How to Reduce Your Chances of an Unnecessary Cesarean
How to Reduce Your Chances of an Unnecessary Cesarean
Cesarean birth is one of the most common surgeries performed in the world. For many families, it is a necessary and life-saving intervention. But not every cesarean is medically necessary.
While there is no guaranteed way to avoid a cesarean, research suggests that certain choices before and during labor can significantly reduce your chances of having one when it isn’t needed.
The goal isn’t to earn a “perfect” birth or avoid intervention at all costs. The goal is to prepare your body, understand your options, and make informed decisions that support the normal physiology of labor whenever it is safe to do so.
1. Choose a Provider Whose Cesarean Philosophy Aligns With Your Goals
One of the biggest factors influencing whether you’ll have a cesarean isn’t something about your body—it’s your care provider and birth setting.
Different hospitals and providers have very different cesarean rates, even among healthy, low-risk pregnancies.
When interviewing providers, consider asking:
What is your overall cesarean rate?
What is your cesarean rate for first-time, low-risk mothers?
How do you define “failure to progress”?
How long are you comfortable allowing someone to labor before recommending a cesarean?
How often do you support VBAC?
A provider who believes in the normal physiology of birth is often more willing to allow labor the time it sometimes needs.
2. Stay Healthy Throughout Pregnancy
You don’t need to train like you’re running a marathon, but labor is physically demanding.
Supporting your body throughout pregnancy may help improve stamina and encourage optimal fetal positioning.
Focus on:
Eating balanced meals with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates
Staying hydrated
Walking regularly
Strengthening your core, hips, glutes, and pelvic floor
Prioritizing sleep whenever possible
Managing medical conditions like gestational diabetes or high blood pressure with your healthcare team
Birth preparation begins months before labor starts.
3. Prepare Your Body for Labor
Your baby isn’t the only one getting ready for birth—your body is, too.
Prenatal body preparation may include:
Daily walking
Hip mobility exercises
Squats (if appropriate for your pregnancy)
Pelvic floor relaxation—not just strengthening
Spinning Babies®–inspired movements
Gentle stretching
Bodywork when indicated, such as prenatal massage or pelvic floor physical therapy
The goal isn’t to force your baby into position but to create balance, mobility, and space within the pelvis.
4. Understand Induction Before You Need One
Induction can be an important medical tool and, in many situations, is the safest choice for parent and baby.
However, elective or early inductions—particularly when the cervix is not yet favorable—may increase the likelihood of additional interventions in some pregnancies.
If induction is recommended, ask:
Why is it being recommended?
Is it medically necessary now?
What are the benefits and risks of waiting?
Is my cervix favorable (What is my Bishop Score?)
What induction methods are being considered?
Knowing your options allows you to participate actively in your care.
5. Stay Home During Early Labor (When It’s Safe)
For healthy pregnancies, many providers encourage laboring at home during early labor.
Being in a familiar environment often allows you to:
Eat and drink freely
Rest
Move naturally
Shower or take a bath
Avoid unnecessary interventions that sometimes occur after early hospital admission
Of course, this isn’t appropriate for every pregnancy. Always follow your provider’s recommendations about when to come in.
6. Keep Moving During Labor
Movement is one of the most powerful tools during labor.
Changing positions helps:
Encourage your baby to rotate
Open different areas of the pelvis
Improve comfort
Support labor progress
Depending on your situation, movement might include:
Walking
Lunges
Slow dancing
Side-lying
Hands and knees
Birth ball exercises
Peanut ball positioning with an epidural
Labor isn’t meant to happen in just one position.
7. Consider Continuous Labor Support
One of the most well-studied ways to reduce cesarean birth is continuous labor support.
A large Cochrane review found that people who had continuous support during labor were more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth and less likely to have a cesarean birth, along with higher satisfaction and shorter labors on average.
Continuous support can come from a trained doula, an experienced support person, or another trusted companion whose primary role is to remain with you throughout labor.
8. Learn About Normal Labor Progress
One of the most common reasons for cesarean birth is “failure to progress.”
Research over the past decade has shown that labor often progresses more slowly than previously believed—especially before 6 centimeters.
Understanding what normal labor can look like helps you have informed conversations if concerns about progress arise.
Sometimes labor simply needs more time.
9. Protect Your Nervous System
Birth isn’t just mechanical—it is hormonal.
When you feel safe, supported, and able to relax, your body is better able to produce oxytocin, the hormone that drives labor.
Stress, fear, unfamiliar environments, and constant interruptions can make labor feel more difficult for many people.
You can’t eliminate stress completely, but you can prepare by:
Practicing breathing techniques
Learning relaxation exercises
Building trust with your birth team
Creating a calm birth environment when possible
Preparing your partner to support you effectively
Supporting your nervous system is an often-overlooked part of birth preparation.
10. Prepare for Flexibility
Perhaps the most important way to reduce unnecessary cesareans is also the hardest: prepare thoroughly while remaining flexible.
Birth is unpredictable.
Sometimes a cesarean becomes the safest and most appropriate choice despite excellent preparation.
Preparing for birth isn’t about controlling every outcome. It’s about understanding your options, asking thoughtful questions, and feeling confident that your decisions reflect both the available evidence and your family’s values.
Remember: A Cesarean Can Still Be a Positive Birth
Reducing the likelihood of an unnecessary cesarean does not mean viewing cesarean birth as a failure.
Many cesareans save lives.
If your birth takes an unexpected turn, you still deserve compassionate care, informed consent, emotional support, and a birth experience that leaves you feeling respected and heard.
How I Help Families Prepare
One of the biggest misconceptions about childbirth education is that it’s only about coping with contractions.
In reality, preparation starts long before labor begins.
In my prenatal sessions, we prepare your body for birth, explore evidence-based strategies that support physiological labor, practice comfort measures, understand common interventions, prepare your partner, and build confidence in navigating whatever path your birth takes.
Whether your baby is born vaginally or by cesarean, my goal is the same: to help you feel informed, supported, and empowered every step of the way.
About Ash Novickas
Ash Novickasis a Los Angeles based birth and postpartum doula, lactation specialist, newborn care specialist and educator. Through her practice, Earthside Holistic L.A.,She offers Ayurvedic and holistic maternal recovery and newborn care postpartum, and supports families across Los Angeles with comprehensive birth preparation, evidence-based education and trauma-informed birth support. Ash’s work extends beyond physical support to include emotional and identity transition into motherhood. She guides families through Matrescence- the profound psychological and relational transformation of becoming a mother- helping clients feel grounded, supported and deeply met through every stage of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.