“Am I allowed” Written by Beverley Beech.

Beverley, the author, was the chair of AIMS for 40 years and the author of the influential book “Am I Allowed?”.

AIMS – Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services, was founded in 1960 by Sally Willington “to support women and families to achieve the birth that they wanted.” Since the 1960s AIMS has campaigned tirelessly for improvements to the UK’s maternity services, as well as supporting women and pregnant people, their families and others who support them both directly through their helpline, and by sharing information with their books, Journals and website resources. In 2014 they became a registered charity with the slogan “There for your mother. Here for you. Help us to be there for your daughters.”  https://www.aims.org.uk 

Every woman and birthing person should read Beverley’s book! Whether pregnant or planning a baby, or know someone who is? This is THE book to read in preparation for a more positive and empowering experience of childbirth. ‘Am I allowed’ is a question women shouldn’t have to ask when giving birth. It’s sad that while across healthcare generally, professionals and their patients have developed a respectful and cooperative relationship with informed consent at the heart of all treatment, within maternity care there is still some outdated authoritarianism and I do witness it for myself as a doula.
Beverley Beech has set out in her book what women and their families need to know to develop good relationships when engaging mainstream medics into their pregnancy and birth. It will enable women to find out what they need to know to make the best decisions about their care.

This incredible book covers questions like…Can I choose where to give birth to my baby? Why do I have to have an ultrasound examination? Induction of labour – why do I need one? Can I decide who will be with me during my labour? How do I complain about the care I received? This book focuses, primarily, on the maternity rights of women in the UK. Much of the information is also appropriate for those in other high income countries. It sets out to help you to understand your options and rights through all stages of pregnancy, birth, and postnatally. Beverley Lawrence Beech the author, was a birth activist, international speaker and this book is based on 40 years’ experience challenging the over-medicalised, hospital-based, model of childbirth. Most women, trust the system to provide them with the best of care, ‘What is must be best’ and discover, too late, and to their cost, that the care was often based on outdated routines and ‘rules’ to which they were expected to conform. Although women are often told that ‘every birth is different’ and ‘that you can’t plan birth’, there is within the hospital system an expectation that every birth will fit a specific set of rules or guidelines. If your pregnancy or birth is not conforming to the guidelines then you can find yourself at odds with the staff or agreeing to something with which you are not comfortable. This book explains the issues and what choices you actually do have. It is your body, your baby, and you are the one who makes the decisions. The current fashion is for ‘joint decision making’ a subtle phrase that still suggests that the professionals are the permission givers rather than the permission seekers! When, indeed, their role is to discuss with the woman the risks and benefits of any particular treatment or intervention so that the woman can then make a fully informed decision, that feels right for her and her baby. This is not a ‘joint decision’ therefore. Most women expect to have a happy and normal straightforward birth, but there is no way to plan birth but you can plan for how you want to feel in labour and birth. And I tell all my clients that decisions should always be based on feelings…not facts! In which case it is better to be forewarned and forearmed so that you are well-placed to make a decision that feel right for you and your baby. In which case, this book is a must read for every woman. Birth prep, that could involve thinking about what happens if my labour takes a different path? What alternatives are on offer? What questions should my birth partner be asking? I always cover this in my hypnobirthing sessions with clients, to prevent decisions being made under pressure when in the throws of labour. “Am I allowed” is so helpful for this very important part of birth prep, as the book covers all of these concerns.

Thank you Beverley for this wonderful legacy

About your birth rights…

Birthrights is the UK charity that champions respectful maternity care by protecting human rights. They provide advice and legal information to women and birthing people, train healthcare professionals to deliver rights-respecting care and campaign to change maternity policy and systems. Birthrights is the leading authority on the rights of women and birthing people during pregnancy and birth in the UK. Their work is critical to not only transforming the experiences and outcomes for individuals, but also in shifting wider policy, practice and systems.

Birthrights Statement –

Birthrights promotes your right to receive evidence-based care that conforms to the best medical and midwifery standards. We do not promote any particular clinical perspectives in maternity care. These rights are set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The information on our website is factually correct at the time of writing.

