Oxytocin in Labor: How to Support It Naturally
When we think about birth, we often think about the obvious, outward pieces—contractions, pushing, your baby arriving earthside. But one of the most important players in the whole process is actually invisible: oxytocin.
Oxytocin is often called the “love hormone.” It’s released when we cuddle, kiss, breastfeed, & when we just feel safe and connected. And in labor, it’s the hormone responsible for the powerful uterine contractions that help bring your baby into the world. Not only does oxytocin fuel labor, but it also plays a key role in bonding, regulating stress, reducing pain perception, and supporting the flow of breastmilk after birth.
The tricky thing is that oxytocin is shy. It thrives in environments where you feel safe, loved, and undisturbed. And it can quickly retreat when you feel watched, stressed, or under pressure. That’s why being intentional about your environment and your mindset during labor can make such a difference.
Here are some of the best ways to encourage optimal oxytocin production in labor.
1. Create a Safe, Private Environment
Think about where oxytocin naturally flows in everyday life: during intimacy, cuddles, laughter, and moments of deep trust. Would those things come easily in a bright room full of strangers? Probably not. The same goes for labor.
Dim the lights: Harsh fluorescent lights can feel clinical and stressful. Soft, dim lighting (or even twinkle lights or candles) helps you feel more at ease.
Limit interruptions: Every time a new person walks in or someone asks a barrage of questions, oxytocin production can dip. Decide who you want in your birth space and communicate your wishes clearly.
Bring comfort items: Your own blanket, pillow, essential oils, or even a favorite sweatshirt can help your body feel like it’s in a familiar, safe environment.
When your nervous system feels safe, your body can more easily do the work of labor.
2. Touch, Hugs, and Massage
Physical touch is one of the strongest triggers of oxytocin. Think about how you feel when someone rubs your back, holds your hand, or gives you a long hug—it’s soothing and grounding. In labor, these little acts of love can be powerful.
Back rubs and hip squeezes: Gentle massage or counterpressure helps reduce pain while signaling safety and care.
Holding hands: Something as simple as your partner holding your hand can help oxytocin flow.
Warmth: Warm compresses or a shower can mimic that same nurturing feeling of closeness.
Encourage your partner or doula to stay physically present with you—it’s not about doing it perfectly, it’s about connection.
3. Laughter and Joy
It may sound strange to talk about laughter in the middle of labor, but oxytocin doesn’t only come from touch. It also comes from moments of joy.
Watching a lighthearted movie in early labor, telling inside jokes with your partner, or listening to a playlist that makes you smile—all of these things can help shift your body into a more oxytocin-rich state.
I’ve seen mothers completely change the tone of their labor by laughing in between contractions. Joy is medicine.
4. Kissing, Cuddling, and Intimacy
Yes, intimacy can still play a role in labor. Oxytocin is, after all, the same hormone that helps us conceive ;)
Kissing your partner: A deep, connected kiss can bring a surge of oxytocin.
Nipple stimulation: Nipple stimulation encourages oxytocin release and can strengthen contractions. Some families use a breast pump for this if contractions are slowing.
Cuddling and closeness: Even if you’re not feeling “romantic” during labor, snuggling up to your partner or being skin-to-skin can be deeply reassuring.
This is all about doing what feels natural and comfortable to you. Intimacy doesn’t have to mean sex—it can simply mean closeness.
5. Movement and Rhythm
Our bodies love rhythm. Think of swaying, rocking, or walking together with your partner. Movement creates a sense of flow and safety, which supports oxytocin.
Try:
Slow dancing with your partner, forehead to forehead
Rocking on a birth ball
Gentle swaying while holding onto the bed or a rebozo
These movements not only help the baby find their way down but also give your body that reassuring “we’re safe and supported” signal.
6. Sound and Vocalization
Making sound is a primal way of releasing tension and creating more openness in the body. Low, deep moans or humming can help keep your jaw relaxed, which in turn keeps your pelvic floor more relaxed. That relaxation encourages oxytocin to keep flowing.
Singing or listening to music that makes you feel grounded can also help. Music has a way of softening our nervous system and creating an emotional connection, both of which invite oxytocin.
7. Skin-to-Skin Contact After Birth
Oxytocin doesn’t stop being important once your baby is born. In fact, it surges after birth and helps with bonding, breastfeeding, and reducing postpartum bleeding. One of the best ways to support that is immediate skin-to-skin contact.
When your baby is placed directly on your chest, skin to skin, oxytocin floods both your system and your baby’s. It helps regulate their temperature, breathing, and heart rate, while giving you that powerful rush of love and connection.
8. Protecting Your Mental Space
Your mental environment matters just as much as your physical environment.
Affirmations: Repeating mantras like “My body was made for this” or “Each wave brings me closer to my baby” can shift your mindset from fear to trust.
Visualization: Imagining your cervix opening like a flower or picturing holding your baby for the first time can bring warmth and encouragement.
Breathwork: Slow, steady breathing calms the nervous system and creates the conditions for oxytocin to flow.
The Balance Between Control and Surrender
One of the biggest truths about oxytocin is that you can’t force it. You can set the stage, but it comes when you allow yourself to soften and surrender to the process. Labor is as much about letting go as it is about working hard.
Your body knows what it’s doing. By cultivating an environment of love, safety, and connection, you’re giving yourself the best chance to let oxytocin lead the way.
Oxytocin is nature’s most powerful birth hormone, but it’s also the hormone of love, connection, and trust. When you think about how to support your labor, think less about “doing it right” and more about creating a space where you feel safe, supported, and loved.
Whether that’s dimming the lights, sharing a laugh with your partner, swaying to your favorite song, or simply holding hands—you’re giving oxytocin the green light to flow. And when oxytocin flows, labor tends to flow too.
Birth isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, hormonal, and deeply human. Trust your body, trust your baby, and know that those small moments of love and safety are actually some of the most powerful tools you have for birth.
If you’re curious to learn more about how our hormones support us in labor, and how we can deepen into these states of trust, join a free workshop I’m co-hosting. It’s called The Secret to Labor Land, and you can register here.
