Pain: Its Purpose in Childbirth

“The point...is not birthing without pain. The point is to birth with LOVE and CONFIDENCE, without FEAR, without unnecessary INTERVENTION, and with a supportive team who shares your birth vision. The wonderful side-effect of this type of gentle, mother-centered, empowered birth is more pleasure and less pain.” – Lauralyn Curtis HBCE

I have always believed in natural childbirth.  At one point, I found myself not being able to articulate why though when friends and others would ask me why I don't just go for the epidural...seems like a simple decision right?  Pain or no pain?


The obvious reason why a lot of women choose to have an epidural is because of FEAR of pain.  The fear is created by births dramatized by Hollywood on tv and by the tendency we have in our culture to tell birth horror stories.  I know when I was pregnant with my first, I had people try to convince me that there was no way I would be able to handle the pain and that I had no idea how intense it is.  And they were right...I hadn't experienced it before, so how would I know whether or not I could handle it?  Luckily I had other people and resources that I received positive affirmations from that gave me the confidence to go with it.  Affirmations like, "Your body is meant to do this!"  "You are strong!"

That is probably the first step...changing our mindsets about what we are capable of doing.  Fear does not come from God.  God created the process of birth and every aspect of it, even the pain, has a purpose.  I do not think He intended for us to fear it.

One article I read was quite the eye-opener. It is called The Value of Labor Pain.  Yes, value...the pain is beneficial!  Imagine that.  Here are a few key points from the article:

• People are afraid of pain because technology has made life so easy for us now.  People used to work through all sorts of weather and it was a part of life and they knew how to manage.  Now we expect a remedy for anything uncomfortable so we don't even know where to start when there is a pain we have to face. 
• The pain of labor is what tells the woman how to move in order to create the best path for the baby to make its way out of the woman's body.  (So if you are forced to lie on your back with monitors hooked up to you then, yes, the pain is not so beneficial anymore.  You need to be free to move about and choose different positions in labor.)
• Pain plays a key role in the production of hormones that allow labor to progress. There is an AMAZING "orchestration" of various hormones that interact that I cannot summarize here so check out an article like this one or this one.  I also wrote another blog post on Hormones. Basically, removing the natural pain of labor affects the production of other hormones creating a domino effect that lead to the production of oxytocin, the "love hormone."  Nature has made it so that we will fall in love with our babies at first sight!  Just leave nature alone at is will amaze you...mess with it and you will have a mess to deal with.  
• Pain makes you want to complete the process so that you can find relief.  For me, I felt a great sense of determination that would not have been present if it weren't for the motivator, pain.
• Pain is an element of personal transformation.  

"In the process of bringing forth life, the woman herself must surrender her own will.  She comes to the point where her inner resources are exhausted and she says, 'I give up.  I can't do it.' In this moment she finally abandons herself to the amazing forces which are overpowering her body, and somehow transcends her personal limits.  As a result, her strength is increased forever.  She will need this strength and self-confidence in raising this child.  At the moment the child is born, so is the mother."

There are so many types and shadows about the birth process and life itself.  Just like trials, we don't pray for them...but then we also thank God for them because they serve a purpose far beyond our vision that is sometimes seen in hindsight.  They make us strong. 

Another point to consider is what the research tells about the risks of epidurals. This article called "The Hidden Risk of Epidurals" is fantastic.  If you choose an epidural, at least don't do it not knowing.  This is my favorite quote from the article, 

"Epidurals and spinals offer laboring women the most effective form of pain relief available, and women who have used these analgesics rate their satisfaction with pain relief as very high. However, satisfaction with pain relief does not equate with overall satisfaction with birth."

When you choose and epidural, just know that you may also be giving something up.

On another note, I do believe that there is a time when epidurals or other medicated pain management is good and necessary.  For example, if a woman is so emotionally and physically exhausted in labor that she cannot continue and just needs a break, she may need an epidural.  I have even made that mental note for myself because I don't want to be so against it that if I ever came to that point I would regret it or fight it because of pride...it's okay!  A woman should not have to feel guilty about birth decisions, but she will feel better if she makes the decision after being educated and active about the decision, not because of fear.  I do not like to hear someone say before they have even tried labor that they want an epidural because they don't think they can do it.

"There is a secret in our culture and it is not that birth is painful but that women are strong." - Laura Stavoe

Search within yourself and find that strength...it is there!  I have doubts at times but there is one being that never doubts me and that is God.