Find out more about Birthrights here: https://birthrights.org.uk/factsheets/human-rights-in-maternity-care/

I completed my Doula training with the Alternative Holistic Maternity Training provider WPCTS.

The founder of WPCTS, Nickita Starke, is a passionate voice and campaigner, whose principles are firmly rooted in traditional maternity care that embrace a holistic approach, education, and advocacy for all birthing people. The WPCTS statement “At the heart of our mission lies the commitment to empower expectant mothers and families with knowledge, support, and care that honours the natural process of childbirth and respects individual choices” is the very reason I chose to train with them.

WPCTS’s philosophy rooted in the fact, which views childbirth, “not as a medical event but as a profound life experience, WPCTS offers a sanctuary where women can learn, grow, and feel supported in their journey. We believe in the power of informed consent, the importance of understanding human rights in birth, and the vital role of holistic care in ensuring positive birth experiences”.

THE BEVERLEY BEECH PROJECT 

WPCTS also offer The Beverley Beech Project, formerly known as the WPCTS access fund, as an unincorporated charity to enable low-income families worldwide to access continuity of care throughout pregnancy and childbirth, leading to more positive birth outcomes. The fund also finances scholarships for individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford WPCTS training courses. The Beverley Beech Project is named after the late Beverley Lawrence Beech, a renowned WPCTS ambassador who supported Nickita Starck -founder of WPCTS, throughout her efforts to establish this organisation. Read more about the access fund here:  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-beverley-beech-project?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_location=DASHBOARD&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

As a doula I offer practical and emotional support during pregnancy, birth and the early bonding time with your newborn. I provide support within the scope of a birth doula’s practice, offering non-medical assistance and guidance.
Every birth is unique and I’ll help you to embrace your individuality, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to childbirth. I understand that childbirth can be an overwhelming experience, and that’s why I believe in providing evidence-based information and a holistic approach to understanding the whole process. I’ll strive to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to take control of your birth by making informed decisions that are right for you and your baby.
With my commitment in providing unwavering support to my clients during pregnancy and childbirth, I’ll support you on how to navigate the medical system with confidence to help prepare for a positive and empowered experience where ever you choose to give birth.
As a registered Homeopath, Hypnobirthing Practitioner and Massage therapist, I include these skills in my wrap around pregnancy care package in offering holistic healthcare treatment for pregnancy related mental or physical health issues, I also include a private Hypnobirthing session and therapeutic massage therapy in the comfort of your home.
The transition through pregnancy into parenthood is huge and unknown. My role is to make that transition as easy and as gentle for my clients as possible.
A free discovery call is always available to see how I can help to make your birth experience truly your own.

Get in touch today via my contact page, to begin your prep for the birth that is right for you!

Love Dani xx

The post Am I Allowed.. what every woman needs to know before she gives birth appeared first on Head to Heal.

• A way to prepare your body and mind to awaken your natural ability to give birth physiologically
• A celebration of the miraculous unfolding of the hormone driven  processes of pregnancy and birth
• A philosophy and a global movement that has empowered women to choose how and where they give birth to their baby for more than 3 decades

Active Birth has really evolved for me, in my own understanding, of the intricate process of natural undisturbed birth after I had a euphoric experience in labour when I gave birth to my youngest child in 2012. But globally, three ideas have been present since the beginning: encouraging mothers to use instinctive upright birthing positions; facilitating natural hormonal responses during labour; and empowering women to make their own choices about their births.

“ACTIVE BIRTH is not new. It is simply a way of describing how women the world over have always behaved during labour and birth throughout history” — Quoted from The book “New Active Birth” written by Janet Balaskas. https://www.activebirthcentre.com/about/janet-balaskas/

Reading “New Active Birth” could help you and your partner prepare for and actually experience an Active Birth. Naturally, throughout time and the world over, women have chosen to walk, stand, squat, lie – to move their bodies freely and actively to find the most comfortable positions for labour and birth. It is only we in the west who have the extraordinary notion that a woman should lie on her back in a position that defies the laws of nature and gravity. With Janet’s book, you can learn to develop all your body’s resources to deal with the instinctive experience of childbirth. It is also for partners, teachers, midwives and everyone involved, to help mothers get up off the delivery table and to bring back some of the common sense which has been overlooked by modern obstetrics. I have a few copies of “New Active Birth’ in my lending library and actively encourage clients to dive in to the physical book during my hypnobirthing sessions. The photos alone really do make for lots of interesting conversations!

