Birth Resource Library
Pregnancy, Labor & Birth Resources
Whether you're 8 weeks pregnant or packing your hospital bag, we've gathered our favorite evidence-based resources to help you feel informed and confident throughout your birth journey.
Our goal is simple: provide trustworthy education while helping you know when it's time to lean on your care team. Every pregnancy is unique, and nothing replaces personalized medical advice from your provider or one-on-one support from your doula.
🤍 Preparing for Birth
Understanding Your Due Date
A due date is an estimate not an expiration date. Most pregnancies do not end on the exact estimated due date.
What the Evidence Shows
Only about 4–5% of babies are born on their estimated due date.
A normal, full-term pregnancy is considered 39 weeks 0 days to 40 weeks 6 days.
Babies born between 37 weeks 0 days and 38 weeks 6 days are considered early term.
Babies born between 41 weeks 0 days and 41 weeks 6 days are considered late term.
Pregnancies that reach 42 weeks or later are considered post-term.
Most healthcare providers estimate your due date using Naegele's Rule, a formula developed in the 1800s that assumes a 28-day menstrual cycle with ovulation occurring around day 14. The calculation starts with the first day of your last menstrual period, then adds one year, subtracts three months, and adds seven days to estimate your due date.
Because not everyone has a 28-day cycle or ovulates on day 14, your provider may adjust your due date based on a first-trimester ultrasound, which is considered the most accurate method for dating a pregnancy.
🤍 Remember: Your due date is an estimate not an exact prediction. Only about 4–5% of babies are born on their estimated due date, and it's completely normal for healthy pregnancies to give birth before or after that date.
Most Babies Arrive...
Before 37 weeks: Preterm
37–38 weeks: Early Term
39–40 weeks: Full Term
41 weeks: Late Term
42+ weeks: Post-Term
🤍 Doula Tip
As your due date approaches, your provider may discuss additional monitoring, membrane sweeps, induction options, or expectant management based on your pregnancy, your baby's well-being, and your preferences. Every pregnancy is unique, and these decisions should be made together with your healthcare provider.
Learn More:
This is a great place to link to Evidence Based Birth's "Evidence on Due Dates" article, which is one of the most widely respected summaries of the research for expecting families, as well as the ACOG patient resource on pregnancies that continue past the due date.
Ready for personalized birth preparation?
Our doulas help you create a birth plan that reflects your goals, understand your options, and prepare for every stage of labor.
Thinking About an Induction or Has Your Provider Recommended One?
If your provider has recommended inducing labor or you're considering an elective induction it's helpful to understand your Bishop Score and, if recommended, your Biophysical Profile (BPP). These assessments provide important information about how ready your body is for labor, how your baby is doing, and whether it may be safe to continue the pregnancy with ongoing monitoring.
Learn More
Bishop Score: Learn how cervical dilation, effacement, position, consistency, and the baby’s station are used to assess readiness for induction.
Biophysical Profile (BPP): Learn how ultrasound and fetal monitoring are used to assess your baby’s movement, tone, breathing, amniotic fluid, and heart rate.
The results can help guide conversations with your provider about whether induction is appropriate, whether cervical ripening may be beneficial first, or whether expectant management (continuing the pregnancy with close monitoring) is a safe option. Understanding these tools can help you ask informed questions and make decisions in partnership with your healthcare provider that align with your individual pregnancy and your baby's well-being.
🤍 Early Labor
Learn how to recognize early labor and what you can do before heading to the hospital.
Resources:
Signs of Early Labor
What to Do During Early Labor
When to Call Your Doula
When to Call Your Provider
Contraction Timer
Rest, Nutrition & Hydration Tips
Early Labor Comfort Measures
Not sure if it's time yet?
One of the biggest benefits of having a doula is having someone available to help you decide whether to stay home or head to your birth location.
→ Learn About Birth Doula Services
🤍 Active Labor
As labor progresses, knowing what to expect can make all the difference.
Resources:
Signs of Active Labor
When to Go to the Hospital
Labor Positions
Breathing Techniques
Counter Pressure Guide
Hip Squeezes
Labor Comb Techniques
Hydrotherapy
Birth Ball Exercises
Peanut Ball Positions
Every labor unfolds differently.
Your doula provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support throughout labor not just a list of techniques.
