How Can Movement Techniques Support Labor and Postpartum Recovery?
When people think about preparing for birth, they often think about taking a childbirth class, packing a hospital bag, or writing a birth plan.
All of those things are important, of course! It’s a lot of what I work with my clients on during their prenatal visits.
But there's one part of birth preparation that often gets overlooked:
Preparing your body to move well.
As a prenatal fitness instructor, birth doula, and Body Ready Method® Pro, I've spent years helping parents understand that movement isn't about "getting in shape" for birth. It's about helping your body function as efficiently as possible so it can adapt to the incredible demands of pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum recovery.
One of the greatest privileges of my work has been witnessing birth firsthand. Every labor is different, every baby has their own story, and every parent brings their own strengths and challenges to the experience. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's this:
The way we move our bodies before and during pregnancy leave patterns - and those patterns make a big impact on birth and recovery.
Even when a laboring person has an epidural, baby still has to do a lot of moving to get where they need to go! And the patterns and (im)balances that exist in your body impact what can be done to help them get there. Movement isn't something we have to force—it's something our bodies naturally seek because it can make labor more manageable and help babies navigate the pelvis.
The question is: how can we prepare for that long before labor begins?
Pregnancy Changes the Way We Move
Pregnancy asks a lot of our bodies.
As your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts. Your rib cage expands. Your breathing changes. Hormones increase joint mobility. Your abdominal muscles lengthen. Your pelvic floor adapts to support more weight. Patterns that were already in your body get exacerbated.
These changes are not problems to be fixed—they're remarkable adaptations that allow your body to grow and birth a baby.
But sometimes those adaptations can lead us to compensate in ways that create discomfort or make movement less efficient.
You might notice back pain, pelvic pain, difficulty getting comfortable in bed, or feeling unstable when you walk. These experiences are incredibly common, but they aren't always something you simply have to "put up with."
Often, small changes in how you breathe, stand, move, or transition throughout your day can make a meaningful difference.
Birth Requires Adaptability More Than Fitness
People often describe birth as an athletic event, and in some ways that's true. Labor asks your body to work hard over minutes, hours, or sometimes even days.
But preparing for birth isn't about becoming stronger or more fit than the next person - it's about becoming more adaptable.
Birth calls on your body to find different positions, respond to changing sensations, coordinate muscles that need to work together, and just as importantly, allow muscles to relax when they need to. Your breathing, nervous system, mobility, strength, and body awareness all play a role.
I've worked with clients who assumed they needed to push through discomfort with more exercise, when what they really needed was more mobility and body awareness. Others thought they needed more stretching, when what their body actually needed was greater stability. Every body is different, which is why preparation should never be one-size-fits-all.
What I See as a Doula
One of the things I love most about supporting births is seeing how powerful simple movement can be.
I've watched a parent find tremendous relief simply by changing positions - but you don’t magically gain access and comfort in those positions without practice.
I've seen babies descend (fast!) after a long plateau with just a few intentional movement strategies to create more space in the right part of the pelvis.
I've watched someone who had been working incredibly hard suddenly feel more comfortable after adjusting how they were supporting their body during contractions.
Of course, movement isn't a guarantee of any particular outcome. Birth is wonderfully unpredictable, and many factors influence how labor unfolds.
But what movement does provide is something incredibly valuable:
More options.
When your body has options, you have more tools available to respond to whatever labor brings.
The Body Ready Method® Changed the Way I Think About Birth
One of the reasons I was drawn to the Body Ready Method® was that it reflects something I'd already been seeing in my work for years: no two bodies move exactly alike.
Rather than handing every pregnant person the same list of generic prenatal exercises, the Body Ready Method® starts with a different question:
How is your body moving?
Through an individualized assessment, we look at movement patterns, breathing mechanics, mobility, stability, balance, and the ways your body has adapted throughout pregnancy. From there, we can identify opportunities to help your body move more efficiently—not by striving for perfection, but by supporting the way your body is already designed to function.
Sometimes that means building strength, or improving mobility. Sometimes it means helping a client feel more connected to their breath or more confident changing positions during labor. Often, it's a combination of many small adjustments that work together.
Movement Doesn't Stop After Birth
One of the biggest misconceptions about birth preparation is that it's only about labor.
In reality, the same movement patterns that support you during pregnancy often continue to influence your postpartum experience.
After birth, your body is adapting all over again. You're feeding your baby, carrying an infant for hours each day, getting up and down from the floor, lifting a car seat, and recovering from one of the most significant physical events of your life.
The way you breathe, move, lift, and recover matters.
Preparing your body during pregnancy doesn’t guarantee an easier birth or a faster recovery, but it does give you the tools to navigate these transitions with greater comfort, confidence, and resilience.
How I Support Clients
Whether I'm working with someone in a BRM® Session, supporting them through labor as their doula, or helping them return to movement after birth, my goal is always the same:
To help them understand their own body.
Together, we'll identify movement patterns that may be contributing to discomfort, explore strategies to improve comfort and efficiency, and build practical tools you can use throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
Because there is no perfect body for birth.
There is only your body.
And when you understand how it works (and learn to work with it rather than against it) you can approach birth and recovery with greater confidence, more options, and a deeper trust in your own capabilities.
Curious about the science?
Here are a few of the books, research reviews, and evidence-based resources that informed this article:
Exercise During Pregnancy
Evidence Based Birth Podcast #399: Benefits and Safety of Exercise During Pregnancy
Excellent discussion with exercise physiologist Ashley Reid on what the research says about exercising during pregnancy, including common myths and current recommendations.
Movement & Labor Positions
Evidence Based Birth: The Evidence on Birthing Positions
A summary of research on upright versus recumbent positions during labor and birth, including what we know—and what we still don't know—about how maternal position influences labor progress and birth outcomes.
Evidence Based Birth Podcast #196: Pelvic Biomechanics and Movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum
This episode explores how the pelvis is designed to move during labor and how intentional position changes can support comfort, fetal positioning, and labor progress. It's an excellent introduction to the biomechanics behind movement in labor and the practical ways movement can be used throughout birth.
Maternal Positions and Mobility During the First Stage of Labour
This comprehensive review found that remaining upright and mobile during labor may shorten the first stage of labor and reduce the likelihood of cesarean birth, supporting the importance of giving birthing parents the freedom to move and change positions as labor unfolds.
As with any research, it's important to remember that studies tell us what tends to happen across large groups of people—not what will happen in any one birth. Every pregnancy, every labor, and every body is different. My goal is never to promise a particular outcome, but to help you understand your body, expand your options, and make informed decisions that align with your unique needs and goals.
Ready to Prepare Your Body for Birth?
If you're pregnant and wondering how movement can help you feel more comfortable now while also preparing for labor and postpartum recovery, I'd love to help.
My BRM® Sessions combine evidence-based movement assessment, practical education, and individualized strategies inspired by the Body Ready Method to help you move with greater confidence throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Together, we'll create a plan that's tailored to your body, your goals, and your birth—not someone else's.
