Understanding Hormones in Labour

While working in a busy Dublin Maternity Hospital, in a busy busy delivery ward, I experienced many many different kinds of women and labours. I learned what worked for women, what didn't work for women, and not forgetting about their birthing partners. 

One thing that I learned, and further researched into, like many of the amazing "birthy" people out there, is that hormones are everything!!

I'm not talking about baby brain, or feeling like your about to go crazy hormones, which is all we really talk about when we talk about being "hormonal" in pregnancy. In actual fact, hormones are the most important thing when it comes to pregnancy, but in particular, labour, birth and then bonding with your new bunny! 

Hormones are so important to acknowledge firstly when it comes to pregnancy, they are the thing that gives you that pregnancy glow, and also the morning sickness (not so glam!), they are the thing that helps you bond with your gorgeous bump and also give you energy to start nesting when the time comes. 

In this post, I want to specifically focus on the role of hormones and in particular how we can make them work effectively during your labour. 

Firstly, when our labour first starts kicking off, when our niggles start or our waters are released you have your first set of hormones released. These are all the good hormones that we need for labour. Oxytocin - the lovvvve hormone (produced in labour, during an orgasm while breast feeding baby). This is the most important one we want to keep working. Oxytocin and prostaglandins are what kick starts your surges, the thing that tells your body it's DDAY! It helps your body to maintain regular surges of your uterus, it helps your cervix to soften and dilate (open) and efface (thin) and it helps your baby to descend into your pelvis in order for you to Birth your baby calmly and effectively. However, oxytocin has one enemy. And that enemies and that enemies name is called "Adrenaline". When adrenaline is produced oxytocin doesn't work as well, it is not produced in steady amounts so that your surges can be regular, it may stall your labour.

How can we reduce our Adrenaline? 

• Calm room

• Privacy 

• Dimmed or dark room 

• Quiet voices 

• Feeling of being supported.

Adrenaline is called the fight of flight hormones, it is  produced if we are feel we are under attack. It has a really good role if we are under attack as it is the thing that can make us run away at lightning speed or feel no pain after an accident! However, we do need Adrenaline for the final stages of labour when it is produced in order to give us that boost to get through the last stages of labour. Our aim is to keep it on the down low for the majority of our Labour. All animals and humans want to Birth in privacy, not one of us would feel comfortable going to the toilet in the middle of a room of strangers so why should we Birth in a room full of strangers. This is necessary if there is complications but if all is straight forward all that is necessary is midwife and birth partner. Dimmed lights help us to feel calm and centred and using gentle words and affirmations like 

"I am safe" "My body knows exactly what to do". If it is not possible to have dimmed lights, I used to pop a light scarf over my women's heads as they were leaning their head on the bead and sitting on their ball. It's little things to bring a sense of calm to your birth that can help things flow as necessary.

When the time comes to have your baby, your hormones will supply you with all of the Adrenaline you need to get you pumped up and ready to meet your little one (even when you feel so tired). It's important to listen to your body at this late stage as sometimes there is a latent phase (quite normal, when you are approaching being fully dilated and surges ease off). This is your bodies way of saying "rest now and be grateful". It allows your body to get your supply of Adrenaline ready for the more physical time. 

The role of Oxytocin comes into play immediately after your baby is born! The biggest amount of oxytocin is produced the minute your baby is born and placed on your chest. This love hormone helps you to instantly fall in love and bond with your baby. It is a complete pain killer so a lot of women I've cared for in this stage have no recollection of pain or physical sensation for a few minutes after the baby is born. Within the first hour, this is the optimal time to breastfeed your baby if that is your plan as Oxytocin and Prolactin have been produced to help your milk supply.

So there, our amazing hormones all rolled into one quick post! Sometimes we don't have control over our bodies but hormones we do. So stay centred, stay calm, stay in control. And most importantly choose a birth partner and midwife who completely supports you and is aware of your plans.

I wish you all the best on your births and I hope it's a wonderful life changing experience for you.

Namaste,

Sarah

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