1. Going with Gravity

In an active birth, a woman is not confined to a bed. She is free to move during labour, and to give birth spontaneously in a position of her choice, according to HER natural birth giving instincts. This instinct is strengthened during pregnancy, as a woman learns to trust in her body’s natural ability to give birth. Active Birth preparation, through regular pregnancy yoga classes, and workshops or courses centred around natural, physiological birth, that you can attend with your partner, helps you to become more confident in your body’s capabilities.

In an Active Birth you will choose your own way to move, and to be still, depending on how you feel and how your labour is progressing. You will instinctively find your own way to make your labour more comfortable, and to help your body to align with gravity during your baby’s descent through the birth canal. This in turn will send a better blood and oxygen supply to the uterus and baby, making birth easier and helping to prevent complications.

2. Releasing your own Birth Hormones

When you are in labour and giving birth, your body produces an ‘internal cocktail’ of birthing hormones, including Oxytocin and Endorphins, ‘the love hormones’ (See my other blog posts about love hormones) These regulate the birth process, stimulating the involuntary muscular responses of your uterus. They also promote attachment and love—in other words, bonding between you and your baby. This dual capacity of the birthing hormones to influence muscular and emotional responses simultaneously is Mother Nature’s blueprint for survival. When you have the freedom to move about in labour in a peaceful and private place where you feel safe, undisturbed and unobserved, you are able to release very high levels of Oxytocin and Endorphins. This makes the birth process faster and easier, as natural relaxants stimulate productive uterine contractions and help you to transcend painful sensations and experience surges in a more positive and powerful way.

Learning how you can optimise this natural production of birth hormones will help you to ensure that birth is efficient and the bonds of love between you and your baby are established from the outset. This primal relationship at the time of birth when you and your baby are transfused with love hormones forms the foundation for your relationship with your child and also baby’s capacity to love. It is the prototype for all their future relationships.

Active Birth recognises that the ability to birth is instinctive to all mammals including human mammals. As your doula, I foster a ‘body centred’ approach which invites you to awaken this awareness during your pregnancy and develop connection with your instincts through your body memory. As you begin to sense the innate ability to give birth that is common to all women, your confidence will grow. Any fears or anxieties will turn to relaxed and joyful anticipation. Even excitement. Imagine that!

3. Your Empowered, Educated Choice

Active Birth places you at the centre of your pregnancy and labour – rather than your birth attendants. By educating yourself about the physiology of birth, Active Birth gives power and control to you – the birthing mother. You will discover that pregnancy is not a medical condition, and that most woman are able to give birth without medical intervention. As a result, you will be confident in making the key decisions about your own birth and how YOU want to experience it. This releases the potential for you to give birth physiologically and naturally, and for you and your baby to benefit from the release of hormones that are present in ‘every facet of love’ (Michel Odent).

This is one reason why many parents choose Active Birth and why, even in special circumstances, it’s always best to stay as close to nature as possible and to restore the physiological connection between mother and baby, so the production of love hormones can continue through holding, breastfeeding and close contact in the weeks and months after birth.

How Can You Benefit From An Active Birth?

First, an Active Birth means that you have freedom of movement. This means that instead of being confined to bed during labour, you are free to follow your body and choose the most comfortable positions, such as kneeling, standing and walking or sitting on a birth ball.

