Breaking the fear-Tension-Pain cycle of labour & birth with hypnobirthing

The Fear Tension Pain Cycle in labour & birth

It’s completely normal and natural when you think about birth, to think of the word pain. It’s a product of our modern society, of our western culture. It’s what we see the portrayals of labour and birth in the books, films, newspapers, tv dramas and soap operas we have seen through the whole of our lives. It’s the dramatic (and sometimes pretty horrific) birth stories we have been told by friends, relatives, colleagues, even random strangers on the bus. This fear and the pain is embedded deep in our minds. It’s not our fault. It’s a product of our time and culture.

Sadly we rarely hear, see or read the other side. The straightforward, physiological, some might say ‘boring’ birth stories. Ones that were pretty ‘uneventful’ (well except of course for the birth of a whole new human!!). Or ones that were actually uplifting, magical, empowering, positive and so full of love and joy. The ones that women and their partners actually looked forward to - yes really. Yet this is what birth can be for everyone - something positive, something to approach with confidence, something to look forward to. Something that is very much first and foremost a ‘human’ event, rather than viewing it a ‘medical’ one.

So what if you could let go of the fear that you feel about giving birth to your baby? How would it feel to be actually excited about giving birth? How does learning how to let go of the fear change the physical experience of birth? Well that’s where hypnobirthing come in. Read on to learn more.

Why do some women experience pain?

When we experience fear, our body's response is to release adrenaline and to tense our muscles in preparation for a ‘fight or flight’ reaction. This is an automatic, physical response to fear from our brain, that we can't control. It’s a primitive mammalian response to fear, helping to protect us from the unknown, it’s a survival instinct.

​The problem is that when our muscles are tense when we are trying to use them, we often experience pain. So as the uterus is made up of layers of muscle, and the process of labour is those muscles contracting and relaxing to open the cervix (hence the word ‘contractions’ you may heave heard) if you have physical tension in your body (because you are fearful) those muscles do not work as well or as efficiently - and cause feelings of pain. Then this feeling of pain generates more fear (“oh no I knew it would be painful, how will I cope for the rest of labour” -cue even more fear), and our body becomes increasingly tense as a result, which causes....yes you’ve guessed it - more pain. This is called the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle. 

This cycle was first discovered, or discussed, in the 1930's. Simply put it says that when there is fear, the body tenses. When the body tenses, it amplifies pain. When pain is amplified, it confirms our fears and we become even more fearful, and the cycle continues. A painful, fearful and long birth is not what any pregnant woman wants. But we can break this cycle with some effective tools and techniques.

Breaking the cycle - how it can be different with Hypnobirthing...

So how can you break the fear-tension-pain cycle? Well it’s actually quite simple, if you know how. And that know-how comes through the birth education and techniques I will teach you of hypnobirthing.

If we can release all that fear and anxiety about labour and birth in pregnancy, then we are far less likely to experience pain in labour (or at least it will be far less strong). So with on my unique hypnobirthing and birth preparation courses we use simple to learn yet brilliant techniques rooted in hypnotherapy (the science of the mind and words) to release fear, and we learn the skills we need to put our body and mind into a totally relaxed state. This benefits us both in labour and in pregnancy too. It stops you spending your pregnancy worry about labour and birth. When you remove fear from the cycle, then your mind has no need to worry and your body has no need to produce stress hormones and to tense the muscles, and so no reason to interpret sensations as pain. By letting our muscles relax, we also make it much easier for our body to do what it's designed to do and birth our baby. And labour can take less time, as well as being more comfortable and less painful - it’s all good!

To also reduce fear further, we want to educate ourselves and become knowledgeable of the birth process and what the range of "normal" looks like. So in my Hypnobirthing and Birth Preparation Courses we look at the process of what is happening in your body and why it’s happening in labour so you and your birth partner really understand whats happening so you can connect and trust your body more. We look at how to make decisions that are right for you, we look at the science and facts (ie the truth, not myths and misconceptions - we’ll bust quite a lot of those) , I show you how to work with your midwife and other health care professionals in a partnership to increase your knowledge and confidence. By feeling knowledgeable and informed, and working in partnership this will also lead you to be empowered, and you will feel empowered to make the best decisions for you and your baby during labour, and you will feel empowered to trust your body and the birth process more.
Another way to reduce fear in labour and childbirth is to have a solid support system around you. Having a brilliant birth partner who is also totally understanding the process, is attentive, and knows what their (really important) roles are will help you to feel safe, calm and confident in labour and birth.
And having trust in your support system, your amazing birth partner, the process of birth and most of all YOURSELF and your amazing body. Trust your body, trust your baby, and trust the process! And on my Hypnobirthing course you’ll learn how to do that too.

In addition to help the body release tension you will learn so many brilliant techniques - such as breathing techniques, touch & massage, hydrotherapy (bath/shower/pool), heat, guided relaxation and visualization, aromatherapy, movement and active birth (to name a few) to help relax your body and release tension. So by learning these relaxation techniques in advance of childbirth, and spending time practicing them - we know and feel confident in what works for our body and so that we can implement these techniques with ease and without much effort during labour. And these are all techniques you’ll learn and have resources on in my unique Hypnobirthing and birth preparation courses.

In summary

Fear - it’s normal to feel fearful about birth (our culture sadly assumes this). But with strong birth education and by attending a complete and unbiased birth preparation course (I can help you with that), and building your knowledge you can come to understand that birth does not have to be painful. Labour and birth are not scary, if you understand what is happening in your body and why.

Tension - fear leads to tension and tightness in your whole body. A tense body means that your contractions can feel way more painful.

Pain - understanding the amazing process of birth, how your body was designed so brilliantly to cope, and learning brilliant hypnobirthing comfort measures to help with discomfort, can hugely help you cope and approach birth confidently and calmly. Without fear, and actually look forward with excitement!

So, armed with this information, I hope that you feel more equipped to prepare yourself for the experience of labour and childbirth, and to experience it in a way that is not only manageable, but can be positive, calm and empowering. To learn all the techniques to break the fear-tension-pain cycle then do come along to on of my Hypnobirthing & Birth Preparation courses.

Susan xx

Of course please drop me an email with any questions susan@formodernmothers.com, or head for more details to these pages of my Hypnobirthing courses in York website.