Breathing Oxygen During Birth to Eradicate Pain

I am exceptionally lucky. I have a beautiful, healthy four year old daughter - Elise - and am now 23 weeks pregnant.

I am also a huge advocate of calm, natural birthing.

(I found an old blog post that I wrote after Elise was born that outlined my first natural, water birthing experience. If you want to read about it click here.)

What I learned during my first birthing experience was how important oxygen really is. My hypnobirthing teacher taught us this simple - yet highly valuable - nugget of information:

When you are fearful, oxygen leaves your muscles and rushes to your vital organs 

 (your heart, your lungs, your brain). 

Consequently, oxygen leaves your placenta and uterus.

This is the simple fight or flight reflex that we humans have to protect us from perceived threats.

However birthing is no threat. It is the most natural thing in the world. As natural as breathing is. As natural as digesting food is. As natural as crossing your legs or blinking your eyes.

The female body is phenomenal and capable of phenomenal processes - why would birthing be any different to any other process that your body performs perfectly well?

My personal birthing bible - Hypnobirthing, The Mongan Method

When a pregnant mum is fearful then, oxygen rushes away from her uterus. In Hypnobirthing - The Mongan Method, Marie F Mongan explains how this process causes pain:

"... blood is directed away from it (the uterus)... this causes the arteries going to the uterus to tense and constrict, restricting the blood flow of blood and oxygen. Labour and birthing midwives have told me of seeing uteruses of frightened birthing women that are white from lack of blood, just as a person who is experiencing extreme fright often has the blood drain from their face."

Then she goes on to explain why this lack of oxygen - to arguably the most vital organ of your body during birth - causes pain. I've added some italics to emphasise her point:

"With limited oxygen and blood, vital to the functioning of the muscles in the uterus, the lower circular fibres at the neck of the uterus tighten and constrict, instead of relaxing and opening as they should. The upper vertical muscles continue to attempt to draw the circular muscles up and back, but the lower muscles are resistant. The cervix remains taut and closed." 

Essentially, fear is what causes the pain. When fearful, birthing mums have low oxygen and blood surrounding the uterus. When contractions occur and when baby's head is 'banging on the door' to come out it is greeted with a stiff, tightly wound up cervix. Little wonder pain is experienced.

In hypnobirthing, breathing oxygen in and around baby is crucial:

• Breathe deeply (there are numerous techniques - read the book!)
• Breathe into your uterus
• Imagine you are oxygenating the muscles around your uterus
• Imagine these muscles are soft, supple, fat, pink and full of blood and oxygen
• Breathe deeply some more!

Breathing effectively is vital to a calm, gentle birth that ultimately is so rewarding and truthfully includes very little to no pain.

Love and hugs
Rebecca x