🤍 Labor Tools
Recommended birth tools:
Birth Ball
Peanut Ball
TENS Unit
Rebozo
Heating Pad
Labor Comb
Massage Tools
We recommend PUSH Hydration because it was created specifically for labor by a doula and developed with perinatal healthcare professionals. Unlike many sports drinks, it's formulated to support hydration during labor using real-food ingredients and electrolytes, without artificial sweeteners or dyes. It's one of our favorite additions to a hospital bag for families who want a hydration option designed with birth in mind.
Water Bottle
Bluetooth Speaker
Essential Oils (where appropriate)
We recommend using high-quality, pure essential oils from reputable companies. Our favorites include:
Both companies emphasize rigorous sourcing and purity standards for their essential oils.
Our Favorite Labor Oils
💜 Lavender - Relaxation and a calming atmosphere
🍊 Sweet Orange - Uplifting and refreshing
🍋 Lemon - Fresh scent that many families enjoy during labor
🌿 Peppermint - Refreshing aroma that some people find helpful for nausea or fatigue
🌼 Roman Chamomile - Gentle, calming floral scent
🌸 Clary Sage (Only after 37 weeks and with your provider's approval) - Traditionally used during labor preparation
🤍 Doula Tip: Labor can make you much more sensitive to smells. Try on cotton pad not body in case you hate it!
🤍 Helpful Pregnancy Tools
Contraction Timer
We love recommending Easy Contraction Timer because it's simple to use and includes one of our favorite features the ability to generate a live sharing link with your birth team. This allows your doula, partner, or midwife to follow your contraction pattern in real time, helping us provide guidance and know when it may be time to head to your birth location. It's a wonderful tool for keeping everyone informed while allowing you to stay focused on labor. The app also tracks contraction duration, frequency, intervals, and intensity, and lets you share either a live stream or a summary of your contractions.
Kick Count Tracker
We highly recommend Count the Kicks to families during the third trimester because it helps you learn your baby's normal movement patterns over time. Rather than focusing on a specific number of kicks, the app tracks how long it typically takes your baby to reach 10 movements, making it easier to notice changes that may warrant a call to your healthcare provider. It also sends daily reminders, creates easy-to-read movement history graphs, allows you to export your data to share with your provider, and includes educational resources—all at no cost. Research suggests that becoming familiar with your baby's normal movement patterns may help parents recognize concerning changes earlier.
Why We Love It at RRDS
Free and easy to use
Encourages daily awareness of your baby's movement patterns
Sends helpful reminders so you don't forget to count
Tracks movement trends over time
Allows you to download and share your baby's movement history with your healthcare provider
Supports singleton and twin pregnancies
Available in more than 20 languages
Miles Circuit
The Miles Circuit is a gentle series of maternal positioning exercises designed to encourage optimal fetal positioning before and during labor. While it isn't intended to induce labor, many families use it in late pregnancy or early labor to help create more space in the pelvis and encourage baby to find a favorable position for birth.
Free and easy to do at home
Gentle enough for many healthy pregnancies (with your provider's approval)
Designed to encourage optimal fetal positioning
Helpful during late pregnancy and early labor
A great tool for partners and doulas to support labor progress
Easy to repeat if recommended by your birth team
Download our free Miles Circuit handout for step-by-step instructions, illustrations, and tips on when and how to use each position safely.
The Miles Circuit is not a substitute for medical care and is not intended to induce labor. Always discuss any concerns or changes in your pregnancy with your healthcare provider.
🤍 Hospital Resources
Quick access to local Labor & Delivery units:
🏥 Kaiser Roseville Medical Center
📍 Address
1600 Eureka Rd.
Roseville, CA 95661
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 474-7180
🏥 Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center
📍 Address
6600 Bruceville Rd.
Sacramento, CA 95823
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 688-2000
🏥 Sutter Roseville Medical Center
📍 Address
1 Medical Plaza Dr.
Roseville, CA 95661
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 781-1000
🏥 Sutter Medical Center Sacramento
📍 Address
2825 Capitol Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95816
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 887-0000
🏥 UC Davis Medical Center
📍 Address
2315 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 734-2011
🏥 Mercy San Juan Medical Center
📍 Address
6501 Coyle Ave.
Carmichael, CA 95608
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 537-5000
🏥 Mercy Hospital of Folsom
📍 Address
1650 Creekside Dr.
Folsom, CA 95630
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 983-7400
🏥 Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
📍 Address
7500 Hospital Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95823
📞 Labor & Delivery
(916) 423-3000
🏥 Marshall Birth Center
📍 Address
1100 Marshall Way
Placerville, CA 95667
📞 Labor & Delivery
(530) 626-2638
🏥 Adventist Health & Rideout Family Birthing Center
📍 Address
726 4th St.
