Giving birth

How is it possible to put into the too-hard-basket an activity that women have been doing for thousands of years? An activity that we as women are specifically designed to do? It’s worth pondering over the fact that with human intellectual supremacy, increasingly civilised and sophisticated lifestyles and the drive for overall control and command, we seem to have lost our belief in our ability to actually endure the act of childbirth; perhaps more deeply embedded in our psyche is the fact that in modern life, pain has no place in our value system.

Medical choice and support is vital in our modern and civilised world. The health and safety of mother and baby is paramount and should never be compromised. But it is possible – with comprehensive preparation including knowledge of the birth process, realistic labour skills acquisition, insight into your partner’s role and the development of courage and confidence – to actually look forward to labour with excitement, enthusiasm, curiosity and a spirit of adventure, whether or not you have chosen medical pain relief.

The first fact you need to understand is that the pain associated with contractions is normal and healthy. For most women it builds up slowly from mild period-like pain to a very intense sensation. It’s a bit like your body ringing a bell (albeit a painful bell) each time labour work is to be done. Mostly, that ‘contraction bell’ lasts for only sixty seconds, and then there is a pain-free rest period in between. Remember, the pain is healthy pain (as opposed to sickness, disease or traumatic or injury pain) and so it is feasible that you can have a healthy response.

Sometimes it is said that there is too much focus on the birth and not enough on being a parent. It is actually impossible to see beyond the birth until you have passed through the experience. It is fair to say that the childbirth experience is less than one day for most women, and yet parenting goes on for years. After the birth take each day as it comes, for it too is an adventure all of its own!

A useful way to approach labour

This is when the cervix is opening from 0 to 10 centimetres and is usually the longest part of labour:

Mobilise your own in-built pain relieving chemistry to dull the sensations with your endorphin production. Everyone has the potential to do this simply by being active.

Deal with the by-product of the painful contractions with your stress management techniques. You will learn these at antenatal classes.

Influence the efficiency of contractions as they dilate the cervix, rotate the baby and help the baby descend, with your proactivity and use of gravity.

Make a decision to ‘step outside of the box’ of your normal ego boundaries of comfortable behaviour. Have the courage and confidence to tread into territory you have not been to before. You cannot deal with labour pain with your normal day-to-day behaviour. You can deal with labour pain, however, with increasingly powerful labour behaviour that you will learn.

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