Nature’s Labor Hormones: An Abundant Flow of Endorphins

Photo Credit: Sandra Seitamaa

Your birth environment sets the stage for orgasmic or ecstatic or supernatural or euphoric birth—What we call it doesn’t matter, but we know it when we experience it!

The birth environment includes the physical space that surrounds us, the people who are supporting us, and the external sensory stimuli we are exposed to (lights, sound, touch, texture).

An optimal birth environment is, quiet, dark, calm, relaxing & low stress with only those people we deeply trust and feel safe within their presence. External stimuli is kept minimal and only includes that which we welcome.

In this environment, our bodies’ innate birthing wisdom is able to most effectively activate.

Here are nature’s birth hormones:

Oxytocin – peak levels are necessary for optimal birth effectiveness. It also protects your baby when the uterus is very active & restricting blood flow to your baby.

Beta Endorphins – the natural opiates of labor that create a feeling of euphoria. It’s a part of our innate pain-relieving system.

Catecholamines/stress hormones – these can slow, stop or stall your labor when the mother feels fear or stress. It’s nature’s way of protecting a birthing mother and her baby from harm during labor (think of the millennia spanning human history and birthing where predators may have shown). But in the final stage, these hormones arrive in order to allow the fetal ejection reflex (natural expulsive reflex) to occur, giving mothers an extra surge in energy. This is why you might shiver right after birth, as the stress hormones subside.

Prolactin –gives mothers a heightened sense of protective instinct, and makes us acutely aware of sound and movement around our babies.

With the help of nature’s hormones, an ecstatic, orgasmic, euphoric, supernatural birth is absolutely possible, provided medical caregivers do not intervene in the physiological process.