Pain in Labour

     Pain in labour is mainly due to the fear induced by family myths and birth stories from family and friends or frightening childbirth stories depicted by the media. When fear is not present, there is no pain. Fear causes the arteries leading to the uterus to constrict and become tense, creating pain. In the absence of fear, the muscles relax and become pliable and the cervix is able to naturally thin and open as the body pulsates rhythmically and expels the baby with ease. Language used around a pregnant mother due to ignorance of labour and the fear-fight-flight response cause pain, which in turn leads to labour failing to progress naturally. Fear causes the hormone response- oxytocin production to reduce which leads to physical exhaustion. What a mother in labour needs is not more urgency or prompting to ‘move things along’, but more awareness of the importance of calm and relaxation. Gentle encouragement and the assurance can actually move the labour along faster.

Many women choose the comfort of water birthing as a complement to hypnobirthing. The water enhances a mother’s relaxation and allows the baby to be born into an environment that makes an easy transition from life within the womb to air breathing. There is merit to the weightlessness and buoyancy that water provides and when a mother uses this combination, her mind is free and relaxed. Her body is better able to benefit from the softening effect that the water has on the birthing muscles and on the folds of the perineum and there is a slightly less risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy. Baths are calming and soothing and also give the feeling of pleasure, contentment and well-being. Research states that when women labour and birth in water there is an increase production of endorphins and natural oxytocin, also all other muscles work comfortably e.g biceps and triceps.

The next question to ask is how is Hypnobirthing beneficial??? Hypnobirthing allows the body to work at its own pace and facilitates easier birthing by using relaxation and visualization to speed release of endorphins and effect a shorter labour through release of oxytocin. When a mother and her birth companion learn to identify the emotional waves before and during labour and how to release them, the mother feels confident, free of fear and can achieve a relaxed state. The constricting hormones are overridden when the body relaxes naturally. Learning to understand the concept of living in a relaxed state (or in the parasympathetic system) and avoiding being in the stressed and fear state, sympathetic defence will ensure a calm and gentle birth. Fear can also cause the arteries leading to the uterus muscles to constrict and become tense, creating pain. In the absence of fear, the muscles relax and become pliable and the cervix is able to naturally thin and open as the body pulsates rhythmically in the ‘up’ stage of labour.

Normally there are two systems within the Autonomic nervous system which controls the communication network in the body. They are called the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system whose role is to act as the body’s defence mechanism is triggered when we are stressed, frightened or startled. It creates the fight, flight or freeze response within the body. When a mother approaches labour with unresolved fear and stress, her body is already on the defensive and the stress hormone catecholamines is secreted. In labour, the body does not choose fight or flight but freeze. Since the uterus is not designed as a part of the defence mechanism, blood is directed away from it to parts of the body involved in defence. This causes arteries going to the uterus to tense and constrict, restricting the flow of blood and oxygen.  The lower circular fibre at the neck of the uterus tightens and constrict, the upper muscles are unable to draw the circular muscles back. The cervix remains taut and closed. This in turn makes the muscles resistant causing considerable pain and cause extended labour.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system keeps the body and mind in the state of harmony and balance. It maintains body functioning in a state of calm, slowing heart rate, reducing stimulation, slowing the firing of neuropeptides, and generally keeping us in a state of well being. The parasympathetic system produces oxytocin (hormone of love), which helps the muscles of the uterus work in labour and endorphins (feel good hormone) that allow the muscles of the uterus to relax and open.

Dr Grantly Dick-Read (Obstretrician in the 1950’s was the first person to advocate Natural birthing) suggested that by denying mothers of natural birthing, the miracle of childbirth is hampered by the anguish and agony of the clinical aspects of childbirth rather than the joy it should bring.

Mumpreneur: Hypnobirthing

Mumpreneur: Hypnobirthing

By Andrea Smith BSc (hons) Clinical Hypnosis, Dip Hb

I’ve trained as a midwife and am a Registered Nurse working part time at Frimley Park NHS trust. When I trained 20 years ago, there was little or no support for pregnant mothers, they were expected to give birth and go home three days later.

My first son Kelvin was born in Glasgow. I was in labour for 24 hours with no pain medication or knowledge of breathing techniques and it was one of the longest days of my life. I remember my husband having his sandwiches and calling friends telling them funny things. He even tried the tens machine and at one point cranked my tens machine up to 10 to see me almost jump off the bed. After the birth of his son, my husband carried Kelvin to show him the Rangers football ground through the window and proceeded to drink and eat my tea and toast.

In 1999, we moved to Tilford in Surrey when Kelvin was 9 months old to a house that needed total renovation. My second pregnancy was spent with organising builders and relocating to a friend’s house for 5 months in Ashington, West Sussex. I did not attend antenatal classes and was not under a midwife.  I was busy driving back and forward as my son went to nursery in Tilford. I went to The Royal Surrey hospital for regular check ups and was only concerned with getting the house back from the builders so I could have my baby in my home. One week before my due date, I was nesting as they call it scrubbing the floor of the bathroom and my waters broke. My husband took me back to our friend’s house to drop of our son and an hour later we were driving to the hospital, and 45 minutes after that my baby girl Kirsty arrived, again no pain medication or support.

My thoughts over the last few years bringing up my children - how could I make the birth of a most precious child a positive experience for women? Most of my friends, colleagues and co-workers had stories to tell about the birth of their children, some positive but mostly painful and traumatic. The experiences of the births of my two children motivated me to learn a new skill, in order to help mothers look forward to their pregnancy and birth with excitement and anticipation.

Some women during their first pregnancy can become a stressed and anxious. This may be because of the stories they’ve heard from friends or family or just fear of the unknown. Its not just first time mothers who feel like this. Women who have experienced a difficult childbirth can also feel anxious and worried. In truth, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, or simply nervous and want help and support, my Hypnobirthing programme will help you with those difficulties.

Having a baby can create the most joyful moments in your life, ones that you’ll want to remember as positive and empowering. My aim is to help you to have the best possible natural childbirth. 

By attending hypnobirthing classes, you will develop a range of skills and hypnotherapy techniques that you can use during childbirth and beyond, so that you and your baby can have a calm, comfortable and relaxed natural birthing where you with your birth partner are in control.

The father or birth partner becomes an active and supportive presence during the birth experience. As a father, you will know that you have played a positive role in the pregnancy and birth of your baby through hypnobirthing.

I trained as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and completed the first science Degree in Clinical Hypnosis. Drawing on my years of experience as a nurse and midwife, I started running Hypnobirthing courses for mothers in 2011, following my training with Katharine Graves, London.

My aim is to offer this service to as many pregnant mothers and birth partners as I possibly can, even to those women who are just thinking of having a baby. It is a proven method of diffusing fear and other unhelpful emotions, which may have a negative impact during the birth of their baby. On this programme, you could deliver your baby in a natural, calm, drug-free and comfortable way and labour will be shorter.

Hypnobirthing courses run in Farnham, Godalming and Guildford and if desired in the home.

My motto as a Hypnobirthing Specialist Teacher is -

“I have a burning desire and driving passion to make a difference to the birthing experience of as many mothers as possible and in turn make a difference to the lives of as many babies as possible”.

If you want to learn more about the natural birthing programme, you can explore the website - www.hypnobirthing-hindhead.co.uk.   OR

Contact me - Andrea Smith 07967151790 for a chat, where I will answer any questions you may have.