Labour Has Its Own Clock

While at a birth recently, I witnessed a mama continually checking the clock as she rode the waves.

We spoke about this at our first postpartum visit and she shared two beautiful reflections

“I can do anything for one minute.” “How much longer can I do this for?” Timing a birth should not be common practice. Every birth unfolds in its own time, and trying to control or measure it against the clock can actually work against the natural flow of labour.

Time is an illusion. We are mammals, and when a woman is deep in labour, she naturally retreats and withdraws from the outside world. This instinctual need for privacy and space is how the body allows labour to progress safely and effectively. This retreat is not weakness, but wisdom. It’s the body’s way of creating the right environment for labour to progress safely and effectively.

Despite this, hospital policies and cultural messaging have conditioned us to believe otherwise. Many women are told that their bodies should follow a strict pattern - often described as dilating 1cm per hour and that vaginal exams are the only way to measure progress. In reality, labour rarely follows such predictable rules and imposing them can create unnecessary stress. When women feel pressured by the clock or judged against these timelines, it interferes with the delicate hormonal flow that allows birth to unfold.

As Dr Sarah Buckley so beautifully reminds us, what women truly need during labour is to feel safe, private and unobserved. When this happens, the nervous system softens, oxytocin flows, and the body does exactly what it was designed to do. Birth doesn’t need a stopwatch or a set of numbers to prove its progress - it needs space, presence, and trust.

Supporting labour’s natural rhythm looks less like measuring and more like holding. It’s creating a low-stimulation environment, dimming the lights, protecting privacy, speaking gently and allowing freedom of movement. It’s trusting that every surge, every pause, every stretch of time has purpose.

Every labour is unique and your body already knows how to birth your baby. Trust your instincts, protect your space, and let your birth unfold in its own perfect time. And if you’d love more support or practical tips for creating this kind of environment, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you - send me an email, reach out to me on IG and let’s chat. Lucy x