“Like all mammals, we birth best where we feel private, safe, and unobserved.”

— Michel Odent

The environment you give birth in plays a powerful role in how your body and mind respond during labour — whether your birth is vaginal or abdominal.

When you feel safe, supported, and calm, your body can naturally release the hormones that help labour progress smoothly and comfortably. But when your surroundings feel bright, busy, or unfamiliar, your body’s instinctive safety systems can trigger stress responses that make birth feel harder.

Understanding how your environment affects your body — and knowing how to adapt it — is one of the most empowering ways to prepare for a positive birth experience.

Why the Birth Environment Matters So Much

From an evolutionary perspective, every mammal gives birth in a private, quiet, and safe space. A cat will find a dark corner to have her kittens. A deer will delay labour until she feels safe from predators. Humans are no different — our instinctive need for safety and privacy remains deeply ingrained.

During labour, the part of your brain responsible for logic and reasoning (the neocortex) becomes quieter, allowing instinct and hormone-driven processes to take over. But if something in your environment signals danger — bright lights, unfamiliar people, medical language, a rushed tone of voice — your alert system reactivates.

Your body then releases adrenaline, which can slow down or even pause labour. This is your body trying to protect you — just as it would have protected our ancestors in the wild.

In modern maternity settings, this means that feeling safe and supported is not just a “nice to have” — it’s a biological necessity for labour to unfold as smoothly as possible.

How We Sense Safety

Your brain is constantly scanning your environment through all five senses, looking for cues of danger or reassurance:

Sight: Bright lights or clinical surroundings can signal “danger,” while soft lighting, familiar objects, or warm colours and soothing surroundings tell your brain it’s safe.

Sound: Alarms, chatter, or sudden noises can heighten stress. Calm music, gentle voices, or reassuring silence reduce it.

Smell: Hospitals can have strong or unfamiliar smells. Using your own scent (essential oils, pillow spray) can bring comfort.

Touch: Soft fabrics, your own blanket, or skin-to-skin contact using massage can provide grounding and comfort.

Taste: Sipping water or a familiar snack can help your body stay in its calm, soothed state.

When your senses feel soothed and familiar, your body can relax — allowing your birthing hormones, oxytocin and endorphins to flow freely, supporting both physical and emotional ease during birth.

Practical Ways to Create a Calm Birth Environment

Whether you’re planning a vaginal birth or a caesarean birth, there are many simple ways to adapt your surroundings to support your body and mind.

For Vaginal Birth:

Dim the lights: Ask to lower bright overhead lights or use battery-operated candles or fairy lights.

Bring comforting items: A familiar blanket, pillowcase, or photo can make the space feel your own.

Use calming sounds: Create a playlist of music, birth affirmations, or natural calming sounds.

Add a familiar scent: Roll-on aromatherapy oils (such as lavender or neroli) can help signal safety.

Control privacy: Keep the number of people in the room minimal — or, if you feel safer with certain people, make sure they are there throughout.

Communicate your plan: Ask your midwife or birth partner to share your preferences with anyone entering the room, so you can stay in your calm birth bubble.

For Abdominal (Caesarean) Birth:

Even in a theatre setting, you can personalise the space in meaningful ways:

Request a calm, quiet atmosphere where people speak gently and introductions are made.

Ask to bring music or pictures to focus on — this can help distract you and keep you feeling calm and relaxed.

Dim the lights near your head (when safe to do so).

Request skin-to-skin as soon as possible to boost oxytocin and connection with your baby.

Have your birth partner stay close — holding your hand, maintaining eye contact, and helping you focus on your baby’s arrival.

What do you want to see - You can request for equipment to be kept out of sight.

These small details help transform what can feel like a clinical experience into one that feels intimate, calm, and emotionally safe.

Feeling Supported by Your Birth Team

The people around you are an essential part of your birth environment. Your body will instinctively pick up on the tone of their voices, their facial expressions, and even their energy.

You might find it helpful to:

Meet your care team early (if possible) and share your birth preferences.

Ask your team to read your birth plan — especially if it includes trauma-informed needs or previous experiences.

Agree on how you’d like communication to happen — whether you prefer updates during labour or for your partner to relay information.

Advocate for continuity of care, where possible, so you see familiar faces.

Feeling seen, heard, and respected by your team is one of the most powerful ways to create emotional safety during birth.

Your Environment Shapes Your Experience

Your birth environment isn’t just a room you have your baby in — it’s an active part of your experience. When your senses, surroundings, and support team all send the message that you are safe, your body can do exactly what it was designed to do.

You can’t control every detail, but you can shape the space around you — bringing warmth, familiarity, and comfort into whatever setting you give birth in.

Because when you feel safe, your body feels safe — and that’s where calm, empowered birth begins.