The #1 Tip to Prepare for Birth
Dear Mama,
You are doing so much already. Prenatal vitamins. Appointments. Reading the books. Preparing the nursery. And yet, if you pause for a moment, you might notice something else. Tight shoulders. A clenched jaw. A nervous system that never quite gets a break.
You may be told to “just relax,” but that advice rarely comes with any real understanding of what is happening inside your body, or your baby’s.
You deserve more than reassurance. You deserve clarity.
Two Very Different Birth Experiences
Imagine two different birth experiences.
In the first, a mother arrives already depleted from weeks of poor sleep and ongoing stress. Labour feels slow, so interventions are introduced. Contractions intensify quickly. The room becomes tense. Decisions are made fast. Baby arrives needing support. Feeding feels difficult. Everyone feels overwhelmed.
In the second, a mother has spent her pregnancy supporting nervous system regulation. She arrives grounded, breathing deeply, able to move and respond intuitively. Labour progresses steadily. Baby is born alert and calm, placed skin to skin. Feeding begins gently. The environment feels settled and connected.
The difference is not willpower. It is not luck. It is the state of the nervous system.
Your Nervous System Is the Coordinator
Your nervous system acts as the coordinator for everything in your body. Heart rate, digestion, sleep, immune responses, and stress reactions are all guided by it.
There are two main branches at play:
The sympathetic system, often described as the gas pedal, supports action and alertness
The parasympathetic system, often described as the brake, supports rest, digestion, healing, and connection
In a healthy system, there is flexibility. You move smoothly between these states. Chronic stress can disrupt that flow, leaving the body stuck in high alert or struggling to access deep rest.
Your Baby Is Learning From Your Nervous System
During pregnancy, your baby’s nervous system is developing in constant communication with yours. Hormones related to stress and calm cross the placenta. This is not about blame. It is about awareness.
When you support your own regulation, you are also supporting your baby’s ability to adapt, regulate, and feel safe in their body. Long before birth, your nervous system is shaping theirs.
Birth Is Also a Nervous System Event
Labour begins in a state that requires parasympathetic dominance. Hormones that support contractions and progression are released most effectively when the body feels safe.
As labour progresses, the nervous system shifts into more active states at specific moments. This back and forth, rest and effort, calm and activation, is part of the natural rhythm of birth.
When the nervous system is already overloaded or stuck in stress mode, that rhythm can be harder to access. After birth, your baby relies on co regulation through skin to skin contact, touch, and your heartbeat to begin regulating themselves.
What Is Often Missing in Prenatal Care
Prenatal care does essential work. Monitoring growth. Screening for complications. Supporting physical health. What is often missing is an objective assessment of nervous system function.
Being told to “reduce stress” is very different from understanding whether your nervous system is able to regulate and adapt effectively.
This is where neurologically focused chiropractic care can play a supportive role.
At Ottawa ChiroHouse, we use INSiGHT Scans to assess patterns of nervous system stress and regulation. These scans look at how your body is responding to stress and how adaptable your nervous system is.
Care is gentle and specific, with the goal of supporting balance and communication within the nervous system. The focus is not symptom based. It is about helping your system regain flexibility and flow.
When Is the Best Time to Start?
Earlier in pregnancy allows more time to support regulation, but meaningful changes can happen at any stage. The nervous system has a remarkable capacity to adapt when given the right support.
What You Can Influence
Not every part of pregnancy or birth can be controlled, and sometimes interventions are necessary and life saving. Supporting your nervous system does not replace medical care. It complements it.
A regulated nervous system can support recovery, bonding, and resilience during the postpartum period as well.
Your Next Step
There are many wonderful ways to prepare for birth. Movement. Nutrition. Education. Environment.
If there were one foundational focus to add, it would be this: supporting nervous system regulation.
Your baby’s nervous system is developing every day. Supporting your own regulation is one way to support theirs.
If you would like to better understand how your nervous system is functioning and whether support could be helpful during your pregnancy, we would be honoured to connect.
Reach out to Ottawa ChiroHouse to schedule a consultation. If you are not local, the PX Docs directory can help you find an office with a similar neurological focus.
Preparing for birth is not only about the body. It is also about the nervous system that guides it all.
