By Diane Epperson - Postpartum Doula

By Charity Eyre Wright - Childbirth Educator

In our culture, childbirth is often described as “the most painful experience there is.” Birthgivers routinely take this as truth and brace themselves for suffering. 

But is this truth? Is giving birth painful?

Pain is defined as “physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury.” Pain is a warning message our bodies send to our brains when something is wrong - when tissue is injured, chemicals are released that stimulate pain receptors and send signals to the brain to trigger responses to protect the body. 

In the absence of complications, then, is giving birth painful? 

Certainly and absolutely, the physical sensations of labor and delivery are intense. But they are not a signal that something is going wrong in our bodies - in fact, the opposite is true. Experiencing strong uterine contractions and the sensations of stretching tissue required for a baby to come through the birth canal means something is going right! Our bodies are doing the incredible work of birthing a human being! 

How birthgivers mindfully approach the concept of pain can make a huge difference in birth experiences. 
​

It may sound pretty “crunchy” to declare that feeling cozy love in labor will affect the mechanics of birth. But this is a clear physiological fact: the more oxytocin, the more labor progress - and the more intimate/private/relaxed/cozy environment, the more oxytocin. 

Indeed, birthgivers can tremendously influence their birth experience by keeping the oxytocin flowing. 
Here’s some of the top tips I share in my childbirth classes for doing this in a hospital setting:

Cultivate privacy and familiarity through:

• Inviting only trusted people in the birth space.
  Communicate thoroughly with your care provider, partner and other support people during pregnancy. On birth day if there is a nurse in the birth space that detracts from the birthgiver’s sense of good vibes, ask for a switch.
• Bringing familiar comfort items from home.
  Wear your own clothes rather than a hospital gown. Put your own pillowcase on hospital pillows. Bring a cozy blanket you love. 
• Dimming the lights.
  Just bringing the lights down can make a huge difference in how a hospital room feels to a birthgiver - and to their hypothalamus creating oxytocin. 

Encourage intimacy and love through:

• Receiving hands-on support from a loving birth partner.
  Physical touch can strongly stimulate oxytocin production. Try deep massage, light rubbing or stroking of the skin, hand holding. You can also experiment with more intimate touch like kissing, nipple stimulation and caressing erogenous zones. 
• Hearing words of affirmation.
  Verbal emotional support keeps the love hormone flowing. Determine what types of affirmations or mantras make you feel the most cared for, loved and safe. 
• Fostering some connection with loved people, places and things that are not present in the birth space.
  Some birthgivers get a flood of oxytocin from looking at a picture of their toddler or their puppy, others flow with the love hormone when visualising a favorite peaceful place or thinking about an activity that brings them joy. 

Promote relaxation through:

• Music.
  Harvard research has shown that music can increase oxytocin levels. Some birthgivers want serene spa music in their birth space and others like to get pumped up by upbeat pop music. 
• Movement.
  The same research out of Harvard also indicated a strong link between bodily movement and oxytocin release, and staying mobile relieves tension which blocks oxytocin flow. 
• Meditation and mindful breathing.
  The more relaxed our bodies are, the more our parasympathetic nervous system can work to send signals of safety to our brains. 

Birthgivers can be hugely empowered by their ability to promote oxytocin production in their bodies. If you are giving birth soon, what’s your plan to keep the oxytocin flowing? 
​

About the author:
Charity Wright teaches childbirth classesin Utah County. “Your Empowered Hospital Birth” is a holistic hospital birth class offered as a comprehensive five-week series and a one-day essentials. Charity shares information and tips with her students around labor comfort measures, breathing techniques for unmedicated birth, moving and positioning for labor, the impact of an educated birth partner, and much more. Attendees of “Your Empowered Hospital Birth” leave classes feeling prepared and excited to experience physiological birth in the hospital. You can learn more about Charity’s classes here. 

Through my first birth, I learned that patience and timing are everything and that cervical dilation is no indication of imminent birth. I was 7 cm dilated at 38 weeks, yet not in active labor. Not knowing what to do, I waited around to see if magically labor would start. When it didn’t, my husband and I were so anxious from waiting to see what would happen that we just went to the hospital. I was admitted, and interventions were thrown my way. My OB broke my water, then started me on pitocin, then I received an epidural. Fortunately, all went well and I delivered my healthy baby boy the next morning. 

The questions that keep swirling around my brain at those memories are: What if I had waited? What if I said no to the interventions? What if? 

Knowing that doesn’t help change the past, I’ve let those feelings simmer. 