1. When you are upright, gravity helps your baby to descend downwards into the pelvis. This softens the cervix, helps it to be absorbed upwards, encouraging dilation and may shorten labour.
2. This allows more space in your pelvis so it can adjust to the shape and size of your baby’s head as it descends in labour, and open to its widest when you give birth.
3. Your uterus is designed to tilt forward during contractions which makes them more efficient and less painful. Any upright position where you lean slightly forward will have this effect, for example kneeling over a ball or standing and leaning onto a wall or partner, resting on the side of the birth pool, draped over your birth partners lap while they’re seated -they can stroke your arms or hair to offer comfort and encouragement.
4. There is a better blood flow to and from the uterus. The large blood vessels that carry blood to and from the heart run behind the uterus. Blood flows much more easily when you lean forward a little and reduce pressure on these blood vessels.
5. Better blood flow means more oxygen is carried to the baby and more of the main birth hormone oxytocin (which is also carried in the blood) to the uterus and makes it contract more effectively.
6. Birth is a hormonal process. An active birth facilitates high levels of these ‘love hormones’, which is how labour begins by making the uterus contract, gives natural pain relief throughout and helps you to bond with your baby after the birth and promotes the desire to breastfeed for both mum & baby.
7. Research demonstrates that using upright positions such as kneeling forward, makes giving birth to your baby in the final stages easier, more efficient and more comfortable.
8. A spontaneous natural labour is more likely by being active, so the need for chemical induction methods are reduced and the help of gravity by being relaxed, upright and mobile can reduce the need for interventions during the birth.
9. An Active Birth is empowering, rewarding and pleasurable. Both you and your baby are transfused with ‘love hormones’ after the birth enabling you to welcome your baby with so much love and the incredible sense of achievement. I remember that feeling like it was yesterday after giving birth to my last baby (now teenager!) I felt like I’d climbed the highest mountain and wrestled grizzly bears to get there! There was no stopping me once those hormones took over. I was consumed with the desire to labour my way, following my body’s cues and staying connected and strong, feeling that strong sense that my baby new best how she wanted to make the journey of a life time. I trusted my body’s ability at every stage! I still feel that it was my greatest achievement.

Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect from me as your doula………

• Birth prep: I am here to provide emotional support, informational support and guidance during your birth prep. Planning how and where you want to give birth. Covering what to pack in your hospital bag (should you need one), birth plans, guiding you through decision making and information gathering should queries arise.  Even though I can’t make decisions for you, I will support you to get the information you need to make an informed decision about your options and human rights in birth. Also covering postnatal planning and discussing what my support will look like for yourself and your baby, should you need more than the inclusive 2-hour single visit in the 2 weeks after birth. 
• Communication: I ask my clients to agree to maintain open and honest communication throughout the duration of our time together. I’m constantly available for phone and email support, as needed from the date of initial booking, till your baby’s birth. 
• A private Mindfulmamma Hypnobirthing Session (or refresher) is included for you and your birth partner, either in person or virtually. 
• Rebozo techniques to help with pregnancy relaxation, optimal baby positioning and labour relief. Rebozo sifting is a traditional Mexican birthing technique using a Mexican shawl or wrap that’s used to support and comfort pregnant women, particularly during labour and birth. The use of the rebozo is an ancient cultural practice in Mexico (as well as Latin America) that’s become increasingly popular around the world in recent years, especially among doulas and holistic midwives.
• 3 Pregnancy massages. One each week from 38 weeks or Postnatally if baby comes early. 
• Free use of my birth pool should you need one. All you’ll need is to provide your own liner.
• Ongoing support via email, phone calls, WhatsApp or text to help in navigating the maternity system to access information at any point in your pregnancy to help you to feeling calmer and more prepared. Whether you’ve been labelled high risk or given a diagnosis in pregnancy, I’ll help you to explore your rights and discuss your options to make an informed decision about your care. 
• However and where ever you choose to give birth, I’ll give my full support without opinion or judgement. I’ll be by your side to help you prepare for the birth that is right for you. Partners, a friend or even close family members are always welcome at our antenatal meet ups. 

I’m always around to remind you that YOU’VE GOT THIS and I’VE GOT YOU!

Beyond the practical support, a doula offers a sense of reassurance and understanding that can transform your experience. Having someone by your side who truly listens, cares, and responds to your unique needs can make all the difference. Together, we’ll ensure that your birth feels positive, empowering, and truly yours—no matter what path it takes.

I CAN OFFER DOULA PACKAGES DEPENDANT ON YOUR NEEDS AND BUDGET, AS MY PRICES CAN BE FLEXIBLE TO SUIT YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Please get in touch today to discover more about what’s included and how I can help make your birth experience truly your own.

