10 Things Every Pregnant Woman Deserves to Know About Birth

From Midwife & Calmbirth Educator, Georgina Sproule

Pregnancy and birth are often surrounded by noise; other people’s opinions, advice, and expectations. As a Midwife and Calmbirth educator, I’ve supported countless women through pregnancy, labour, birth, and the early postpartum period. These are the ten things I wish every pregnant woman truly understood before birth.

1. Everything in Birth Is a Choice

Every test, intervention, and recommendation offered to you is exactly that, just an option. Even when care is described as “routine” or your care provider says “we’re just going to do x now,” it is still an option. You always have the right to ask questions, to accept, decline, or ask for more time. Your body, your baby, your birth.

2. Your Instincts Are Powerful

Your intuition is one of the most important tools you have in pregnancy and birth. That inner voice is informed by your lived experience, your body, and your deep biological connection to your baby. When something feels right or wrong in your gut, it deserves your attention and respect.

3. There Is Almost Always More Time

True emergencies in birth are rare. In most situations, you have time to ask questions, consider your options, and make informed decisions. Pressure does not always equal urgency. If a decision truly is time-critical, it will usually be about saving your life or your baby’s life — and the choice will be clear. Otherwise, you are allowed to pause.

4. Prepare for Postpartum — Not Just Birth

Preparing for labour is important, but preparing for postpartum is essential. Learn what normal newborn behaviour looks like. Set up systems at home that support rest and recovery. Prepare meals, organise support, outsource tasks like cleaning or groceries if possible, and have honest conversations with your partner, family, and friends about boundaries and expectations. If you plan to breastfeed, education before birth is invaluable.

5. Your Body Is Designed for Birth

Women’s bodies are capable of growing and birthing babies. While complications can and do occur, for most women, when labour is given time and supported in a safe, calm, undisturbed environment, the body knows what to do. Birth is not a medical failure waiting to happen — it is a normal physiological process.

6. You Can Never Be Over-Educated

No one leaves their birth experience wishing they had known less. Education builds understanding, confidence, and adaptability. Antenatal education — whether in-person, online, or one-on-one — helps you understand what is normal, what to expect, and how your body works. Informed women cope better, advocate more confidently, and often feel more empowered regardless of how birth unfolds.

7. Your Birth Environment Matters

Labour hormones thrive on safety, calm, and support. Lighting, noise levels, privacy, and the people present all influence how efficiently labour progresses. Wherever you choose to give birth, make it a considered choice. Surround yourself with people you trust — a birth team who respects your wishes and makes you feel safe.

8. Nothing Lasts Forever

Pregnancy ends. Labour ends. Even when contractions feel endless, they are not. You can do hard things — and you don’t need to see the finish line to keep going. One contraction, one moment at a time. You’ve got this.

9. There Comes a Time to Surrender

Education and preparation are powerful, but once labour begins, there is a point where overthinking can interfere with the process. Surrendering doesn’t mean giving up, it means trusting your body, letting go of control, and allowing labour to unfold as it needs to.

10. You Will Meet Your Baby

Birth may be intense, challenging, emotional, and unpredictable — but at the end of it, you will meet your baby. However your birth unfolds, that moment of holding your newborn in your arms is profound, life-changing, and unforgettable. For many women, it truly is the best day of their life.