One of your biggest enemies in physiological childbirth, which is our bodies innate and natural process to birth a baby, is stress.
There is a beautiful symphony of hormones that play a role in making your uterus contract as well as progress contractions thus progressing labor. Without the progression of contractions labor could stall or stop, and that is the last thing you want once contractions have started. When our bodies feel stress, whether it be mental or physical, we release cortisol and adrenaline which are hormones that signal to the rest of our bodies that we are not safe. And instinctively when our bodies don’t feel safe, they will not want to give birth to a baby.
Ancestrally this was helpful but considering the many stressors we can and may face in this day and age are not life threatening, it isn’t quite as beneficial. Your body doesn't have the ability to differentiate a non-life-threatening stress and a life-threatening stress, it just perceives stress. So our stress hormones essentially tell our bodies we are being chased by a lion, you need to run or you’re going to die. This is the complete opposite of the calm, relaxed state we want, and need to be in while laboring. In order to keep these hormones in balance we want to do everything in our control to create a stress-free labor and birth environment. Let's explore exactly how to do that.
The first place to start is choosing your birth team and this goes hand and hand with where you will be giving birth. These two choices may be the most important you will make when it comes to how you feel when in labor. You'll want to ask yourself if you will feel safe, comfortable, relaxed and supported with your birth team and at your birth location. If not, you may be setting yourself up for an experience that does not go the way you desire. Thus, reconsidering your options may be worthwhile. A birth environment that is perceived as stressful or unfamiliar can decrease the release of the oxytocin which is a hormone needed to contract the uterus and ultimately progress labor.
Once you’ve decided who will be attending your birth and where you'll give birth it's important to think about the “mood” of your birthing environment. Or what physical aspects of your birth environment will make you feel most safe, comfortable and relaxed. It's important to discuss with your husband and birth team how you want the birthing space to feel before labor. Also writing these requests in your birth plan is a great reference for your birth team during labor. It is also okay while in labor to adjust these requests, however, a birth plan allows you to make the least number of decisions necessary. Don’t be afraid to voice what you need, being comfortable will be worth it.
When creating your birth environment, you will want to consider all of your senses. What will you see, smell, hear, taste and feel. What are things that can be set up before labor to give you motivation or emotional support? Below are some examples worth considering to spark your thought process for further brainstorming!
Sight:
Having a simple and clutter free space. Luckily for most women there is the urge to nest in the third trimester, this can be great for tidying the home before you go into labor. Think of the necessities to bring to your birthing location if youre not birthing at home. Try not to over pack, hospital and birthing center rooms aren’t that spacious!
Adjusting the lighting can be very relaxing, whether that is turning them off, dimming them or using lamps, candles or other ambient lighting. Harsh or bright lighting puts a lot of women under pressure, feeling they are in the spotlight, while women tend to feel the most comfortable in labor when they feel they are in a private space without an audience.
Scent:
Aromatherapy can create a good smelling environment but also provide stress relief depending on the scent you use. If you'd like to utilize aromatherapy some calming scents are lavender, eucalyptus, clary sage and citrus. Some great blends formulated for labor are Labor flow and Positive birth. If you are birthing in a hospital or birthing center, you will need to bring your own diffuser.
Sometimes labor can cause nausea and, in this case, having a swatch scented with peppermint or simply peppermint essential oil available can be a great remedy for this.
Sound:
Do you want to listen to music while in labor? If so, make multiple playlists for different moods beforehand. It may be worth making one more upbeat and motivational as well as one that is moodier and more emotional. We can't predict the exact mod well be in when in labor, and the mood can change, so having multiple options available is better than searching for something to fit the mood while in labor.
Taste:
Eating and drinking is such an important component of labor and delivery. The body is expending so much energy thus you will need to replenish that energy though caloric intake. Maintaining a consistent blood sugar when in labor is also impactful in keeping cortisol levels in check. When our blood sugar drops our body releases cortisol and then we experience that stressful cycle mentioned at the beginning of the blog. Some easy and tasty nourishment while in labor can be honey sticks, smoothies, electrolyte beverages, protein bars, fruit or beef sticks. Typically you want to air on the side of caution when eating and not eat anything that you think will make you nauseas or vomit.
Touch:
Different types of touch have been proven to be effective in relaxing and de-stressing the laboring woman. This touch can look like light gentle sweeping touches on the back, or up and down the arms. It could also look like slow, massage like touches on the back, shoulders or legs. It can also look like counterpressure or hip squeezes during a contraction.
Being that there are many different types of touch this is something you’ll need to experiment with in the moment being as though it's hard to predict what you will like when you are in labor. Be sure to voice if you like it or not when trying it out. Studies show that women who feel supported specifically through touch while in labor will have 56% fewer c-sections; an 85% reduction in the use of an epidural; 70% less use of forceps; 61% decrease in the use of Pitocin; a 25% shorter labor; and a 58% drop in neonatal hospitalization. In addition, gentle touch and massage can help with pain during labor because of The Gate Theory. Essentially this theory says that by flooding the body with sensations that feel good they override the sensation of pain.
Emotional support:
Birth affirmation and prayer cards can be great positive, calming reminders to look at while in labor. There are many great options online to order birth cards that resonate with you or having a group of your dearest friends come together and create them with you is always a nice touch to your birth environment. I offer customized, handmade birth cards, if this is something you're interested in please send me an email or check the cards out in my store!
Other emotional support could be having your doula or birth partner recite prayers, bible verses or sayings that make you feel safe and supported. Simple motivational words can be so helpful. Even the occasional I love you from your partner can be just the bit of sweetness you need to carry on.
All of the components discussed above may seem simple and to some, not necessary but being that labor and birth can be unknown and unpredictable at times, these things can act as anchors to rely on in order to achieve the birth experience you desire. In creating your stress-free birth environment it's important not to stress, it seems comical, but if you're anything like me, at times I can be a perfectionist thinking I need something exactly the way I think it should be or its not okay. It's hard to know how a childbirth will unfold so maintaining a certain amount of flexibility can also reduce stress in the moment. We have to understand and accept that we can have the perfect birth plan, the perfect birth environment and the perfect birth team, and things go in a way that we weren’t expecting. Trusting that whatever unfolds is exactly as it should be according to God’s plan, and surrendering to it all, is in my mind the most comforting and stress relieving piece to the whole puzzle.
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