Then my second birth happened later than I had hoped and expected. Being pregnant at 41 weeks is no walk in the park. I was anxious for my son to be born, since his brother made his debut 2 weeks early. Finally, we set an induction date when labor, once again, did not happen spontaneously. Again, my water was broken, pitocin was administered, and I received an epidural. This experience was different as the OB on call allowed me to pull my son out to my chest and I watched his gradual entrance into the world with the help of a mirror. It felt so empowering! But I knew there were choices I had left up to others to dictate how the labor went. That didn’t settle well with me either and again I had questions such as, “What if …?” I learned again that patience and timing are everything and I learned that there was much more to be understood about birth that I still didn’t grasp. The last thing I learned was that a medicated birth can also be a beautiful, wonderful, empowering experience.

Then my third birth happened and I decided I wanted to try without the epidural and hoping upon hope I would spontaneously go into labor. Without a plan for how to handle the contractions, it was tougher than it needed to be. Labor stalled when we were admitted to the hospital and then I allowed my midwife to break my water. After that, things finally picked up. I tried hydrotherapy and then moved out of the tub as I went into transition. My husband and midwife did all they could for me as I reached completion. I don’t remember how long I pushed, but it wasn’t long before my beautiful daughter was placed in my arms. It was hard. I didn’t have the glorious, empowering feeling I had with my last birth. I was focusing everything on getting through the contractions, and without a guide, mind you. I learned that I should have prepared better and should have had a doula. ​

By the time I was pregnant with my fourth, I had a deeper grasp of childbirth, the stages of birth, comfort measures and the importance of knowing your choices and making informed decisions. I was so ready to take on this one (possibly final) challenge of birth and of making the choices that were best for me, my baby and my body. I took a childbirth education class from my doula. And yes, I hired a doula. Because of timing and circumstances, I chose to be induced. That wasn’t the first choice I had made. I was well-trained by that point, working with my health care providers as I navigated gestational diabetes, potential Intrauterine growth restriction, or IUGR, of my baby and choosing not to be induced sooner than was necessary. I already felt empowered before even stepping foot into the delivery room. 

With my induction, I was prepared to make even more choices, even though there were some restrictions. I felt my voice was heard and I labored how I wanted and then, when the time came, pushed how I wanted. I grasped the shoulders of my doula and husband, stood up on the bed and pushed and squatted my baby boy out into the world. It was incredible. I felt so strong and so capable. ​

That amazing birth experience gave me the strength I needed through my postpartum time. That first year was challenging, but because I knew I had already done incredibly hard things, I knew I could push through and endure these additional hard things. 

I’ll be forever grateful for my transformational birthing experiences. My hope is that every mom can have that same feeling from the births she has. 

My other hope is that every woman can feel the eternal pull of the divine role of motherhood. Motherhood is eternal and the joy we feel as mothers will continue beyond this life. ​

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up. I may even still be figuring it out. :)

After high school graduation, I headed to college, thinking I would study English and get an editing minor, and would spend my career ridding the world of comma splices, bad grammar, and sentence fragments. After not too long, though, I decided I wanted to make a gentler, more inspiring impact on the world. I switched my major to Elementary Education and graduated with that degree.

After teaching for a couple of years I realized something important about myself: I do not have the patience to manage the behavior of large groups of small children all day. At the end of my second year of teaching, I also gave birth to my twin daughters, which kept me busy for a while. :)

In traditional cultures around the world, strong traditions of postpartum food prevail: warm, easy-to-digest food is prepared for new parents as they recover from giving birth.

In modern U.S. culture, we've unfortunately stepped away from the wisdom of many of these traditions. While some attention is given to prenatal nutrition, many new parents aren't given a word of counsel about how to feed and nourish themselves during the weeks following birth. (The textbook I consulted while writing this post had 12 pages of information about prenatal nutrition, and only 5 pages about nutrition and lactation, and didn't address general postpartum nutrition at all!)

Giving birth is a whole-body process that affects every body system, including your digestive system! Being mindful about appropriate postpartum nutrition is crucial!

Let's go over some essential nutrients to include in your diet during the weeks and months after giving birth.

Protein plays an essential role in physical recovery postpartum. The main function of dietary protein is building and repairing tissue in your body. So if you had a perineal tear during your birth or you had a cesarean birth, it's especially important to have an adequate protein intake as you recover. Protein can also be lost from your body due to increased bleeding, inflammation, infection, and physical stress, so there's good reason to focus on prioritizing protein in your postpartum diet!

As a general guideline (for all healthy adults, not specifically postpartum), protein should make up 10-35% of your daily caloric intake. If, for example, you eat 2,000 calories each day, 200-700 of those calories should come from protein. Another recommendation is that you eat 0.8 g of protein for every kg of your body weight. For instance, if you weigh 150 lbs, that is equivalent to 68 kg. 68 x 0.8 = 54.4, so you should aim to eat at least 54.4 g of protein every day.

