When Labour Slows or Stalls: What Your Body is Really Telling You
- Positively Pregnant
- Sep 22
- 5 min read
Many women are told that if their labour slows down or stalls, it’s because their body is failing. That they need help to “get things going.”
But here’s the truth: your body is not broken. It’s wise, intuitive, and designed to keep you and your baby safe.
As a North East Doula, I have certainly supported 'long' births – but trust me, labour stalls are not mistakes. They are survival mechanisms.
Why Does Labour Stall?
Birth is a deeply primal process. Your body doesn’t respond to logic or hospital timetables; it responds to your environment.
Imagine for a moment you're not a modern woman, preparing to birth in a hospital or home with medical folks - but a primitive cave woman, finding a safe place to birth her baby.
She's going to be slowing down in the days leading up to birth, 'nesting' into her cave, shutting out the outside world.
When her time comes she'll be surrounded only by those closest to her... her Mother, Aunts, Sisters, friends and perhaps the village 'wise woman' (oh hey ancient Doula!) . Her partner closely guarding the door.
Her space is dimly lit by the glow of the fire, her loved ones keeping her nourished and offering simple, gentle encouragement.
But if she senses predators nearby – wolves, other tribes - you name it... her body does an incredibly wise thing.
Instead of continuing with labour, potentially putting the baby in danger - what her wise body does is slow down.
Perhaps 'stall' the labour, until a time that her body and nervous system feel safe.
But you're not a cave woman, right? There (hopefully...!) aren't going to be any wolves milling around the hospital. But I tell you what there will be...
Bright lights
Strangers entering your space
Unfamiliar sounds and smells
A sense that you are a 'patient' or not in control
Words being used that you don't understand
Machines
Feeling observed
Time pressure (hello pressure to 'perform')
Strangers asking you to make decisions, communicate
Trying to 'fend off' un-wanted medical intervention
So what does your body do? Exactly the same thing as your ancestors body did (because our bodies haven't actually evolved in terms of birth!)
If slows your labour down. Your contractions become less strong, and more spaced out. Perhaps it tails off completely if you're still in the earlier stages.
Hospitals, with their constant interruptions and clinical protocols, often trigger this protective response. It’s not failure. It’s wisdom.
Your mind/ body connection doesn't work in the 'logical' part of the brain... but in the subconscious.
And it doesn't think ' Oh, here comes a midwife asking me if I'll let her do a vaginal exam'... it simply thinks 'Wolves'.
So what Helps Labour Flow Smoothly?
If your body needs safety and trust to open, how do you create that?
Here are some powerful solutions I explore with my clients in Northumberland and across the North East during my hypnobirthing courses:
1. Consider staying at home for as long as possible...
Something I really wish I'd explored more during my first pregnancy is just how much of an impact going to the hospital 'too soon' can elongate your labour.
It also massively increases your chances of un-necessary intervention (the longer you're there, the longer they have to... intervene...!)
If you're planning a hospital birth, but you're starting to see the huge benefit home birth has, in terms of it boosting oxytocin - helping you to feel safe, calm, and in a familiar place (oh hey modern day cave!)... why not utilise that knowledge and almost have a 'half home birth.
Staying at home until you're sure you're getting much closer to actually birthing your baby, and then making your move, rather than trying to get labour going in an environment which is sure to prevent that from happening.
Having said that...
Research consistently shows that home birth is a perfectly safe option, and often leads to fewer interventions, unplanned c sections and assisted delivery.
At home, you’re in your own space – your smells, your bed, your lighting, your rules.
Your body recognises home as safe, and oxytocin (the hormone that fuels labour) flows more freely.
2. Protect Your Birth Space
Whether you birth at home, in a birth centre, or hospital, choose carefully who you allow into your space.
If someone doesn’t see you as the absolute authority in your birth, or doesn’t understand physiology, they can unknowingly create tension.
Every person present should be someone you feel fully at ease with, and who is able to leave their personal biases and fears at the door.
3. Hire a Doula
As a Northumberland Doula, my role is to hold the space for you. I’m not a stranger coming and going, I’m a constant – someone who understands both the science and the soul of birth.
A doula helps create the environment where your body feels safe to get on with its job.
4. Learn Hypnobirthing
Hypnobirthing honestly benefits every type of birth, whether you go on to birth at home, have an induction or have a c-section birth... a good course will equip you not just for 'plan A' but help you to feel prepared, confident and in control of your choices, no matter where the path of birth takes you.
There are several ways to make hypnobirthing part of your birth preparation; there are pre recorded online courses, which tend to be a cheaper option but obviously there is no interaction, ability to ask questions or personalised information.
I genuinely believe finding a course local to you, run by someone who actually attends birth and has no affiliation to the hospital system is a big 'green flag'.
My Hypnobirthing courses in Northumberland aren't just about relaxation. It’s about reprogramming your mind to feel safe in birth.
When your nervous system is calm and you trust your body, you can stay in your flow – even if your surroundings are less than perfect.
Birth is More Than “Just Getting Through It”
For the women I work with, birth isn’t just a day to survive. It’s a rite of passage. A threshold. A memory that will shape them forever. It will impact the way you go on to Mother, your relationship, the way you view your body and your capabilities.
When you prepare deeply – with knowledge, tools, and support – you give yourself the best chance to experience birth as something transformative, empowering, and sacred.
Ready to Go Deeper in Your Birth Preparation?
If you’re planning your pregnancy and birth in Northumberland or the North East, and you’re ready to go beyond surface-level antenatal classes, I’d love to support you.
Birth is not something to fear. It's an initiation into Motherhood. Let's face it together.
Doula Jess x x
I’m Jessica, an award-winning Northumberland doula, hypnobirthing specialist, and women’s wellbeing practitioner. Since 2018, I’ve supported women across the North East who want more than just “getting through” labour – women who see birth as a rite of passage and are ready to invest in a deeply supported, sovereign experience.
Through birth doula care, hypnobirthing courses in Northumberland, pregnancy massage, antenatal classes, and circles like NE Bump Club, I help you feel confident, calm, and connected as you prepare to welcome your baby.
If you’re seeking pregnancy support in the North East – whether you’re dreaming of a home birth, want to explore hypnobirthing, or know you want a doula by your side – you’ll find a safe, nurturing space here.
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