Somewhere along the way we have lost sight of the fact that women were made to birth, and their bodies are perfectly designed to do so as birthing is a natural physiological function, it is just that we don’t do it very often in our lives! Following are some of the amazing ways a woman’s body is adapted for the birthing process, along with some wonderful things the baby’s body does too.The hormone Relaxin, secreted in the later stages of pregnancy, does the following things to help make birthing easier:
- Allows walls of vagina to be lubricated, expand and become smooth (Mother)
- Helps to soften the uterus and spread the pubic region (Mother)
- Causes baby’s ligaments to relax and the body become more flexible (Baby)
- Weakens amniotic membrane causing it to release (Mother)
- Loosens mother’s ligaments, allowing the front pubic bone to move forward (Mother)
- Prostaglandins begin to be secreted which trigger the start of labour by initiating oxytocin which causes uterine surges. (Mother)
- During the surges, the muscles of the uterus work together with the increased levels of blood in the blood vessels between the layers of muscles, to move the baby down. (Mother)
- The cervix thins and opens gently to allow the baby to move down and be birthed. (Mother)
- The baby’s skull is not fully formed at birth. This is to allow for the bones to move around and fit the birth path beautifully. The plates generally settle back and join up within the first 18-24 months of the baby’s life. (Baby)
- Once the baby is born and put to the breast, hormones are released in the mother which encourage the placenta to detach and be expelled naturally with a few surges. (Mother and Baby)
Contact us on beth@sheffieldhypnobirthing.co.uk