Protein also helps build up your immune system to keep you healthy while caring for your new baby! And protein plays essential roles in carrying nutrients throughout your body and balancing water and pH levels inside your body.

So, what are some good sources of protein? Protein sources are categorized as complete or incomplete. Complete protein sources contain all nine amino acids that your body needs to carry out its functions. Complete protein foods include eggs, milk, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, and soy (which is the only plant-based complete protein source.)

Incomplete provide some of the amino acids your body needs, but not all. Incomplete protein sources include grains, legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, and seeds. These protein sources need to be paired with a complementary protein source in order to meet all of your body's protein needs. For example, if you eat legumes and grains (think beans and rice) together, these two incomplete protein sources form a complete protein.

Other protein combos that result in a complete protein include legumes and seeds (e.g. eating chickpeas and sunflower seeds in the same meal) and grains and dairy (e.g. whole-grain cereal and milk, or yogurt and granola).

What's your favorite protein source? Do you prefer eggs, poultry, seafood, beans, or chickpeas? Are there other protein sources you love? Pick out a few favorites and keep them well-stocked!

Vitamin C is also an important nutrient that promotes healing and supports immunity. As you recover from giving birth and care for your baby, make sure to load up your diet with good sources of vitamin C! Some options include brussels sprouts, broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cantaloupe, mustard spinach, strawberries, oranges, and kiwi.

Like Vitamin C, zinc boosts your immune system and helps your body heal damaged tissue. As you recover from giving birth, be sure to include sources of zinc in your diet. Oysters are the best dietary source of zinc, so if you love seafood, enjoy some oysters! If oysters aren't your thing, all meats are high in zinc. For non-meat sources, nibble on some pepitas, almonds, or peanuts. Legumes like chickpeas and beans also provide zinc, and all of these foods are great sources of protein as well!

Preliminary studies show that having sufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (specifically DHA) is protective against postpartum depression. Omega-3s also increase mental focus and decrease inflammation. As a bonus, if you're lactating, high Omega-3 concentration in your milk will help your baby's brain and vision to develop! So, what are some good sources of omega 3 fatty acids? The most common source is fish (and fish oil supplements), including mackeral, salmon, herring, oysters, sardines, anchovies, and caviar. Not a fan of seafood? Flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts, are also good sources of omega-3s. You can also opt for omega-3 fortified eggs or dairy products or swallow a high-quality fish-oil supplement.

Iron stores can become depleted during pregnancy and birth, so the postpartum time is an important time to replenish your iron stores. It's estimated that 10-30% of postpartum women experience iron-deficiency anemia during the postpartum period. If you have symptoms of iron deficiency, such as fatigue, depression, and altered cognition (memory loss, trouble concentrating or understanding), be sure to see your medical care provider to monitor your iron levels.

​As a guideline, though, everyone should prioritize iron during the first months postpartum. Iron-rich foods can be found in most food groups: most meats are good sources of heme iron (beef, ham, turkey, chicken, pork, etc.), as are eggs. Many seafoods provide iron, including shrimp, tuna, oysters, clams, and mackerel. Vegetables and fruits can provide non-heme iron, too! Non-heme iron isn't absorbed by your body as easily, so you need to eat more of these plant-based iron sources. Load up on spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, strawberries, watermelon, prunes, dried apricots, and more! Whole-wheat and enriched grains also provide iron, and tofu, beans, lentils, and blackstrap molasses are other sources.  And cooking in a cast-iron skillet boosts your iron intake as well!

After you give birth, there are so many demands that pull on your time and energy, primarily your sweet new baby! But remember, that you, too, are being reborn. Take time to care for yourself and your physical body as you recover and adjust during the postpartum period. Fuel up on foods that will replenish your body--it's one way to tell yourself that you matter, too!

Cpt, M. G. M. R. (2022, June 24). Postpartum nutrition: A guide to healthy eating after giving birth. Nutrisense Journal. https://www.nutrisense.io/blog/postpartum-nutrition-eat-healthy-after-giving-birth

Leung, B., & Kaplan, B. (2009). Perinatal Depression: Prevalence, Risks, and the Nutrition Link—A Review of the literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(9), 1566–1575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2009.06.368

Lindberg, S. (2020, July 31). Postpartum diet plan: Tips for healthy eating after giving birth. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/postpartum-diet#guidelines

Reinagel, N. D. M. (2024, February 20). Top 5 nutrients for Postpartum recovery. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/top-5-nutrients-for-postpartum-recovery/

World Health Organization (2016). Iron Supplementation in postpartum women. [PDF]. In WHO
Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.  https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/249242/9789241549585-eng.pdf?sequence=1

Yahya, N., Teng, N. I. M. F., Das, S., & Juliana, N. (2021). Nutrition and physical activity interventions to ameliorate postpartum depression: A scoping review. PubMed, 30(4), 662–674. https://doi.org/10.6133/apjcn.202112_30(4).0013

The first time I ever visited a chiropractor, I was 36 weeks pregnant. I'd been waking up for my middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks with SO much pubic bone pain that I had to wake my husband to help me walk the five feet to the bathroom.

