The enemy of childbirth

The enemy of childbirth is not pain. Fear is.

Often the decisions we make about how we plan to approach labor are dictated by our desire to avoid pain. It makes sense - who looks forward to being in pain? But our preoccupation with eliminating pain during childbirth has blinded us from the real culprit - fear.

Did you know that fear can make childbirth more painful? And not just our perception of pain, but actual, physical pain when our muscles remain tense in response to the fear we feel?

What we don’t always realize, or want to believe is true, is that pain is actually a great communicator in labor. It tells us when it’s time to stop nesting and to start preparing for birth. Pain tells us when we need to move our body into a different position to help baby descend. By grace, pain tells our brain when to increase endorphins so that the pain we actually feel is lessened.

You don’t want less pain, you want less fear.

Fear is lessened when you understand something, when you’re familiar with it. You don’t scream when something jumps out at you if you know it’s there. So learn about the birth process. Learn what the different stages look like and how you can expect your body to react during them. Learn to relax your muscles so you can manage your pain. You won’t fear what you know.