Endorphines are 10x stronger than morphine!

Did you know that? Its incredible isn’t it, that our own bodies natural painkiller is actually more powerful and potent than the pharmaceutical drug morphine. During a physiological birth our birthing hormones play a very important part. There are three key hormones that come into play.

‘The big one’ – Oxytocin or otherwise known as ‘the love hormone’ this is vital for start of contractions progression of labour completion of birth and even present afterwards once baby is here!

‘The pain relief one’ – Endorphins are our bodies pain relieving hormone, this is triggered often by the flow of oxytocin, the more oxytocin is produced then the more endorphins will be produced. Their job is to reach our brain before the feeling of pain does…clever huh?

‘The fight or flight one’ – Adrenalin is also a powerful hormone and is produced in our bodies to keep us safe from danger, in small amounts it is okay, it usually rears its head during transition. However, if too much is produced it can consume Oxytocin and Endorphins which means they won’t work as efficiently. Our bodies can’t be adrenalised and relaxed at the same time.

So the key in hypnobirthing is to be able to use tools to stop too much Adrenalin being produced and focus the mind more on the relaxation response to help to keep Oxytocin and Endorphin levels high within the body. Other factors are focusing on a feeling of safety, calm and being in a setting that helps produce melatonin (so in dim lit rooms or darkness) Environment plays a big part and creating your nest of comforts is powerful in keeping you feeling comfortable and safe.