The blog was written by Kasia Pokrop, a Hypnobirthing and Spinning Babies childbirth educator, Birthlight Pregnancy Yoga Teacher, and the founder of Mamamoon app and 3mbrace Health.

When you hear the phrase preparing for birth, you might picture someone in their final weeks of pregnancy—packing a hospital bag, writing down birth preferences, or attending classes. But preparing for birth is so much more, and it can start long before you are even pregnant.

Birth is not just a physical event, it’s emotional, mental, and deeply personal. Early preparation allows your body, your mind, and your environment to work together, so that when the big day comes, you feel strong, calm, and supported.

In this guide, we’ll explore why birth preparation matters, the areas to focus on, and how you can start building a foundation for a more positive birth experience.

Why Preparing for Birth Before Pregnancy Makes a Difference

Think of birth like running a marathon. No one shows up on race day without training, expecting their body to perform at its best. The same goes for birth — your physical health, your emotional resilience, and your mental preparation all play a role in how smoothly labor and delivery unfold.

By starting early, you:

• Build stamina and openness in your body that support you through pregnancy and labor.
• Learn ways to relax and manage stress before you need them most.
• Establish healthy habits around nutrition, sleep, and movement that benefit fertility and pregnancy.
• Reduce fears by understanding your options and building confidence.

And perhaps most importantly — you give yourself time. Time to explore practices like pregnancy yoga, Spinning Babies® exercises, hypnobirthing breathing, and nutrition approaches that prepare you not just for labor, but for the transition into motherhood.

Photo Source: 3mbrac3 Health

The Three Pillars of Preparing for Birth

There are three areas that matter a lot when it comes to preparing for a smoother, more empowered birth:

1. Optimal positioning of the baby
2. Mother’s body
3. Mother’s mind

At Mamamoon, we built our app on this exact belief. The three foundations of our program all come together to create confidence and resilience, before, during, and after birth.

Let’s look at each in more detail.

1. Optimal Positioning of the Baby

The position of your baby plays a big role in how labor unfolds. A baby in an “optimal fetal position” - most often head down, chin tucked, and facing the mother’s back can make labor shorter, smoother, and less painful.

Why it matters:
If the baby is in a less favorable position, such as posterior (sunny side up), labor may be longer and more intense, sometimes leading to interventions.

How to prepare:

• Spinning Babies® techniques: These focus on balance, movement, and gravity to encourage babies into a more favorable position. Gentle daily stretches, inversions, and hip-opening exercises can already make a difference before pregnancy.
  
• Daily posture and movement: Upright postures, forward-leaning positions, and birthing ball exercises create more space in the pelvis.
  
• Pregnancy yoga: Many poses support the openness of the hips and spine, which helps the baby find the best position.
  

2. Mother’s Body

Your body is the vessel that carries, nurtures, and births your baby. Preparing your body for birth isn’t just about being fit - it’s about balance, nourishment, and resilience.

Nutrition for strength and stamina:

• A balanced diet with whole foods, healthy fats, and micronutrients supports fertility and prepares your body for pregnancy.
  
• Ayurveda emphasizes warm, grounding foods that build ojas - vital energy that supports both mother and baby.
  
• Staying hydrated and maintaining healthy mineral levels (magnesium, iron, calcium) supports muscle function during labor.
  

Movement for openness and endurance:

• Pregnancy yoga: Builds flexibility, hip openness, and breath awareness - tools invaluable during labor.
  
• Walking, swimming, or cycling: Gentle stamina-building movement prepares you for the endurance of labor.
  
• Pelvic floor care: Strength and relaxation are equally important. Gentle pelvic floor exercises and perineal massage can reduce tearing and aid recovery.
  

3. Mother’s Mind

Even if your baby is in the perfect position and your body is open and strong, birth can still feel overwhelming if your mind is full of fear. Mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation.

Why it matters:
Fear creates tension in the body, which increases pain and can slow down labor. A calm mind helps contractions feel more manageable and supports smoother progress.

How to prepare mentally:

• Hypnobirthing: Teaches visualization, affirmations, and deep relaxation techniques.
  
• Mindfulness & meditation: Builds presence and trust in your body.
  
• Breathwork: Conscious breathing reduces stress hormones and increases oxygen flow.
  

Practicing calm, hypnobirthing-inspired breathing during pregnancy means you’ll have a trusted tool ready for labor itself. (The Mamamoon app includes guided breathing and relaxation practices designed exactly for this purpose.)

Photo Source: 3mbrac3 Health

Involving Your Partner or Birth Team

Birth doesn’t happen in isolation. Having a trusted support person or team whether that’s a partner, doula, midwife, or close friend can make an enormous difference.

Why support matters:

• They can help remind you of breathing techniques or massage your back.
  
• They advocate for your birth preferences in the hospital or birth center.
  
• Their presence and calmness help reduce stress, supporting smoother labor.
  

The key is to involve your support team early — practicing together and learning how to be a steady anchor during birth.

Photo Source: 3mbrac3 Health

Preparing for a C-section

Sometimes a caesarean section (planned or unplanned) is the safest choice for mother and baby. Preparing for a C-section is just as important as preparing for vaginal birth.

How to prepare:

• Nutrition & healing: A strong, nourished body supports faster recovery. Protein, vitamin C, and iron are particularly important for tissue repair and energy.
  
• Breathwork: Breathing exercises help reduce anxiety before surgery and support gentle core recovery afterwards.
  
• Birth preferences still matter: Even in a c-section, you can express wishes such as immediate skin-to-skin or delayed cord clamping where possible.

Knowing that you’re prepared for different scenarios allows you to approach birth with greater calm and flexibility.

Preparing for Postpartum

Birth is not the finish line - it’s the beginning of postpartum. Preparing for recovery after birth helps reduce stress during pregnancy, because you know you’re covered for what comes next.

Key areas to consider:

• Postpartum support team: Who will bring meals, help with baby care, or support your rest?
  
• Nutrition: Warm, easy-to-digest meals and hydration support healing.
  
• Mental health: Postpartum can be emotionally intense—knowing where to find community and professional support helps.
  
• Body recovery: Gentle movement, pelvic floor care, and patience with your body’s timeline.
  

 Photo Source: 3mbrac3 Health

Final Thoughts

Preparing for birth is about more than the final weeks of pregnancy. It’s about building strength and openness in your body, creating calm in your mind, and helping your baby find the best position for an easier journey earthside.

Whether your birth involves water, hospital, VBAC, or c-section, preparation gives you tools and confidence. And when you also prepare for postpartum, you free yourself to stay calm during labor, knowing that support and recovery are already in place.

The Mamamoon app brings these practices together - yoga, breathing, mental health tools, and postpartum support - so you can prepare with confidence and continuity.

References & Sources

• World Health Organization (WHO). Recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience.
  
• NHS. Antenatal classes, nutrition and exercise during pregnancy.
  
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.
  
• Spinning Babies®. Optimal fetal positioning resources and exercises.
  
• Birthlight. Pregnancy yoga and postnatal recovery practices.
• Hypnobirthing International. Evidence and practices for calm, empowered birth.