Posts Tagged ‘labor’

Pain with a Purpose: Benefits of the Natural Labor Process

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

How will you manage labor pain?  Are epidurals safe?  Are scheduled c-sections as safe as spontaneous vaginal birth?  American pregnant women ask these questions everyday… and get different answers.  In all the clamour to define the risks and benefits of such medical solutions to the challenge of labor pain, very few take the time to consider that the normal labor process may actually have some benefits. 

In Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care auth0r Jennifer Block highlights several positives unique to a spontaneous vaginal birth:  “the conditioning of the fetal lungs, the priming of the breastfeeding relationship, the infusion of the ‘love hormone,’ the physical proximity of mother and baby.”  Let’s look at the positive side of natural birth, shall we?

Babies Can Breathe 

Scientists still don’t understand how spontaneous birth is initiated, but they do know that the baby and the mother’s body communicate, almost “agreeing” when it is time.  Michel Odent, a scientist who’s dedicated to studying the natural labor process, explains “the baby gives a signal when its lungs are mature.  For a baby to be born it implies that the lungs are ready, because to be born is to breathe.  When you induce labor, or when you do an elective cesarean section with no labor, the baby has not given the signal” (Block, pg. 140).  One clear benefit of spontaneous normal birth is that baby is ready – truly full term.  Remember, there is a significant margin of error in setting a “due date” (which should really be considered a “due month”).  Baby is the expert on when to be born.

Spontaneous vaginal birth offers another breathing benefit.  In the womb, baby’s lungs are filled with fluid.  How do those lungs switch from water-filled to air-filled?  Gradually.  The baby “begins purging its lungs of fluid in the days prior to birth….the process continues during spontaneous labor and birth.  Hormones are released that prime the lungs for air, and the squeezing effect of the birth canal helps purge the lungs of excess fluid” (pg. 140).  Cesarean babies often have trouble breathing, requiring heavy suctioning and intubation (pg. 140).

Babies Can Breastfeed

Breastfeeding is an “extremely time-sensitive relationship” concur countless studies and even the CDC (pg. 141).  The sooner a newly born baby can be put to the breast, the better chance for a successful breastfeeding relationship.  If the newborn is struggling to breathe, breastfeeding is delayed.  More cesarean-born babies are put in the NICU, another common breastfeeding challenge.  What’s more, suctioning and intubating irritate baby’s mouth and throat making feeding uncomfortable and discouraging. 

The very pain of childbirth plays a part in breastfeeding success.  How?  It’s the endorphin-prolactin connection.  “Endorphins, natural opiates that are also secreted during sex, reach peak levels during birth and are responsible for the altered state of consciousness that women often describe toward the end of labor – a reproductive version of the ‘runner’s high.’  The endorphins stimulate release of prolactin, which is central to breastfeeding” (pg. 172).  No pain, no endorphins.  No endorphins no prolactin.  No prolactin, uh-oh breastfeeding.  “The endorphin-prolactin connection may explain recent data suggesting that epidurals hamper breastfeeding” says Odent (pg. 173).  Is it so surprising that a woman’s ability to breastfeed is tied to her experience of birth?  The two are designed to go hand in hand.

Babies can Bond

This last benefit is really more for the mother than for the baby, but no one would deny that baby benefits.  And here’s the bottom line:  natural, spontaneous labor includes the release of the “love hormone” in mama and the opportunity for immediate, skin to skin contact between mama and baby at birth.  These are the makings of a beautiful bond.

Oxytocin is the “love hormone”.  “In addition to its star role of contracting the uterus during labor and birth, oxytocin is the hormone secreted, in both men and women, during the ecstasy of orgasm, the feeling of emotional connection with a friend, the rush of being in love, and the literal rush of milk to a suckling infant” (pg. 135).  Oxytocin is a potent hormone that plays a pivotal role to our emotional well-being.  But, when mama is induced, artificial oxytocin called Pitocin is used to force labor.  Problem is Pitocin doesn’t make it’s way to the brain to encourage an emotional response to birth (pg. 135).  This synthetic version of oxytocin is essentially incomplete because it doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier.  In fact, it actually works against the body, signally it to stop producing oxytocin.  So, mama’s got no “love hormone”, she’s tied down to a bed, disconnected from the birth with a numbing epidural or c-section and watching it all like a spectator.  Do we wonder why mothers today report difficulty with bonding?

