The Power of Birthing Hormones: How to Utilize them for a Better Birth Experience

Birth

Sep 17

Hi Mama!

I was at a an event over the weekend and an expecting mama was sharing her desire for an unmedicated birth. Immediately after she shared this, another lady at the table gasped and said, “Why would you do that to yourself?” I want to reassure and encourage any woman who is reading this, that you were designed and made to birth your baby/babies and God did not forsake providing you with natural tools to help you through it. What are those natural tools?! All of the amazing and powerful hormones that ebb and flow during your labor! I want to teach you about each hormone and how to use them to your advantage (rather than to your disadvantage) to achieve the birth you’re desiring.

Birth is an intricate dance between body, mind, and spirit, and central to this beautiful process are the hormones that guide and support labor. These hormones are designed to work in harmony with your body to bring your baby into the world. If you’re like me, you’ve questioned if you can “handle” labor because maybe you’ve experienced a bad headache or intense PMS cramps and have thought, “if I can’t get through this, how can I get through birth?!” Understanding how these hormones work and learning how to harness their power can be a game changer for a positive, unmedicated birth experience. So let’s dive in -

Oxytocin: The Love Hormone

Oxytocin, often called the "love hormone," plays a central role in labor. It’s responsible for bringing about those necessary surges (also known as surges), which help move your baby lower and closer to exiting the birth canal, closer to meeting you. This same hormone is released during sexual intercourse (what got the baby in, helps get the baby out!), and bonding moments like cuddling or breastfeeding, creating a sense of trust and connection.

How to boost oxytocin during labor:

Sex, nipple, and clitoral stimulation: If your bags of waters have ruptured, avoid putting anything into the vagina to prevent bacteria from entering the vagina (we want to avoid an infection). As a doula, the most common form of oxytocin stimulation I see is using the breast pump.
Stay in a calm, safe environment: Soft lighting, relaxing music, and minimal interruptions can help keep oxytocin flowing.
Physical touch: Massage, holding hands, kissing your partner, being close to your partner, etc.
Feel supported: The presence of a trusted birth team (your providers & your partner), including a doula, can help you feel safe.
Labor at home as long as possible: This is where your oxytocin will tend to be at its highest. Your home is usually your safe zone, the place you feel the most comfortable.

Endorphins: Your Natural Pain Relievers

Endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers. These hormones are similar to morphine and can help to ease discomfort and give you the strength to continue through surges. Endorphins can also help you stay in a focused, calm mindset.

How to encourage endorphin release:

Movement: Walking, swaying, change of positions, using a birth ball, etc.
Light touch massage from your partner and/or doula
Laughing
Relaxation techniques: Deep breathing, visualizations, or prayer to stay centered and peaceful.
Trust your body: The more you trust the process and your body's ability to birth, the more endorphins you'll produce.

Adrenaline: The Fight-or-Flight Hormone

While adrenaline is useful in moments of danger, too much of it during labor can stall surges and slow the birthing process. Adrenaline is triggered by fear, stress, or anxiety, so it’s important to create an environment where you feel safe and supported. It’s important to note that adrenaline and endorphins can’t coexist at the same time! Meaning, if your endorphins are present in your body during labor, your stress-responding hormones (adrenaline) won’t be present during labor. BUT, if your stress-responding hormones (adrenaline) are present during labor, your endorphins (your natural “morphine”) will not be present. Adrenaline being present during labor will increase discomfort while adrenaline being at bay during labor, will decrease discomfort.

How to keep adrenaline at bay:

Setting up the right birth environment: A peaceful birth space, soft voices, dim lights, little to no distractions (including interventions), your choice of music and volume, encouraging visuals hung up on the walls, etc.
A trusted birth team: Only allow people into your birthing space whom you trust. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s important they are asked to leave.
Stay relaxed: Use calming techniques like soft breathing, guided relaxations, affirmation tracks, listening to worship music, etc.
Labor at home as long as possible
Trust and normalize natural birth: When you trust and normalize natural birth, you help rid fears, doubts, and worries that can come up before and/or during labor. Take a birth class that educates you on natural birth, hire a doula who has supported women in natural birth, listen/watch positive unmedicated births, create affirmations that support your birth desires, hire a team who can confidently support you in your birth goals, etc.

Prostaglandins: The Softeners

Prostaglandins are a lesser-known but crucial hormone involved in labor. These hormones help soften and thin the cervix (a process called ripening), which prepares your body for birth. Prostaglandins also work alongside oxytocin to make your surges more effective as labor progresses.

How to increase prostaglandin production:

Sexual activity: Semen is rich in natural prostaglandins and sexual activity can help the cervix soften and encourage labor to start.
Movement: Gentle exercises like walking or squatting can encourage prostaglandin production and help the baby settle into the optimal position.
Nipple stimulation: This can naturally increase prostaglandins, promoting cervical ripening and triggering surges.

Maximizing the Power of Your Birthing Hormones

By creating a safe, calm environment and trusting your body’s natural rhythms, you can fully tap into these birthing hormones. When oxytocin, endorphins, adrenaline, and prostaglandins are balanced, they work together to help your body birth your baby naturally and beautifully.

At Anointed Births, we understand the importance of creating a peaceful birth space and having a supportive team around you. Our goal is to guide you in harnessing these God-given hormones for an empowered, unmedicated birth experience.

Ready to Prepare for Your Birth?

Navigating the intricacies of labor hormones is much easier with the right support. Our team at Anointed Births is here to help you prepare for a natural birth, whether it's through personalized consultations, birth planning, or birth doula support. Let us guide you in creating the birth you desire. Schedule a consultation, and let’s discuss how we can support you in having the stress-free, positive birth you desire!

Stay tuned…

for more tips, stories, and resources on how to have your best birth!

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