Love Dani xx

Contact

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The main symptom that women report when they have pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is pain in and around their hips and pelvis, especially when:

• walking/standing for long periods,
• bending down,
• climbing stairs, and
• turning over in bed.

This means that it can affect virtually everything you do in a day, which has a major impact on your life! From personal experience, as I had it in my 2^nd pregnancy, it can affect work, caring responsibilities, exercising, sleep and even intimacy with your partner. The pain can be an ache, a sharp shooting pain or a deep muscle pain. You may also have a clicking or grinding feeling in your pelvic joints or in your hips. PGP can affect different women in different ways and it’s not a one size fits all problem. So, choose useful tips that help you, which are not necessarily the same that will work for someone else.

As a yoga teacher, specialising in pre & postnatal yoga, I’ve guided many pregnant clients within my classes to manage the condition by working in a relaxed and comfortable way to build strength and stamina in the surrounding muscles of the legs and pelvis to prepare for an active labour. So, adopting a more mindful movement exercise modality when pregnant can really help to ease the discomfort and manage the condition.

If you have PGP, you may be worried about how it will affect you during birth and how you will cope with the pain. You may have limited mobility and difficulty moving your legs because of your PGP. It’s important to plan ahead for your birth, thinking about your PGP and how it affects you. 

Speak about your PGP with your care provider. It’s important that your birth team understands your PGP so they can support you in your choices. For most women, having PGP does not mean you have fewer options on where you give birth or the type of birth you have.  However, your PGP may become worse if it’s not managed carefully during pregnancy.

As a doula, I have supported women with PGP who have had positive birth experiences at home, in hospital and in midwife-led units, with both vaginal and caesarean births. So, I always work with my doula clients, beforehand, to find a way for them to remain as active in labour as possible, to allow gravity to assist as labour unfolds whilst being mindful of their limitations.

Most women with PGP give birth vaginally. You may be concerned that this will not be possible for you because you are having difficulty moving your legs and changing positions.  With the right support, a vaginal birth can be a good option with PGP, as in my experience when I suffered with PGP in my last pregnancy, I didn’t actually feel the pelvic pain once labour began and it literally disappeared completely after the birth. Apparently, it’s usually quite normal for the condition to disappear once baby arrives.

When you meet up with your midwife, explain how PGP affects you, and what you can and can’t do.  For instance, how wide is your pain-free gap? Your pain-free gap is the distance you were able to move your legs apart before labour without causing pain. Try not to go beyond this gap with any sudden movements or over exertion, as you get closer to labour day.

A good way to look after your pelvis during pregnancy is to control the position of your legs. Can you lie comfortably on your back or side, stand with support, walk with or without crutches or remain in one position for some time?  This will help you and your birth partner to work out which positions maybe more comfortable in labour. Make sure PGP is added to your medical notes and include this information in your birth preferences and personalised care plan. I discuss the condition, in depth, with my doula clients. Together, we explore what works for clients within their range of movement and then I can prescribe gentle mat-based exercises to help build strength in the legs and lower back in order for clients to be more active in labour.

Make use of anything that anyone offers in terms of help at home. This could include shopping, looking after children, or housework. Recognise your limits and adapt your expectations of what you can do while you’re experiencing PGP. People who care about you usually want to help but don’t always know what to do. Little things like maybe popping a do list on the fridge can help direct them on how they can help. I always welcome clear instructions on how I can best support my doula client, so she can be well rested for labour.

Before giving birth:  

• measure how far you can move your knees apart without pain and record this in your birth plan 
• make sure your birth partner and care providers know about your pain-free gap 
• know that the pain-free gap can change when you go into labour.

Labour and birth positions with PGP

It’s helpful to try and stay upright and active in labour. Many women with PGP find it helpful to change position regularly, as this reduces stress on their pelvic joints. Mainly not lying on your back which can enable your baby to move through your pelvis with the help of gravity.

