The First 5 Minutes in the Birth Room: Why They Matter More Than You Think

You’ve made it to the hospital or birth centre. Bags are in hand, surges are building, you’re checked in — and then… you walk into the birth room.Fluorescent lights are blaring. The blinds are wide open. It’s cold, clinical, and anything but calm.
Sound familiar?
Now imagine this: The lights are dim, soft music is playing, your support person is calmly unpacking the birth tools you’ve practiced with, and you feel safe, private, and held.
It’s a totally different energy — and it sets the entire tone for your labour.

This isn’t fluff — this is hormonal science, nervous system safety, and the foundation for positive, physiological birth.


So, what should your birth partner do the minute you walk into the room?


Here’s the birth room quick-start checklist — simple things that create a calm, supportive environment:

✔️ Turn off the lights – Bright lights can interfere with oxytocin flow (your birth hormone). Dim lighting makes all the difference.
✔️ Put on the music – Whatever you’ve chosen to help you relax — calming, rhythmic, empowering — it brings familiarity and peace.
✔️ Ask for a floor mat – Birth is movement. You’ll want options beyond the bed (stay off the bed as much as you can).
✔️ Grab a birthing ball and peanut ball – Great for movement, opening the pelvis, and helping baby descend.
✔️ Close the door and blinds – Privacy signals safety to the body. Essential for progress.
✔️ Pop the diffuser on – Scent is powerful in labour. Choose oils that ground, calm, or energise you (depending on what stage you’re in).
✔️ Place bags on the bed – Get your essentials in reach so you’re not rummaging mid-surge.
✔️ Make the room partner-friendly – Move furniture to create floor space, run the bath or shower, move the bed — whatever keeps your birth support comfy and engaged.
✔️ Put up affirmations, birth art, or signs – Visuals are a huge support tool. Think “Don’t ask me questions, ask my partner” or “Please keep voices low.”
✔️ Hand over birth preferences – Your partner should confidently pass these to your care team and become the point of contact, so you can stay in the zone.

Would you like the most incredible editable birth preferences grab them HERE

When your birth support knows what to do — without having to ask — it creates trust, connection, and space for you to labour undisturbed.


But here’s the thing… this checklist is just the beginning.

Knowing how to set up the room is great. But knowing why each of these things matters, how to use them at different stages of labour, how to respond if labour slows, and how to relieve pain naturally (yes, we cover a technique I call the natural epidural) — that’s what really makes a difference.


And that’s exactly what we teach inside the Belly, Birth & Bubs online birth course.



Why You’ll Love This Course:



🟡 Self-paced, so you can watch it anytime (yes, even in your PJs)
🟡 Partner-friendly — they’ll feel just as ready and equipped as you
🟡 Teaches the why behind every technique so you can adapt in real time
🟡 Helps you advocate, stay in your power, and create a birth that feels like yours


Whether you’re aiming for a physiological birth or want to understand all your options so you can confidently say yes or no — this course is for you.


Because birth is not something that just happens to you.
It’s something you do.


✨ Click here to grab the Belly, Birth & Bubs course and prepare for birth like you deserve to.

Buy Course Now