Marysville, CA 95901
📞 Family Birthing Center
(530) 751-4165
🏥 California Birth Center
📍 Address
6940 Destiny Dr.
Rocklin, CA 95677
📞 Birth Center
On Call Number Given to Clients at 37 weeks.
🤍 Doula Tip
Before 37 weeks, save these contacts in your phone favorites:
🤍 Labor & Delivery Unit
🤍 OB-GYN or Midwife
🤍 Rebecca Rose Doula (Your Primary Doula)
🤍 Backup Doula (if applicable)
🤍 Birth Partner
🤍 Emergency Childcare Contact
🤍 Pet Care Contact
Helpful links:
Hospital Tours
Taking a hospital or birth center tour can help you feel more prepared and confident before labor begins. We recommend scheduling your tour between 28–34 weeks of pregnancy.
🏥 Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Roseville Medical Center
Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center
🏥 Sutter Health
Sutter Roseville Medical Center
Sutter Medical Center Sacramento
Sutter Davis Hospital
🏥 UC Davis Health
UC Davis Medical Center
🏥 Dignity Health
Mercy San Juan Medical Center
Mercy Hospital of Folsom
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
🏥 Marshall Medical Center
Marshall Birth Center
🏥 Adventist Health
Adventist Health & Rideout Family Birthing Center
🏥 California Birth Center
California Birth Center
Visitor Policies
Please Note: Visitor policies can change frequently based on seasonal illnesses (such as flu, RSV, or COVID-19), hospital capacity, staffing, and other operational needs. Because these guidelines are updated regularly, it's difficult to provide specific visitor rules that will always remain accurate. We recommend contacting your hospital or birth center directly between 36 and 42 weeks of pregnancy to confirm the most current visitor guidelines, support person policies, sibling visitation rules, and any other restrictions before your baby's arrival.
Parking Information (Coming Soon)
Knowing where to park before labor begins can make your arrival much less stressful. We recommend reviewing your hospital's parking information before your due date and saving the parking map on your phone.
🏥 Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Roseville Medical Center Parking
Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center Parking
🏥 Sutter Health
Sutter Roseville Medical Center Parking
Sutter Medical Center Sacramento Parking
Sutter Davis Hospital Parking
🏥 UC Davis Health
UC Davis Medical Center Parking
🏥 Dignity Health
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Parking
Mercy Hospital of Folsom Parking
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Parking
🏥 Marshall Medical Center
Marshall Birth Center Parking
🏥 Adventist Health
Adventist Health & Rideout Parking
🏥 California Birth Center
California Birth Center Parking
Registration
Many hospitals allow you to pre-register for your delivery before labor begins. Completing your pre-admission paperwork ahead of time can help streamline the check-in process when you're in labor so you can focus on welcoming your baby.
We recommend completing your hospital registration between 28–36 weeks of pregnancy.
Local Birth Professionals
Trusted referrals for:
Prenatal Massage Therapists
Induction Massage beginning at 38 weeks, Tracy also offers a specialized Induction Massage using pregnancy-safe acupressure, relaxation techniques, guided meditation, and birth preparation to encourage your body as it naturally prepares for labor.
Acupuncture for Labor Preparation
As you approach your due date, some families choose acupuncture as a complementary therapy to support the body's natural preparation for labor. Research suggests acupuncture may help encourage labor when the body and baby are ready, though it does not guarantee labor will begin.
Many providers begin offering labor preparation or induction acupuncture between 38-40 weeks for healthy, full-term pregnancies with approval from your OB-GYN or midwife.
We recommend:
Acupuncture for New Life
📍 3111 Sunset Blvd., Suite R, Rocklin, CA 95677
📞 (916) 945-2023→ Schedule a Labor Preparation Acupuncture Appointment
Birth Photographers
Birth photography preserves the incredible moments of labor, birth, and your baby's first hours. Most birth photographers are on call beginning around 37 weeks and provide documentary-style coverage of your birth story.
Our Recommended Birth Photographers
Planning Tips
Book by 20–30 weeks if possible.
Consider adding Fresh 48 or newborn photos to your package.
🤍 Doula Tip: Birth photographers are on call 24/7 around your due date and often book months in advance. If birth photography is important to you, we recommend reserving your photographer early in pregnancy.
Birth Videographers