Built for birth

An article for Baby City by Sister Lilian May 2019

Every successful building project begins with a great plan, and birthing women are lucky to have their birth design drawn by that grand architect, Mother Nature, reassures Sister Lilian.

There is a vital link between the central nervous system, the emotions and the endocrine system, which is most perfectly seen when a woman has a natural labour and birth experience, in response to her hormonal birth blueprint. Doing anything to disrupt this inherent link is tantamount to a builder not following the building plan specifications of the architect, almost inevitably with complications lurking just around the corner.

The intricate balance between various hormones at play enables women to pace themselves in labour, keeping pain at a level that they can handle. This is one reason a woman feels so powerful if she has given good natural birth and why she forgets any labour discomfort relatively easily. If a series of interventions occur unnecessarily, a cycle of disempowerment begins; none of the hormones can function optimally and it is unlikely that a woman will have a good birth experience.

For the birth hormones to function optimally, a woman needs to feel private, safe and secure. Get that right in the early stages of labour and very little will interfere with the unfolding of an experience which is, after all, one of the most natural of life. If you’re supported as you need, as opposed to being instructed on what to do as you labour and give birth, your body will automatically surrender to the overwhelming and instinctual process of your baby emerging from your uterus, through your birth canal, to the world outside.

The nuts and bolts of birth

The limbic system, also known as your instinctive brain, can override the thinking part of your brain that inhibits reflexive behaviour – the neocortex. While modern man (and woman) often need their neocortical inhibitions, the downside is that instinctive bodily processes, like giving birth, can be negatively affected.

But, you may protest, we live in modern times! Think of it like this: if you were in grave danger, and your fight or fright instincts weren’t still functioning, you would have no inner recourse to avoid or tackle the danger. Limbic reflexes may be ancient, but many are still necessary in the 21^st century! Why allow yourself to be robbed of your limbic birth blueprint?

If you trust your body, your labour hormones will make sure you have an amazing birth. Tap in to the power of these five:

1. Oxytocin

Also known as the hormone of love, oxytocin is released in pulses, which causes effective contractions to alternate with periods of rest. That’s how it works if your labour is not disturbed by anxiety, too much talking, loud sounds and unnecessary medical procedures. Left to nature, each rest period is totally able to renew your stamina for the next contraction. After birth, oxytocin helps to prevent abnormal bleeding, get breastfeeding started, and encourage bonding between mother and baby.

Synthetic oxytocin, as given in an induction, inhibits your natural oxytocin release and leads to almost constant uterine pain between contractions, making it difficult to avoid painkillers and interfering with the overall hormonal balance designed by Mother Nature to protect you and your baby.

2. Oestrogen and progesterone

Oestrogen has many reproductive functions, but also increases the amount of oxytocin receptors in your uterus, allowing it to generate effective contractions. During pregnancy, progesterone causes your ligaments to relax. This enables your pelvis to open during birth, so Baby can pass through more easily. Both these hormones also help with pain relief.

3. Beta-endorphin

Beta-endorphin is a natural painkiller that keeps your contractions in check, slowing them down when needed, and keeping any discomfort at a level you can manage. After birth, it keeps both you and Baby happy; it’s in your breast milk, and is believed to help Baby adapt to life outside the womb.

4. Catecholamines

These hormones (primarily adrenaline and noradrenalin) are produced in response to stress or the need for sustained energy. In a natural birth, catecholamines will peak just before you push Baby out, and you’ll have a rush of energy and strength, with strong contractions. This helps you to birth more easily. Catecholamines also make sure that Baby is wide-eyed and alert when he meets you and takes on life outside of the womb, and protect your newborn’s brain against low blood glucose.

5. Prolactin

Prolactin, the hormone of tender mothering, rises steadily during pregnancy, declines during birth and then rises again steeply straight after birth. This surge gets you ready to bond with your baby, and for breast milk release. It reduces stress and, together with oxytocin, elevates your mood and keeps you calm. It will help you to put your baby’s needs first, and makes you want to nurture your child. Fathers often have increased levels too! Some studies show that prolactin plays an important role in the development of the newborn’s brain, which could partly explain the higher IQ and more optimal brain development amongst breastfed babies.

Natural birth is in your hands too

Many concerns, anxieties and discomforts are experienced by women in the last weeks of pregnancy, making them vulnerable to suggestion that inducing birth a little early, using pain medication, undergoing medical routines like continuous electronic monitoring, or having a C-section would be preferable and harmless. You have to be personally invested to avoid your birth experience from being derailed for the wrong reasons.

Laying the groundwork

It is best to allow Mother Nature to take her course toward the end of pregnancy, if all is well with you and your baby. Stick to regular check-ups to ensure that both you and Baby are doing well, but run all advice through your instinctive hormonal filters too.

This process will be easier if you take these five tips to heart:

1. Take courage, keep reminding yourself of your inherent limbic birth intelligence and have patience – soon you will be hugging your precious little bundle!
2. Make sure you inform your caregivers during pregnancy and when you go into labour that you expect your body’s hormonal blueprint to be respected and supported.
3. Book a midwife delivery because this greatly ups your chances of a natural birth.
4. Do all you can to relax, because delayed and slow labour is often caused by stress.
5. The movement of your hip and pelvic bones as you walk will help ‘massage’ Baby into the best position for birth. Keep mobile in early labour, alternating with rest periods as your body requires. This will back-up your endocrine system.