Physiological and Physiologic births are terms currently on the rise thanks to the vast access to information that exists today. You may be wondering though, what exactly is a physiological birth? Why should I have a Physiological Birth? How can I optimize my chances of achieving a physiological birth? Well, today I am going to tell you, and you will have plenty of tips to walk away with as well!
What is a Physiological Birth?
Now we hear a lot of talk about physiological birth, but what is it? To paint the picture, I want you to first think of two dancers working together to create a beautiful story through their movement. They move together as one unit, but are separate bodies with their own steps.
Their separate steps only work to elevate the moves of the partners, and both are necessary to create the dance. The room is undisturbed as they create perfection through their movements. This is physiological birth. It is an undisturbed dance between mother and baby, as they navigate the movements of each other’s bodies in order for new life to be born in vibrancy.
Now, let’s say someone put a mop in the middle of the dance floor, and now the dancers have to change their steps in order to navigate around the mop. Their dance is now disturbed, and every step they now take is impacted by the fact that someone left this dang mop out.
This is what a non-physiological, disturbed birth would look like. One in which interventions, both big and small take over the birth dance, disrupting the steps of mother and baby.
Key Indicators of a Physiological Birth
Here are a some of the key indications of a physiological birth:
- Natural Pain Management- Similar to a natural birth, a physiological birth does not use any form of medicine to manage pain. Instead, it focuses on natural things such as breathing techniques, touch, water, and mindset.
- Spontaneous Onset of Labor- Labor is not hurried along by castor oil, nor is it induced by pitocin. Instead, mother and baby wait until they are both ready for labor to begin, allowing for the proper response to the changing positions and stages of labor. Would we throw dancers out onto the stage if their bodies were not prepped and strengthened ahead of time? No, this would lead to injury.
- Freedom of Movement- Mother is free to move the way her body tells her to, because she is the expert in her own birth dance. Imagine if a coach jumped up on the stage mid-performance to correct the way a dancer was holding her arms. This would throw a big wrench in the performance.
- Labor Progression that is Uninterrupted- Neither mother and baby are sped along in the labor process via breaking of waters, medicine, etc. Instead, they are allowed to move in time, the way that both of their bodies need. What if in the middle of a dance, the music suddenly sped up x10? The dancers would no longer be able to keep up.
- Birth is led by the Mother- The mother gets to listen to the cues of her body and baby, following along with what is internally happening. Anyone else present gets to support her in following her instincts.
While there are several other markers of a physiological birth, and there are many immediate postpartum indications of a physiological birth as well, these are the main ones I will point out for now. I think you get the idea though. Physiological birth centers around the undisturbed birth dance of mother and baby, where complete trust is put into these two dancers who were designed for this.
Why Should I have a Physiological Birth?
If you want a natural birth, I strongly recommend going to extra mile to have a physiological birth. There are so many benefits to this, it is hard to begin scratching the surface.
- As a physiological birth optimizes the physiology of mom and baby, there will most likely be less tension experienced, optimizing the body’s relaxation and pain-relieving hormones. This can lead to a less stressful experience, and even more manageable contractions.
- In regards to the physiology of baby, the baby to can most likely transition smoother after birth, as well as navigate the birth canal with greater ease.
- Mom and baby are not separated after birth, leading to improved bonding and breastfeeding outcomes.
- Mother is less likely to experience bad tearing that is more likely to be seen in a disturbed birth.
- There is a decreased risk of instrumental delivery, episiotomy, and cesarian sections.
- Mother has decreased risk of Postpartum Hemorrhage and Postpartum Mood Disorders.
- Mother will most likely get to experience the “Birth High” which occurs through the cocktail of hormones that runs through body throughout the birthing process.
As you can see, there are so many benefits to a physiologic birth, and this is barely even scratching the surface. I would recommend reading Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr. Sarah Buckley in order to dive into the research behind this!
How can I optimize my chances of achieving a physiological birth?
The physiological birth process is a sacred time for mother and baby, which also means it is fragile and can be disrupted easily. Therefore, it is very important to protect. Doing the work before hand can help ensure that the birth space is protected for physiological birth to unfold in the dance it was designed to be.
- Educate and Prepare Yourself: This is the best way to optimize your opportunity to have a physiological birth, by educating yourself on the process and prepare for it! Learn the process of natural/physiologic birth for yourself so that you can optimize the environment that you birth in, leading the birth process. This includes learning about risks and benefits of routines tests/interventions, learning pain management techniques, and watching/reading/listening to other physiological birth stories.
- Work on Your Mindset and Learn to Let Go: Your brain is the most important organ in the physiologic birth process. By working on the mind to trust in your body and trust in the process of birth, working through your fears and previous traumas, your mind can be optimally in tune for your birth. Learning to let go and surrender to what happens is key.
- Choose a Supportive Birth Team: The birth team you choose is absolutely key to achieving a physiological birth. It can be hard to be in tune with the birth dance if you are surrounding by medical professionals, partners, doulas, mothers, etc who do not trust in the innate wisdom of your body. Choose a team that complete trusts in your ability to birth your baby on your own terms, and a medical team that completely honors your autonomy.
- Choose to Birth in an Environment that Supports your Physiology: Equally as important as choosing a birth team that supports your physiology is choosing an environment that supports your physiology. If you are birthing in a hospital, what are their policies? What are their c-section rates? Will you be allowed to decline any intervention that you wish? You can ask similar questions of your birth center and homebirth team’s policies. Also, think about the lighting and overall ambience of your birthing space. Do you feel capable of having a full body massage there? How about taking a magical nap?
- Optimize Your Physical Health: Since my specialty is in holistic wellness, you know I can’t leave this conversation without mentioning the importance of optimizing your physical health. You can optimize you hormones, tissues, baby’s health, energy, and more through following after the 8 Pillars of Wellness that I discuss in this post. While physical health is not everything, it can play a large role in achieving a physiological birth.
Recap
A physiological birth upholds the physiology of mother and baby. It is a very beneficial way to birth, and there are also many tools that can be used in order to uphold it.
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