Babies are very active during the labor process. This is an aspect of Labor and Delivery that is often overlooking by both the caregivers and the parents. It seems to be the standard view point that the physiology of the mother alone and her efforts alone are the only determining factor throughout the weeks leading up to delivery (as her body gets primed for the event of birth) and during the actual labor and the delivery process. I find my clients are very surprised when I tell them how the baby is also working very hard and that the discomfort the mother is experiencing the baby is also experiencing. After all, the baby is the one trying to wiggle through the birth canal.
As the baby grows in utero, he is getting bigger and bigger. As the due date nears things tend to get very uncomfortable. The space in the uterus begins to become very tight and uncomfortable for the little one. Out of this discomfort (of being squished) the baby will turn itself to the most comfortable position (so that he can have more wiggle room) via head down into the pelvic bowl, facing the sacrum. I imagine it is a huge relief to find a space in mommy’s tummy that has a little more room! After some time that position just gets too scrunched and that is when she will begin to try and straighten her legs, pushing towards the only direction that seems to give a little when she stretches. This is when the contractions begin.
The baby works very hard to navigate the birth canal. Of course his movements are not as fast as an adult would be, when faced with the opportunity to act. Babies’ brains registered what is happening 10 times slower as the adult brain. That means, her journey is a slow integrative process: by taking much time to orient to the contractions, navigating when it gets too uncomfortable, then using the strength of the legs to turn and push forward, to pause and rest in a slightly more comfortable situation until the discomfort becomes again to much to handle, then slowly turning, using legs to push, so on and so on and so on until she is free in the open, born.
Because the baby’s Nervous System is experiencing all the physiological responses as mom you can imagine how fear, confusion, lack of support and emotional overwhelm could have an impact on the baby’s ability to navigate the birth canal. Intense emotion of confusion, fear and overwhelm create contraction and unnecessary holding in the mothers body which mid-wives and OB’s call the sphincter law. When the sphincters in the mothers body are contracting out of fear, confusion and overwhelm this is going to stall labor and create too much of a physical barrier for the little one. Pitocin and cervical ripening agents that are used to augment or speed up labor are also going to make the contractions more violent and can compromise laboring pace and safety for the baby. Babies need slowness, they need time to orient and they need to be able to navigate birth in their own time. This is important for brain health and the ability to navigate uncomfortable situations and transitions later on as an older child and adult.