side
• forward and backward
• by rotating your pelvis as you sit on it during contraction.
• A woman in labour can also lean on it in the four-legged position, rocking back and forth gently.

See how the ball can be used right here.

Heat

Heat is a source of comfort, relaxation and release. It can be used during labor with a magic bag placed on the lower abdomen or back, where the sensation of pain is felt most acutely. Warmth can also be provided by water in the bath, a warm sheet or a hot-water bottle.

Acupuncture, massage and the Bonapace method

Acupuncture can help women to relax their tense bodies, which react to the intensity of pain. Using fine needles inserted precisely at strategic points, acupuncture can facilitate labor by helping dilation of the cervix, descent of the baby and relaxation of the perineum. However, you’ll need to find a practitioner who specializes in this field on your own, and inform your doctor. Acupuncture can also increase the intensity of contractions in the event of a slowdown during labor, replacing artificial hormones and even inducing labor instead of a more traditional induction.

Massage is also a great way to relax a squirming, twitching mother. It’s even more effective when the 2nd parent assists her and takes on this role. Massaging the lower back in a circular motion can’t harm anyone. Massage the areas most likely to be relieved, such as the abdomen, shoulders, shoulder blades, back and sacrum (lower back), always with the mother’s guidance. A gentle massage stimulates the secretion of natural endorphins and soothes the woman in labor. Muscles loosen, she relaxes and calms. You don’t need to be an expert, just put all your love there for her.

Julie Bonapace’s method is also a completely natural way of relieving painful feelings, by linking the 2nd parent with the mother as a team who together manage to ride the wave of contraction one after the other. You can watch the Bonapace video to learn more about the method.

Other accessories to help relieve pain

Pillows, various cushions (serpentine, gel-filled, grain-filled, etc.), different chairs and benches, a baby carriage on the ceiling to hold on to, hang on to, let yourself be rocked can also be helpful.

TENS is also an interesting electrostimulation alternative, not widely used in maternity hospitals, but well known to physiotherapists for relieving chronic pain and other complaints. Tens is a portable device that transmits low-frequency, high-intensity electrical currents via electrodes placed on the skin at specific points. Its use during labor on specific acupuncture points is considered effective in relieving pain in the early stages of labor. For details, see the post on Tens and pregnant women.

This post gives you an overview of the different opportunities available to you to help you prepare for pain management during labor and give birth as naturally as possible.

To learn more about the various natural approaches, see Natural methods to relieve pain during childbirth.

To make it all very visual, watch the video on Natural and alternative pain relief methods.

We invite you now to think about what you would like to achieve during your labor and to write it down in your Birth Plan (here’s an example of a birth plan). Don’t worry, you don’t have to decide everything beforehand: the nurse, support person or midwife will be there to accompany you during labor, and will also be able to suggest and guide you if necessary.

Marie Fortier
The baby expert

Article updated: February 2025.

References :

• https://www.inspq.qc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/information-perinatale/travail-et-accouchement.pdf

• https://www.chusj.org/fr/accouchement/douleur

• https://www.oiiq.org/les-positions-qui-soulagent-la-douleur-et-facilitent-l-accouchement

• https://www.santeestrie.qc.ca/clients/SanteEstrie/soins-services/Themes/Grossesse-accouchement/Positions_accouchement.pdf