Oxytocin is the birthing hormone. When the time is right and baby is ready, the journey of birth begins, Oxytocin flows and the womb contracts. Oxytocin works opposite adrenaline. The body won’t produce oxytocyn and adrenaline at the same time.
In order to keep oxytocin flowing, we need to keep adrenaline low. We need to keep stress and fear out of the birthing room.
We are mammals. We have the same hormone system as all the other mammals. When it comes to giving birth, we require the same and oxytocyn is at the top of the list!
A woman in labour needs to feel safe. She must be warm and she needs privacy. Oxytocin will flow and labour will progress. Just like other mammals, in labour we need to feel secure and relaxed.
When adrenaline and stress are low, the feel-good relaxed hormone will flow and surges will arise which will bring baby. The more oxytocin we produce, the more likely labour will be straightforward. The environment in which we birth and the people that are with us in labour all contribute to how we feel. How we feel directly impacts our hormones. Supporting a woman to be relaxed and calm in a safe place is the role of the birth partner.
But oxytocin is not JUST the brith hormone. We produce oxytocyn when we fall in love, it comes in orgasm, it is there when we laugh, when we relax with a lover or family or friends, it is there when we nurse our babies and it is there were we soothe our children and each other.
Once our babies are in our arms, oxytocin is the bonding hormone. We feel lovingly attached to our babies and this is the result of oxytocin. When we understand this, its role in postnatal wellbeing is obvious. A new mum, in order to recover and recuperate after the huge energy expenditure of pregnancy and birth needs support on many levels. Feeling safe, relaxed, loved and well fed and watered helps her to produce oxytocyn as she gets to know her baby. This will nourish mum and baby as she settles into motherhood.
Oxytocin fuels the ‘calm connect’ part of our nervous system. Being in ‘calm connect’ is the opposite to the well known stress response ‘fight or flight’. But ‘calm connect’ is not just the absence of stress, in calm connect, something switches on. Oxytocin fuels a vast system that works through the blood stream and links important control centres in the brain. Its influenced by and influences classic neuro transmitters serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. All these are connected to our sense of well-being.
When we switch into ‘calm connect’ we feel relaxed, we feel safe, we can connect easily with others. When we are in ‘calm connect’ we can be more empathetic, generous and compassionate. In fight or flight we are in survival mode. In calm connect we can really thrive together.
So how can we support oxytocin production?
We can do it together. Coming together in a safe and relaxed place is a great place to start. Moving gently to release tension and become more present will help us to be more aware of how we feel. Breathing practices that help to calm the mind can soothe the nervous system and can lower stress hormones and create space for the feel good hormones to flow. I bring all of these factors into all of my classes. In Fertilty Yoga we get super relaxed and present — this can be priceless on the fertility journey. In Pregnancy Yoga we can fall in love with the tiny heart beat beneath our hands as we breathe and we relax deeply. In Baby Classes we massage with loving touch, we sing and we celebrate our journeys into motherhood. Postnatal Yoga we press the RESET button through movement, breath and deep relaxation. Oxytocin flows through the work I do - Micheal Odent taught us all that ‘Oxytocin is the scientific name for LOVE and the Beatles taught us that really “All you need is LOVE” …