Active Birth--Revised Edition: the New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally by Janet Balaskas

Author:Janet Balaskas [Balaskas, Janet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harvard Common Press

It is common to feel frightened during transition—after all, you are about to give birth, and to see your baby for the first time! Many women feel that they cannot do it, or even that they may split apart or die. This irrational fear is sometimes not even conscious. Michel Odent calls it "physiological fear"; he believes that this fear just before giving birth has a useful function in raising the level of adrenaline. Whereas earlier in labor adrenaline could inhibit the work of the endorphins, now it has a useful function in helping to trigger the involuntary expulsive reflex of the second stage, which Odent calls "the fetus ejection reflex." He believes the attendants should not overly reassure or disturb the mother at this stage. In his observations, if she is left more or less alone to experience this fear, a quick and efficient expulsive reflex usually follows.2,3

During transition you may feel very thirsty. This unusual thirst, together with the dilation of the pupils that is common in transition, is a sign of an increase in adrenaline. It is helpful to take sips of water, or to suck on a natural sponge—women often experience a primitive sucking reflex during labor.

Bathe your face with a face cloth rinsed out in cold water to refresh yourself between contractions.

For some women, being completely alone in a darkened room can help to get through this stage. Others need sensitive, nonintrusive support.

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