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other time has birth been viewed as such a abnormal, medical procedure. If you can keep your mind from getting in the way, your body instinctively knows how to birth your baby.

6. Keep moving. Swivel your hips like a belly dancer, lean over your kitchen counter or flop forwards onto your couch with your knees on the floor. Movement is soothing, distracting and helps to push your baby's head against your cervix, speeding the process of dilation. Staying upright uses gravity to your advantage and allows your pelvis to open more than if you are lying on your back in bed.

5. Have a bath. Some women find that a warm bath or shower can help them relax and cope with contractions, especially as they become more intense near transition. Check to see if your birth center, hospital or home birth midwife allows the use of a birthing pool during labor and delivery.

4. Light a candle. When you phone your midwife or head out the door to the hospital, phone a friend and tell them you have gone into labor. Ask them to light a candle for you. It can be comforting to know that you have the support of a loved one from afar.

3. Make noise. Don't be afraid to moan, grunt or shout if it helps you to deal with the sensations and emotions you are feeling. Deep, low sounds can help ground you emotionally. Try visualizing the sound waves softening your cervix.

2. Let go. Repeat to yourself - "open, let go, soft, open, YES"! It is so easy to slip into saying and thinking "closed, clamped shut, hard and NO"! But the more you can be soft, open and accepting of the changes your body must make to accommodate your baby the easier it is to progress through labor.

1. Breathe! Seriously, this is the single most important and effective tool you have to improve and shorten your labor. Pain causes us to hold our breath and tense up, but breath-holding and tension increase our perception of pain and make it harder for the baby to move down through the pelvis. Focus on your exhalation, making it as slow and long and controlled as you can. Don't worry about the inhalation, your body will take care of that by itself. Just focus on exhaling and wait for the contraction to pass.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Carchrae.
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