I waddled into her office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, feeling very pregnant, very uncomfortable, and very desperate. At the end of my appointment, I stood up and walked to the door. I realized that, for the first time in weeks, I wasn't doing my pregnant waddle! I was SO much more comfortable. My pubic bone discomfort (symphysis pubis dysfunction, also called SPD or pelvic girdle pain) was minimal. I visited her for the last few weeks of my pregnancy and was extremely grateful for her specialized care.

And I'm certainly not the only prenatal chiropractic success story!

A doula friend of mine had a client who had been in early labor for three and a half days. She was having contractions, but they just weren't forming a pattern to lead to active labor, opening of her cervix, and birth of her baby. On day four of early labor, she went to a chiropractor (the fabulous Dr. Nick Shelton at Shelton Chiropractic in Salem, UT), and within five minutes of her appointment, her contractions were strong and regular. Her baby was born 6 hours later!

When I asked for prenatal chiropractor success stories in a birth group on Facebook, my post was flooded with comments.

One mom said, "My chiropractor knew I was working hard for a VBAC so he was a key part in that for me. I saw him weekly my entire pregnant and it always gave me some relief from the pregnancy related aches. Then in my last 8 weeks, he saw me twice a week and would focus more on adjusting my hips so we could get the baby in a good position. The consistency of my visits not only helped me stay active my entire pregnancy but I also had a very smooth delivery and a successful VBAC! I completely credit a part of it to my chiropractor."

Another mom shared her story of how she'd barely been able to walk due to SI pain (pain at the sacroiliac joint, where the spine joins the hips). She visited Timpview Chiropractic in Orem, UT. After chiropractic care, she was able to walk and stay active during the rest of her pregnancy and birthed a 9 lb baby!

​Still another mom shared how uncomfortable she'd been during her pregnancy, suffering from general pain and sciatic pain. Her chiropractor was able to reduce her general pain and eliminate her sciatic pain. Now pregnant again, she's made regular chiropractic care at Renegade Chiropractic part of her self-care, and she's able to stay active as a student, at work, and as a mom.

There were too many stories shared for me to recap all of them here, but I'll share one last story about how a chiropractor was able to help a client have a successful VBAC:

"My chiropractor is the reason I was able to have a VBAC. My baby in a sunny side up orientation was no match for stalled dilation; but once my chiropractor adjusted my back, and aligned my hips, my baby was able to drop and rotate into a more optimal position. I labored for 26 hours, got adjusted, and had our baby 90 minutes later at the birth center."

At this point, you're probably thinking, "are they magic? How are chiropractors so effective at minimizing pain and speeding up labor?"

During pregnancy, labor and birth, your baby descends into your pelvis. The pelvis is, in my opinion, the coolest-shaped bone in the body. Check it out:

Technically, it's two bones: the ossa coxae (singular: os coxae), that meet the sacrum (the large bone at the base of your spine) in the back, your left and right femurs (thigh bones) on each side, and come together at the pubic symphysis in the front.

Along with the muscles of your pelvic floor, your pelvic bones are responsible for holding much of the weight of your growing baby and body throughout pregnancy. As your baby grows and your body accommodates baby and grows as well, sometimes the pelvis can get a little out of whack, or misaligned, as chiropractors would say. Your spine can also get misaligned during all of this growing and stretching.

One way chiropractors work their magic is by re-aligning any misalignments in your spine and pelvis, which in turn helps your whole body work together more effectively. This also creates optimal space for baby to rotate and descend during labor and birth.

This is not my field of expertise, so from here, I would invite you to reach out to some of my favorite chiropractors serving Utah County who specialize in care during pregnancy. They are also great resources for pediatric chiropractic care and see kids as young as newborns!

If you're looking for a prenatal chiropractor in your area or more information about chiropractic care during pregnancy or for infants and kids, check out ICPA or Utah Pediatric Chiropractors. For more amazing resources about physiological birth and how your positioning, alignment, and body balance impact your comfort during pregnancy and your baby's descent during labor, check out Spinning Babies.

Wishing you a well-aligned pregnancy and birth!