pain, fear + the mind in childbirth part 3
Now that we’ve touched on both the sensations of birth and the physiology of fear, let’s put the puzzle pieces together and explore how you can start to look at birth differently.
BREAKING THE CYCLE OF PAIN + FEAR IN CHILDBIRTH
Pain and fear are heavy subjects to unpack, but educating yourself not only on how they are connected but on the process of childbirth itself can help you overcome them both. Taking the unknown out of the equation can go a long way in changing how you think about birth. Here are some suggestions:
Attend an independent childbirth class. What I mean is not one associated with a hospital. Independent birth classes are more likely to approach birth as a normal, physiological experience. Viewing birth as a normal mechanism instead of as symptoms that need diagnosis and treatment can go a long way in putting some of your fears to rest.
Do some reading - or listening. Books like Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth are a great place to start. This book includes a whole section of positive birth stories. Mindful Birthing dives more into the relationship between pain and fear and provides tools to help you navigate any surprises that might come up during labor and birth. It encourages you to focus on your reactions. Mindful Birthing is also a great audiobook! Check out podcasts like The Birth Hour and Birth Stories in Color to listen to stories about the variations of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Watch some videos. I highly recommend watching videos of undisturbed physiological birth. A great (and free!) short film is Giving Birth by Suzanne Arms and Amy Gilliland. It follows several women through their birth experiences and compares the medical and midwifery care models. Also check out this TedTalk for a discussion on reframing birth.
Alter your language. Words have power. For many pregnant people, the word “contraction” is immediately associated with pain. Early on, maybe before you’re even pregnant, start referring to contractions as “surges” or “waves.” These terms better describe the transient and passing nature of a uterine contraction. Also as much as you can, think of the sensations of labor and birth as “uncomfortable” and “intense” rather than “painful.” Use the words in Part 1 of this series to describe sensations in your daily life to become more aware of your reactions.
Shift your focus. Try to focus less on the intensity of the surges and more on the rest and relief between them. Imagine your surges are following the 4-1-1 rule. That is, they are occurring every four minutes and each is one minute long for an hour. If you do the math, this means you are only contracting for a total of 15 minutes in an hour. Even less actually, since they peak about halfway through. You have forty-five minutes of rest! Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Now, I know this is much easier said than done. After all, you’ve probably been expecting birth to be painful and scary for your whole life. It doesn’t have to be. Check out this blog post for tips on how to increase your natural oxytocin levels. Please send me a message if you’d like to talk more!
