20 Free (or Low-Cost) Ways to Support a Healthier Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum

A year or so ago, I shared a post on Instagram titled “You’re so lucky you had an easy birth.” In it, I listed all the things I did to create that “luck,” and ended with the quote, “Luck favors the prepared.”

It was certainly polarizing. Most people agreed and shared their own experiences of putting in the hard work to prepare for birth. But a few felt that birth is all luck and that preparation doesn’t matter.

There are certainly things that are out of our control, but I like to focus on controlling the controllables and letting the rest go. Things like quality nutrition, mindful movement, and intentional rest only support our bodies and can help steer pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in a more positive direction.

I also know that cost can be prohibitive, so I wanted to share a list of free and low-cost ways to nurture a healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience—to help you, as they say, “control the controllables.”

Here’s a list of things that can be applied to either pregnancy, birth, postpartum, or all of the above. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments!

• Walks — great for digestion, circulation, mood, etc. I aimed for 8,000–10,000 steps a day while pregnant.

• Gentle Pilates/Prenatal Yoga — you can go to a studio, but there are an abundance of free classes on YouTube.

• Meditation

• Affirmations — here are my favorite pregnancy and birth affirmations, and they’re free!

• Warm baths — include essential oils, magnesium flakes, Epsom salt, etc. Make sure to use appropriate temperatures and pregnancy-safe oils while pregnant.

• Breathing exercises — lots of free pregnancy breath work on YouTube.

• Stretching — free guided stretching on YouTube.

• Sunlight

• Grounding (aka putting your feet in the grass)

• Journaling — journal feelings, gratitude, etc.

• Rest — slow down as needed and when you can.

• Connection/Community — reach out to local doulas or Facebook groups for free or low-cost meetups for new moms. The Mom Walk Collective hosts free walks for moms all over the country to build community.

• Prioritizing quality sleep

• Spinning Babies — movements to help with optimal positioning.

• Prioritizing 100+ grams of protein per day

• Nutrient-dense foods/minimizing ultra-processed foods

• Podcasts — listen to positive birth/education podcasts like Birthing Instincts or Down to Birth.

• Visualization

• Herbal teas — Mountain Rose Herbs has an abundance of high-quality herbs and tinctures that can be incorporated into your daily routine.

• Postpartum meal prep — start to prepare and freeze meals for postpartum around 36 weeks to have nourishing meals on hand that are easy to heat up.

I’m not saying that doing any or all of these things will guarantee you the outcome you want for pregnancy, birth, or postpartum, and I’m certainly not saying you have to do them all to have the experience you hope for. We can’t control every outcome, and we’re not meant to. But we can create the conditions for our bodies and babies to thrive. These small, everyday choices build resilience, calm, and trust in your body’s natural wisdom. And when it comes to luck, I truly believe that luck favors the prepared.