Your body is perfectly designed to give birth.
During a Hypnobirthing course you will learn about how the body works to support labour. It is absolutely fascinating! One thing I want to discuss here with you is your PARASYMPATHETIC and SYMPATHETIC nervous systems. Two systems already with in you designed to help in labour. However, through evolution they have not changed, so are both systems still useful?
Let’s explore this further;
If a lion strolled into your room now your Sympathetic system will be triggered. Your body will release a hormone called Adrenaline making your heart pump faster. In this system around 1/3 of the blood from around your organs (including your uterus!) will be pumped to your arms and your legs. Making them stronger and more effective for when you want to either fight the lion (personally not my choice) or take flight (yep, I’m getting out of here!). This response was particularly helpful in the caveman days. If a threat presented its self to a woman in labour her body would STOP labouring and have the ability to move to safety.
Sadly the body cannot differentiate between an actual threat or a perceived one.
What do you think? Helpful these days, when so many fear birth?
Ok, so let’s look at your parasympathetic system. This will make you feel better, promise! In this system your body will not move blood away from your organs produce three extremely useful hormones for labour.
Oxytocin – the LOVE hormone released when you fall in love, Kiss, Hug, laugh etc. However, this hormone is very SHY it likes PRIVACY. This hormone is so important it maintains your tightenings and makes each tightening, powerful, regularly and effective.
Beta-Endorphins – this is your body’s natural pain killer, it is many times more powerful than Morphine. The production of endorphins increases as your tightenings become more powerful.
Melatonin – This hormone is your Oxytocin’s friend. It helps the Oxytocin to be more effective in labour. Melatonin is also very good for relaxation and making your feel sleepy. But, it requires the DARK.
For this system to work you must feel unobserved, safe THROUGHOUT labour and your birth environment needs to be dark and cosy.
One last important thing before I finish this post…
YOU CAN’T BE IN BOTH SYSTEMS AT THE SAME TIME.
Fancy learning how to switch off your sympathetic nervous system so you can keep the parasympathetic system switched on? Join a Talking Babies, Midwife led, hypnobirthing course today and start your wonderful, empowering journey! Click here for upcoming courses.
