Natural Childbirth: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Welcoming a baby is exciting, emotional and sometimes a little overwhelming. For many families, choosing natural childbirth feels like a way to stay connected to the experience and more in tune with their bodies throughout labor.

At Southwest General’s Cosgrove Maternity Center, Dr. John Alton, OB/GYN, and Amanda Alton, RN and childbirth educator, help guide parents through this journey. Together, they offer insight into what natural childbirth can look like and how to prepare for it.

What Is Natural Childbirth?

When people talk about natural childbirth, they usually mean giving birth without pain medicine and with more freedom to move, change positions and respond to their bodies. “A lot of people, when they think about natural childbirth, they think of not using pain medication, intermittent monitoring, moving around freely throughout the course of their labor,” Amanda explains.

Natural birth at Cosgrove happens in a hospital setting, with full safety support. Dr. Alton emphasizes that the team focuses on letting labor unfold naturally and be as family-centered as possible while still providing reassurance, monitoring and medical expertise when needed. “Southwest General’s Cosgrove Maternity Center is an awesome place for physiologic births, but we have a lot of safety and a lot of reassurance for our patients here,” he assures.

Benefits for Mom and Baby

Staying mobile is one of the biggest benefits. Walking, changing positions and using tools like birth balls can help labor progress more smoothly.

“The data shows that moving around is the biggest thing that you can do to keep your labor progressing,” Amanda shares. Natural childbirth also encourages immediate bonding. Right after delivery, baby is placed skin-to-skin on mom’s chest to support bonding, the first feeding, temperature regulation and healthy blood sugar levels.

What Labor Can Look Like

Amanda teaches parents about the stages of labor and what they may feel as each unfolds.

• Early Labor: Contractions are mild. Many moms can walk and talk through them. This is often a good time to stay home, shower, snack, nap, play a game or go for a walk—unless your provider has told you to come in sooner.
• Active Labor: Contractions become stronger and closer together. “This is usually where mom’s mood gets a little bit more focused, a little bit more serious,” Amanda said. This is when practiced breathing techniques, labor positions and a supportive partner become especially helpful.

Dr. Alton reminds families that they should still come in right away if they notice heavy bleeding, decreased baby movement, fever or if their water breaks and if they have group B strep (GBS), which is a common type of bacteria that can be passed from mom to the newborn during labor and delivery.

Coping Without Medication

In her Prepared Childbirth class, Amanda teaches many non-medication coping tools:

• Visualization and guided imagery
• Breathing exercises and labor positions
• Gentle massage to “trick the brain” and lower the perception of pain
• Water therapy (tubs or showers) to ease pressure and help moms feel more weightless
• Music and comforting items from home, like a favorite photo or small object to focus on

“You really want to put yourself in a positive bubble,” Amanda advises. A positive mindset, supportive people and a calm environment can all shape the experience.

Environment and Support at Cosgrove

Cosgrove’s labor rooms are large, updated suites with dimmable lights, windows with darkening shades, tubs or showers and space for more than one support person. Families are encouraged to bring music and battery-powered candles or lights to make the room feel more personal.

Southwest General also offers a Birthing Journey service, where parents fill out a birth plan template that is added to their medical chart. Dr. Alton notes, “It’s not a contract.” Parents can always change their minds about pain relief or preferences if labor turns out to be different from what was expected.

Staying Flexible and Feeling Empowered

Many parents worry they might not be able to handle natural childbirth. Amanda gently reminds them, “You are allowed to change your mind.” The team’s goal is to honor a mom’s wishes while keeping both mom and baby safe.

If labor takes an unexpected turn, and medical intervention is needed, the staff focuses on clear communication, emotional support and follow-up conversations so parents understand what happened. As Dr. Alton shares, “In the end, we have a healthy mom and a healthy baby. That’s what we’re here for.”