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Surrendering to birth: 5 things every expectant mom needs to know

What happens when a mother gives birth? Visualize a laboring woman working very hard. The primitive part of her brain releases hormones, such as oxytocin, endorphins, and prolactin -- just the same as all other birthing mammals. As this woman is laboring and giving birth, there is an instinctive mechanism of self-protection at work within her body. When she is laboring effectively, she is "not with us." Minus her normal inhibitions, she does things she would never do -- scream, cry, shout, curse.

Any situation where there is a high

peak of oxytocin -- giving birth, coming to orgasm, milk ejection -- will require that a woman feels secure. Just as with any sexual experience -- and birth is a sexual experience -- inhibition can take place. And just as it is impossible to make love when you feel insecure, it can also be impossible for a woman to open up and give birth in an environment where she does not feel safe and comfortable. The birthing woman needs first and foremost to be protected.

How can you help to protect the birthing woman? There are many ways to reduce the activity of the neo-cortex, the "brain of the intellect" -- protecting the birthing woman, and allowing her to surrender any remaining inhibitions to the power of birth.

1. Privacy. It is crucial that the birthing woman not feel observed. We accept the fact that privacy in non-human animals giving birth is a basic need. An animal giving birth will postpone the birth until she feels safe and protected. A human mother also needs to feel safe and secure to birth normally. Too many people can inhibit the behaviors that will make for an easy birth. A birthing woman may feel more comfortable if those present at the birth stand behind, rather than in front of her. She might be most comfortable giving birth, cradled in the loving arms of her partner.

2. Quiet. Language stimulates the neo-cortex. In a hospital setting, a birthing woman may be asked precise questions that are impossible to answer without using the neo-cortex. A woman's partner, midwife or doula can play the role of protector, answering questions, outside the room if possible, for the birthing woman.

3. Darkness. Bright lights also increase neo-cortical activity. Dim or turn off the lights. This is another way of allowing the birthing woman to tune in to her inner resources rather than focusing on the world outside.

4. Presence of a mother figure. We know that women throughout the world feel a need to be near their own mother, or a mother figure, who makes them feel secure when giving birth. In Japan, many women move in with their mother prior to the birth. Originally, the midwife represented the mother figure -- the prototype of a person with whom a birthing woman could feel protected and secure. Even some mammals, like elephants and dolphins, give birth surrounded by others. They are not there to help or to watch or to guide. They are there to protect the birthing mother.

5. Freedom to follow her instincts. Women in labor find ways to protect themselves. A birthing woman may go to the bathroom and lock the door to be alone. She may shower, assume a hands-and-knees position with her head down, cover herself with a blanket, or close her eyes. When a woman does not feel observed, she can spontaneously assume a comfortable position. Without even needing to think about it, the birthing woman finds a way to let go and give birth.

Today we have forgotten what normal birth can be like -- when sensory stimulation is reduced, and there is no one around but a low-profile Midwife or Obstetrician. We have so many ways of observing birth -- video cameras, tape recorders, and electronic fetal monitoring. A birthing woman knows she is being watched, and her bodily functions are constantly monitored. Could this be the cause of our increase in labors that "fail to progress" and our operative births?

To say that the basic need in giving birth is to feel secure and well protected is quite clear. But for the birthing woman, it isn't always so black and white. What makes one woman feel secure may be very different from what another needs to feel protected. Some women feel secure in an operating room with equipment surrounding them while others are only secure in the comfort of their own bedroom.

A birthing woman does not need guidance or help or support. Most of all, she needs to feel secure and protected. This is universal.

NOTE: This article is written from notes taken at an inspiring talk given by Dr. Michel Odent , speaking at the Midwifery Today Conference, Sept. 1997. Dr. Odent is a French Physician and an internationally known pioneer in the field of birth. His books, lectures, and work have influenced birthing women and their health care providers around the world.