Active Birth and Birth Biomechanics:
How to work with your body for a smoother labour - using active birth and birth biomechanics techniques
Daily habits can create tension in the body that impacts movement during birth. Releasing this tension through simple stretches and mindful movement helps create balance and space, making an active birth easier and more effective."
Jilly Clarke
What is active birth?
When many people imagine birth, they think of someone lying on their back in pain, relying on drugs to manage the process. This narrative is reinforced by years of media depictions that are both unrealistic and damaging. These portrayals lead expectant parents to view birth as a medical ordeal rather than a natural physiological event.
But birth doesn’t have to look or feel like that. It’s time to change the narrative. Birth is a natural process, and our bodies are designed to do it. By combining the right mindset with active birth techniques, you can work with your body, rather than against it, to create a smoother, more empowering birthing experience.
What makes active birth effective?
Active birth encourages instinctive, natural behaviours during labour, enabling you to move, sway, squat, or rest as your body signals the need. Unlike a choreographed routine, active birth is about responding to your body’s cues and your baby’s positioning to make labour as effective and comfortable as possible.
Incorporating the principles of birth biomechanics, active birth also emphasises how body alignment, pelvic positioning, and movement create space for your baby to navigate the birth canal.
Birth biomechanics focuses on optimising the relationship between your baby's position and your body’s movements. Preparing your body to align well during labour can make contractions more efficient, reduce unnecessary tension, and minimise the likelihood of interventions.
How to prepare for an active birth
Modern lifestyles often leave us stiff, tense, and sedentary - none of which is helpful for labour. Preparing for an active birth involves making intentional adjustments during pregnancy to balance your body and create space for your baby to move.
Here are four key components of active birth:
Prepare your body
Prenatal preparation is essential. Activities like pregnancy yoga, tailored exercises, and pelvic alignment stretches can reduce tension and improve mobility. This preparation helps ensure that your body is ready to adapt to the movements needed during labour.
The Birth and Baby Company’s on-demand courses include exercises designed to promote optimal positioning and ease discomfort during pregnancy, all of which contribute to an active birth.
Use gravity to your advantage
Labour progresses more smoothly when you adopt upright, forward-leaning positions that work with gravity. These positions help your uterus contract more efficiently and allow your baby to descend through the pelvis with minimal resistance.
Breathe intentionally
Deep, slow breathing fuels the muscles working during labour, making contractions more effective. Breathing also helps you stay relaxed, which supports the release of oxytocin - the hormone driving labour progress.
Relax and trust the process
Tension in your pelvic floor or abdominal muscles can create unnecessary obstacles during labour. Relaxing your body and mind is critical for allowing your baby to move into the best position for birth. Our online courses guide you through relaxation techniques to build confidence and reduce fear.
Why understanding birth biomechanics matters
Birth biomechanics teaches us how the pelvis changes shape during labour and how movement supports these changes.
For example:
Movement creates space: Swaying, squatting, or rocking helps the pelvis shift to accommodate your baby’s descent.
Positioning impacts progress: Certain positions, like being on your hands and knees, can enlarge the pelvic outlet by up to 30%.
Baby’s journey is dynamic: Your baby rotates through the pelvis during labour, and each movement you make supports this process.
By understanding these principles, you can help your body work efficiently during labour, reducing unnecessary strain and creating the best conditions for a smoother birth.
Benefits of active birth
Being active, moving around as you feel necessary, remaining upright where possible and giving the body what it needs during labour has been shown to:
Improve oxygen flow to your uterus and baby, leading to more effective contractions and keeping your baby happy.
Shorten labour time, particularly during the first and second stages.
Reduce the need for interventions, such as caesareans or instrumental deliveries.
Minimise pain and discomfort, as movement releases endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.
Reduce the need for episiotomies, as movement allows your body to stretch naturally.
Increase satisfaction, even if circumstances change during labour.
Research supports these benefits, but it’s not just about statistics. Active birth is about feeling confident and in control, no matter how your labour unfolds. Being able to combine active birth and hypnobirthing techniques can further improve your experience of birth - again research backs this up.
Active birth with The Birth and Baby Company
At The Birth and Baby Company, we understand that preparing for an active birth means equipping yourself with knowledge, tools, and practical skills.
Our on-demand courses combine the principles of active birth and birth biomechanics to help you:
Build confidence and trust in your body.
Practise techniques like breathing, movement, and relaxation.
Learn how to optimise your baby’s positioning for birth.
Feel empowered to make informed decisions during labour.
From pregnancy yoga to hypnobirthing techniques, our classes focus on the connection between your body and mind to create a positive, empowering birthing experience.
Daily practices for an active birth
Daily habits can create tension in the body that impacts movement and birth. Releasing this tension through simple stretches and mindful movement helps create balance and space, making an active birth easier and more effective. From prolonged sitting to poor posture, these can affect how we move during pregnancy, baby's ability to find a good position, and ultimately how our body works during birth. Releasing this tension through mindful, simple practices can make a significant difference.
By incorporating stretches, gentle exercises, and movements designed to create balance and space in the body, you can ease restrictions, improve alignment, and help baby find their optimal position.
Small, intentional practices can support your body throughout pregnancy and set the stage for a smoother, more active birth experience.
Take the first step towards an active birth
Whether you’re preparing for your first baby or planning a different experience this time, our courses are designed to meet you where you are. Explore our comprehensive range of online, on-demand classes and start preparing for your active birth today.
With The Birth and Baby Company, you’ll gain the confidence, knowledge, and practical skills to support your body’s natural abilities during labour. Together, let’s rewrite the narrative of birth—one informed and empowered parent at a time.
The Birth and Baby Company can help
Our on-demand antenatal courses, exercise videos and support programs provide expecting parents with the knowledge and confidence they need for a smooth pregnancy, birth, and transition to parenthood. Our range of packages can provide 1:1 support, regular Q&As. Crucially, all packages provide education on communication with healthcare professionals, understanding risks and options, knowledge on physically supporting themselves through pregnancy, birth and recovery, and advocating for their preferences.
Contact us today to learn how we can help your company support its most valuable asset – its people.
Home | About Us | Contact| Blog | Login | Corporate
© Copyright 2025 The Birth and Baby Company Ltd. All rights reserved. The Birth and Baby Company Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales.
Company Registration Number: 15655287 | Our registered address is: 27 Wilshere Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 9PU