I’ve found these are positions that many women with PGP find helpful: 

• in a birthing pool where you can move and change position easily
• standing or leaning forward on a supported surface like a birthing ball or back of the sofa/hospital bed.
• on your knees or on all fours 
• lying on your side with your top leg supported either by a peanut ball or a willing birth partner to hold your leg in a comfy place.

Water birth

Birthing pools are very popular with women with PGP. The support of the water allows you to move around with ease as gravity is reduced by  60%, and the warmth of the water provides pain relief. In a pool you’re also in control of the position of your legs, so you’re unlikely to move beyond your pain-free gap.  Most hospitals and midwife-led centres have birthing pools. Don’t be discouraged from using a pool because you’re worried about getting in and out. There are ways you can slide into the water with help of birth partners or doula, from the pool’s edge, such as using a high stool or a transfer turntable (which can be turned to give you the right angle to get in).

Even better, giving birth at home means you can be somewhere familiar, surrounded by all your creature comforts, using any helpful equipment you’ve acquired and having your chosen people to support you in a way that feels right for you. You can hire or buy a pool for a water birth at home (and sit in it for pain relief in the days before labour). Enjoy a practice run before labour day.

Additional options for pain relief without medication:

There are many other options to relieve pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. You can try these alongside or instead of medication. 

Massage

Heat and cold

TENS pain relief

Mindfulness and meditation/Deep relaxation

Homeopathy

Acupuncture 

Reflexology

Hypnotherapy

In my experience, as a yoga teacher, my clients usually find that a combination of mindful movement -like yoga, manual therapy -like remedial massage and complementary therapies – including Homeopathy can be better treatment for PGP because, in combination, they will treat the underlying cause of the problem.  Also, complementary therapies may help you in feeling calmer and more relaxed and might make it easier to sleep or deal with the discomfort alongside manual therapies undertaken.

PGP can be safely and effectively treated with manual therapy from an experienced physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor to restore symmetry of movement. It can be treated at any stage during or after pregnancy with no risk to baby. Sometimes failing to treat the pain promptly may result in delayed recovery and on-going symptoms which could last for months or years postnatally. It can also have a significant impact on a woman’s emotional and psychological well-being both during and after pregnancy. SO getting the support you need is key in helping to manage the discomfort to be able to prepare for labour and birth in a way that feels right for you.

If you are experiencing PGP, please know you are not alone. It’s a very common condition in pregnancy.

There are a range of different support services available to women and birthing people. So please do get in touch with me today and see how I can support you with the therapies I offer or you can find some links here for helpful groups and organisations that specialise in PGP support:

The Pelvic Partnership.org.uk offers support and information about pelvic girdle pain (PGP)

Pelvic Partnership Facebook Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/400989677114263

(Their group is moderated by frontline volunteers, it’s a closed group for women experiencing PGP to connect with other women with PGP, to support one another and share tips and information about managing their pain and getting treatment).

Or call me today to discuss your needs. I’m always happy to help

https://www.headtoheal.uk/contact/

Love Dani xx

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Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. The name is derived from the Greek; ‘oxus’ and ‘toxkos’, meaning quick childbirth. It’s known as the hormone of bonding, love, intimacy, trust and connection. Some people call it the ‘cuddle’ hormone, others the ‘shy’ hormone. Oxytocin is released when we feel safe and unobserved. We all know how uncomfortable it is when we’re being watched, even if we don’t know by whom. It’s a primitive survival mechanism and most animals will walk away if you stare at them (apart from my dog Penny!)

We need to be alert in times of perceived danger and being watched is one of those times.

Men and women both produce oxytocin during sex. At it’s peak oxytocin creates orgasm with the release of the man’s semen and helps with contracting the vagina and uterus in the woman to help the sperm swim towards the egg, to assist in conception.

Then in birth, It’s not quite clear what initially starts labour but it is certainly well documented that labour contractions are stimulated by high levels of oxytocin. Labour progresses as oxytocin increases and as oxytocin increases the contractions get stronger. World renowned Obstetrician Dr Michel Odent famously calls birth and the first hour of life ‘the first peak experience of love’

During childbirth it’s very important to feel unobserved and safe to help oxytocin increase and labour to carry on smoothly, hence why many mammals will seek a hidden, small, dark, quiet space.

