For healthy, full-term newborns, the highest-impact actions immediately after birth are drying, keeping the delivery room warm, and immediate skin-to-skin contact; routine hat placement alone doesn’t appear to change hypothermia rates in that group and can contribute to overheating if combined with too many layers.

She Did It Alone: A Labrador’s Natural Birth Inspires Us to Trust Ourselves

While her family was away enjoying a well-earned holiday, their beloved Labrador stayed home—safe, healthy, and heavily pregnant. They expected to be back in time for the birth. But nature had other plans.

Over the course of 15 calm, instinct-led hours, she gave birth to 14 beautiful puppies. Alone. No intervention. No assistance. Just her, her body, and her deep, instinctive knowledge of what to do.

It’s a remarkable story—but not a rare one. And it holds a quiet, powerful truth: mammals are designed to give birth. Including us.

Mentally Preparing for Labour (Without Losing Your Mind)

Let’s be real—labour isn’t just a physical marathon, it’s a mental one too. No matter how your birth plan looks, feeling calm and mentally ready can make a huge difference in how you experience it.