Would you like a relaxed Birth

Imagine yourself labouring in a jungle. Suppose you saw or even thought you saw a tiger lurking in the nearby shadows. What do you think would happen? Would you have a conscious choice on what happens next? You may think you could control the situation, but your body would already have made the decision.

Simply believing there is a tiger in your birth space would instantly stimulate a healthy "fight or flight" mechanism. Labour contractions would slow down or stop and would not resume until you felt safe. This fear activates the nervous system to produce adrenalin (danger hormone), which gives you the "umph" or power to prepare to fight or to run away. Your cervix tightens (to prevent your baby from being born where it is not safe) and the increased level of adrenalin slows down the production of the hormones responsible for stimulating your uterus to contract, so that your body naturally slows down or even stops the labour. In addition, experiencing fear during labour leads to your heat rate increasing, your breathing becoming shallow and faster (so reducing the amount of Oxygen in your body and your baby), your heart pumping blood faster around your body so raising your blood pressure and blood being directed away from your Uterus (and your baby) to your limbs, essentially to prepare you for action.

Your nervous system does not know the difference between real or imagined danger or fear and so will respond in the same way to both - ever felt the rush of adrenalin and fear when watching a horror movie? Is the threat real or imagined?.

You may be asking, "what does a women giving birth in a jungle have to do with me". This is essentially about understanding how fear is the cause of mums feeling panicked, out of control and experiencing high levels of pain, whether it is fear of pain, of dying, of tearing, of loosing control. All the while that there is fear in childbirth, your birthing body will not be allowed to flow easily through the natural progression of labour. In addition, the minute you introduce artificial hormones from induction or drugs, the body stops producing the right amount of natural hormones, including the wonderfully powerful endorphins or natural pain killers.

So you can see how a frightened mother will have a more difficult, longer and more painful labour.

So how does being relaxed and calm make a difference?

By being relaxed during your labour, your body responds in a very different way to the fear scenario described. When you are relaxed, your breathing is even and rhythmical; ensuring a high level of oxygen is entering your body. This oxygen goes through to your baby, ensuring that your baby remains calm and stable.

Increased oxygen stimulates the production of Oxytocin (hormone responsible for contractions) and endorphins. Your blood pressure remains at a healthy level, and as your body is limp and relaxed you conserve your energy, with all excess energy being channelled through to the muscle that is really working hard, namely your Uterus. As the Uterus has no resistance or tension from surrounding muscles, the contractions are more effective, more comfortable and tend to last a shorter time. As the labour progresses un hindered by artificial hormones, other natural hormones kick in including relaxin which allows the cells of the birth canal to relax, soften and stretch, so making the babies descent easier and more comfortable.

So what can I do to reduce fear and be more relaxed?

The most important step is to acknowledge any fears you have either based on things you have heard or on past experiences.

First identify all of them – no matter how small or silly they may seem.
Once you have identified them, think about where they came from – is it from your own birth, from past experiences, from your family from magazines etc.

This may help you realise that they do not have to be "your" fears – they are often fears projected from others.

By talking about them or writing them down, you are effectively tackling your "lurking" tigers head on.

The next step is to build your trust and confidence in your bodies ability to birth your baby. Even if you have had a traumatic experience in the past, realising that no two labours are the same and by learning to relax and trust in your body, you will give yourself the best possible chance of an better birth experience. This can be done through simply thinking about the kind of birth you do want. Again write this down – you may like to write as if you have already had your baby and everything went as well as it could. Then spend time each day leading up to the birth daydreaming about your perfect birth, really being creative about how you want to feel, behave, respond to the birth. The more times you do it, the more positive it will become and a more real possibility. Maybe listen to some soothing music that you can then use in the birth, spend a few moments just relaxing your body and concentrating on your breathing before daydreaming about the birth.

If you feel unsure about doing this yourself, you can use the Natal Hypnotherapy range of CDs which effectively do all this for you. The CDs help build confidence in your ability to birth your baby, teaches you effective breathing, relaxation and pain management techniques and then takes you through a calm, instinctive birth visualisation. By listening to this many times before the birth, your view of giving birth becomes more relaxed, calmer and less fearful. This way you are dealing with your fears at a subconscious level, whilst also preparing physically and emotionally for the birth.

Once you have faced your fears and "trained" yourself to view the birth as natural and something that you know your body was designed to do, your level of fear will go down and you will go into the birth feeling relaxed. In exchange you will feel relaxed, calm and in control, will manage the contractions more effectively, will not need as much intervention or pain relief and are more likely to have a calmer, healthier baby.

For more information on the full range of Natal Hypnotherapy CDs (£16 each) please go to: http://www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk/ or call Tel: 01428 712615.