Author Jennifer Block shares the story of Michelle McSweeny, a woman who was reluctantly induced and eventually sectioned.  Michelle felt manipulated and overpowered by her experience, but her biggest regret was “the initial inability to bond with or care for her daughter.  ‘The saddest thing of all was that when the baby came out and they held her up for me, I didn’t cry or feel that joy that you’re supposed to feel.  And I’m an emotional person.  I didn’t have that moment of ecstasy.  I was so out of it… I couldn’t breastfeed right away.  My arms barely worked.  I couldn’t pick the baby up if she was crying’” (pg. 144). 

Pain = Gain for Mama & Baby

Liam newbornLabor is painful.  I’ve given birth naturally - twice - both times at home with a  midwife.  The first time I was unsure and inexperienced.  Pushing took longer than I expected and to say I felt “desperate” towards the end would be an understatement.  I only briefing held my daughter at birth because my significant loss of blood required attention.  Even so, I experienced immediate bonding with my child, who breathed and suckled easily. 

My second birth was decidedly different.  It was beautiful.  I felt so supported, so sure of my strength, so completely “high”.  That experience, the extended ecstasy of a completed, natural, joyful birth is worth all the pain I experienced, several times over.  I know I owe my physical and emotional health and that of my child’s to my dedication to following nature’s path.  I encourage you to hold onto what you know to be true.  Trust your body’s wisdom and birth your baby in good time.

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The Best Prep for a Non-Medicated Birth

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Many women desire to give birth without pain medication, or at least with as few heavy medications as possible.  How do you prepare yourself for that challenge?  What makes the difference between a woman who throws out her birth plan and gets that epidural and the one who manages her pain in the way she had hoped? 

For one, you have to realize that women feel contractions differently.  Some experience contractions as extremely painful, but others just feel tightness or almost nothing at all.  My friend Chihiro said she couldn’t even tell when she was contracting with her first baby, but with the second she experienced intense pain.  Prepare yourself by keeping an open mind to how easy or difficult the actual experience may be for you.  It’s completely unpredictable.

That said, countless women who experience intense pain during labor do manage to forgo medicating.  Now, I realize that a non-medicated birth isn’t for everyone, but if this is one of your goals here are some tips:

  1. Limit your exposure to medication opportunities.  Really.  If you don’t want to take drugs, try to avoid having them offered to you.  When you enter the labor room, personally tell the nurse that you prefer she NOT offer you medication.  Ask your birth partner to keep new nurses updated.  I heard of one woman who hung a “Don’t Offer Me Medication” sign on her labor room door.  Hey, it’s easier if you don’t have to say “no”.  If you really, consciously change your mind, I bet you’ll find the words to ask for that medication!
  2. Train your mind to think of birth positively.  Birth is an opportunity to bond with your mate, work hard for something worthwhile, experience the thrilling joy of success hard-won, and embrace that new baby for the first time.  Read LOTS of natural birth stories!  This is the most enjoyable and probably the most effective way to prepare for a natural, non-medicated birth.  Each time you expose yourself to stories of women who experienced birth like you desire, you set yourself up to approach birth with a positive, confident attitude. 
  3. Prepare to be flexible.   Your birth will probably NOT go exactly as planned.  Maybe your contractions will stop temporarily. Maybe your doula will not make it.  Maybe your labor will drag on for over 24 hours.  Maybe you’ll go from 2 to 10 centimeters in an hour – who knows!!!  It’s great to have a plan, but be prepared to throw it out the window.  Spend some time imagining very different possibilities and how you would like to react.  No matter what happens, you can have a fulfilling birth experience if you keep your perspective positive and take control of your choices.  In birth you are not the victim or the patient, you are the mom.
  4. Gain access to alternative pain management options.  If you’re saying “no” to drugs, say “yes” to something else! Read, talk to other moms about what worked for them, and arrange for the services of a midwife or doula.  There is a rich culture of birthing aids from warm water to massage to visualizations that can make a huge difference in your perception of pain during labor.  Your labor nurse is very unlikely to be of help in this area.  You’ve got to proactively plan ahead to arm yourself with safe, effective labor tools.  Again, reading positive natural birth stories is an excellent way to fill your mind with pain management ideas. 

