Harnessing the Power of Oxytocin

By Charity Eyre Wright

Most birthgivers are aware that in labor their uterus will contract and their cervix will open. 

But what causes uterine contractions and cervical dilation? What actually makes these things happen so babies can be born?

The answer: Oxytocin - a powerful natural hormone that, when understood, can be harnessed for an efficient, positive, and empowering birth. 

Oxytocin is a chemical substance produced by the hypothalamus - the “hormone headquarters” in the base of the human brain. This hormone is what “tells” a uterus to contract, which pushes a baby down towards the birth canal and encourages the cervix to open. 

Oxytocin is what makes birth happen. 

(Note that pitocin, which is administered via IV in a medical induction of childbirth, is artificial oxytocin - a man-made replica of the hormone.) 

Oxytocin is nicknamed “the love hormone” because it is produced and pumped through the bloodsteam when (and usually only efficiently when) a person is experiencing loving care, safety and privacy in a familiar, intimate environment. Along with playing a vital role in childbirth, oxytocin is also responsible for regulating romantic attachment, sexual arousal, and orgasm. Yep, hormonally speaking, the way the baby got in is the same way the baby will get out!

The really cool thing about oxytocin is that its production and flow can be greatly influenced by environmental factors. Birthgivers can actively create conditions that encourage its release, and therefore keep labor moving towards the relief and euphoria of birth.

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? 
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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.