“What makes a baby births a baby !”

I call this The Lion Effect. You cannot be calm and stressed at the same time. It would be a potentially dangerous situation if you were really chilled out and relaxed when around cats but then couldn’t be bothered to run away from a lion! Stress hormones over ride oxytocin to keep you safe. But stress hormones slow or can even stop labour progressing. So my role as a doula is to be aware and notice things in a woman’s birth space that are triggering her stress response, before they become a problem. Different things stimulate stress hormones; being watched; hunger; feeling cold; bright lights…to name a few. Even questions and intellectual conversation stimulate the thinking part of the brain which also inhibits oxytocin. Hush tones and keeping talking to a minimum are key when protecting a birth space.

Interesting fact : The chemical makeup of oxytocin includes 12 oxygen molecules. The chemical makeup of adrenalin, on the other hand, includes just three molecules. This is one of the reasons why breathing slowly and deeply helps us to calm down and relax. Mindful breath work is something I teach in my hypnobirthing classes as a way to turn focus inward, creating a calm, sleepy feeling when thinking of the birth. When practiced regularly, meditative breathing becomes easier and more natural to enjoy in labour to calm your mind and allow your body to open as your baby moves down. Long, slow exhales help to turn your mind inward where the beautiful secrets of a new life reside.

The highest peak of oxytocin in mum and baby comes immediately after birth

In an undisturbed birth, a mother’s oxytocin levels sky rocket! Holding your baby in your arms, looking into each other’s eyes for the first, with skin-to-skin, stimulates a massive release of oxytocin. With the mixture of oxytocin, endorphins and the milk hormone prolactin, the effect on you is an intense amount of love, dependency and new mothering behaviour directed straight at your baby. In an undisturbed birth, your baby also releases high amounts of oxytocin and endorphins… the two of you become equally dependant and loving towards each other from the first time your eyes meet.

My baby looking into my eyes for the very first time

Another interesting fact about oxytocin; it helps regulate body temperature by redistributing heat from one place in the body to another. During breastfeeding the blood vessels around the breast are dilated by oxytocin so that the baby can keep warm while they feed. Interestingly, this also happens in fathers when they hold their babies.

When there are high levels of oxytocin in the body the reaction to pain diminishes. By feeling safe, calm and relaxed, oxytocin makes an animal (or human) slower to respond to pain. This is important as feeling safe, warm, private and loved during childbirth helps to lessen the experience of pain. It’s not that the pain has gone necessarily, it’s just that it takes on less importance in the body. The natural production of oxytocin also stimulates endorphins, the body’s amazing pain relieving hormone (it’s actually as strong as the drug morphine). A mother’s oxytocin crosses the placenta and stimulates a hormonal reaction in the unborn baby to quieten their brain ready for delivery. Baby also produces high levels of oxytocin and endorphins during birth, keeping them calm and ready to cope with the naturally reduced oxygen supply during contractions. When synthetic oxytocin is injected into the blood stream during labour, the feedback mechanism is broken and the body stops producing its own supply. Synthetic oxytocin increases uterine contractions but does not produce the same emotional/behavioural effects. Synthetic oxytocin is also harder to control. Natural oxytocin releases in bursts with rests in between. Synthetic oxytocin is released into the blood stream as a constant flow and it’s effects last much longer than the natural hormone, sometimes producing stronger and longer contractions making labour more painful and putting the baby at risk of distress and oxygen deprivation. Im not a fan of the ‘normalising’ of the chemical induction of labour and the growing rate of the routine induction of labour in the UK is becoming a huge concern.

As well as creating calm, bonding, love and healing, oxytocin stimulates the hormone prolactin straight after birth. On a physical level prolactin is responsible for the production of breastmilk and on a behavioural/emotional level it produces mothering instincts and behaviours. Oxytocin also stimulates growth, not only by promoting the development of mammals as a whole but also by accelerating the healing of wounds. Oxytocin heals and rejuvenates mucous membrane, and produces anti-inflammatory reactions. How wonderful for your body to provide such an amazing natural healer straight after birth.

Mother nature at her finest!

Love Dani Xxx

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