Bottom line: managing pain is 90% mental.  The difference between achieving your goal to birth without drugs and making a decision to medicate that you may regret is usually how prepared you are mentally.  Know that you can do this.  Focus on the positives and let every contraction bring you closer to holding that baby in your arms.

One great classic full of positive birth stories is Ina May Gaskin’s “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth”.  You can also find a rich resource of birth stories at Mothering.com. 

Many blessings!

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Who will witness your baby’s birth?

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

You’ve made a birth plan, you’ve packed your hospital bag (or set aside a stash of supplies for your home birth), but are you still a little fuzzy on who you’d like present at your baby’s birth?  This is a very personal decision, and one that doesn’t necesarilly lend itself to the receiving of advice.  I had a very hard time deciding with both my babies who to include. Perhaps this will get you thinking… 

If one of your goals is to have a natural birth, it’s especially important that those who accompany you in the labor room play a supportive, encouraging role.  I loved this quote in the latest edition of Fit Pregnancy, “For the best possible delivery, surround yourself with people who understand that giving birth is a heroic, if painful, act that benefits those who embrace its challenge.”  Isn’t that beautiful!  Think carefully before including loved ones that are critical of your birth choices.  On birth day, you simply won’t have enough emotional energy to deal with nay-sayers.  You want to see excitement and hope in the eyes of your attendents, never pitty or fear.

You will almost certainly be including your mate, but what about sisters, mothers, and friends?  Don’t feel obligated to invite family members.  Your first priority must be giving birth, not the feelings of others.  That said, if you are close to your sister (and especially if she’s given birth before) or your mother, their presence will probably enhance that special day.  My mother was a very important member of my birth team when I birthed my firstborn.  During the times that I felt hopeless and scared, looking into her face gave me strength.  There is something powerful about being supported in birth by the very one who birthed you.     

When I read of births in which mothers were attended by excited, joyful friends, I love it, love it, love it!  But in planning my own birth, I felt odd inviting friends.  For my second birth I did get up the gumption to invite a close friend who shared my own vision of birth.  Technically she was there to watch my toddler, but she also was meant to share the actual birth.  During my labor, it was fun having her there.  It made that night more like a celebration, less serious and more exciting.  When I was actually giving birth, I barely noticed her presence because I was so focused on the task at hand.  If I was to do it again, I’d invite more friends and make the labor itself more of a party!

Don’t skip a doula!!!  If you can arrange for it, do look into having a doula attend your birth.  There’s nothing like it!  Having a doula around at my second birth took the pressure off my husband to know how to comfort me.  She helped him with suggestions and did so much to help me herself.   I would never go without a doula again!

Many blessings on your special day!

 

    

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Fun, Inspirational Read for “Labor Day”

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Let’s face it, many of you are pretty nervous about “labor day” – you know the one when you have to push that baby OUT!!!  It’s coming, it’s inevitable, so why not try to get psyched up with a “can do” attitude?  People love to share horror stories about births, but that’s really counter-productive.  Instead, you should try to nurture a positive attitude about your ability to give birth successfully.  After all, studies have shown that any fear you bring to your labor will make it that much harder.  Hormones produced by fear actually cause your body to tense up, making it difficult to dilate naturally.  Focus on the fact that your body is designed to give birth – you can do this! 

I love how most pregnancy magazines have a birth story column that shares birth experiences with regular, happy outcomes.  Along the same lines, I think all pregnant women in need of a labor “boost” should read Peggy Vincent’s “Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife.”  This fun, lighthearted book is chock-full with Peggy’s experiences delivering babies in Berkeley, California, including 40 birth stores from a wide-range of diverse, interesting women.  It’s the perfect prelude to your own labor, sure to leave you with realistic expectations for your own birth and some inspiration too.  If they can do it, so can you! 

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