Before I talk about why your birth environment is so important, I'm going to tell you a short story about the first birth I had the privilege of being present at. The first birth I ever witnessed was as a student midwife at a homebirth. We had not long arrived at the house and it was the start of our shift. The labouring woman was in her tiny little bathroom on all fours with the midwife behind her and also on all fours wedged between the toilet, the sink and the woman. My mentor turned to me and told me that if I wanted to see the birth, I was going to have to get into the bath. To begin with, I thought she was joking but she kept motioning toward the bath. Luckily the bath was empty so that's what we did. I and my mentor quietly climbed into the bath to watch the most magical birth. This is definitely an experience I will never forget.
This is such a common scenario at a homebirth, maybe not the midwife and student in the bath part but certainly the birthing person in the smallest most private room possible, usually the bathroom.
So why is it that this seems to be the place that people in labour tend to gravitate towards? Let us think for a moment about how mammals birth. You often hear of people creating a wonderfully comfortable space for their cat to have their litter, only to find that they had their kittens in the middle of the night while nobody was watching, usually, underneath some kind of furniture in the darkest and dingiest corner, they could find. Mammals need to feel secure and like to give birth in dark, quiet and private areas where they feel unobserved. These things are true of all mammals, including humans. This is why it makes sense that we would want to retreat to the most private place we have in our homes, which is usually our bathroom. This is where we go for our most private moments and it has a lock on the door so we can ensure that nobody can come in and disturb or observe us.
In order for your labour to start, it is vital that you are releasing the birth hormone Oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates your uterus/womb to contract. Oxytocin makes your surges (contractions) both effective and efficient which is essential for your labour to progress. Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone and is released at our most special times – when we are falling in love and during lovemaking. It is a shy hormone and in order to support the release of Oxytocin, you need to feel secure and unobserved. The more that you can do to support this environment the more you will allow your body to do what it is perfectly designed to do. This is why regardless of your birth setting, creating the perfect environment for you is particularly beneficial.
You can create YOUR perfect birth environment no matter where you decide to birth your baby. This could be at home, at a birth centre or even in the hospital setting. Below I share some tips on how you can do this.
When thinking about how you can create this perfect environment, I would recommend that you try to stimulate all five of your senses. So, let's take a little look at each of these now and explore what you can do in order to satisfy each of them.
Smell – Use essential oils such as lavender or your favourite pregnancy-safe scent. You can use them as a roll-on for the wrist, add a few drops to a tissue or even use them as a pillow spray or room spritz.
Sight – Dim the lights, put up pictures of your favourite people and things, put up affirmation cards, use an eye mask, and use battery-powered candles or fairy lights.
Sound – Listen to your favourite music or calming music, listen to recorded affirmations, listen to guided relaxations, meditations or hypnosis scripts.
Taste – Have little treats of your favourite things to drink or eat such as a little bit of chocolate to nibble on or a jelly baby (if you are diabetic make sure that you have suitable snacks and drinks). These will help you to stay hydrated and energised.
Touch – Make sure that you are wearing things that are comfortable. Other things that can help with this sense are TENS machines or asking your birth partners to use techniques such as gentle stroking or massage.
By transforming your setting to a place where you feel comfortable, calm and relaxed you are creating the ideal environment to release your wonderful birth hormones, and ultimately creating the perfect environment for you and your baby.
I would love to hear about the things you are planning to do to create the most perfect and special environment for your birth, or if you’ve had your baby I'd love for you to share anything that you did to help to create your perfect birth environment.
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