Most women dread and fear the pain of childbirth, but I want to encourage you today that it doesn’t have to be painful.
I know friends, as well as moms who took my Kingdom Childbirth Class who actually had pain-free labors. And I believe that’s the way God intended it to be!
Now I’m not saying that my friends who had pain-free births felt nothing. It’s just that they didn’t feel anything they would consider “pain.” They would tell you they felt intense pressure, a lot of stretching, and powerful intensity. It was a lot of work, uncomfortable at times, and one of the hardest things they’ve ever done. But they wouldn’t say it was painful. (Hear Alexis share about her pain-free labor here).
So today I’m going to share 4 steps to this kind of pain-free labor!
*Now for the record, this won’t guarantee you a pain-free birth. There are a lot of factors that contribute to labor pain that sometimes we can’t do anything about – like a posterior baby who won’t turn. And there are more steps than the ones in this post that are important for a pain-free birth (I cover many of those in my online Kingdom Childbirth Class).
But for today, here are 4 important and powerful steps you can take:
1. Ask For and Believe God for a Pain-free Birth
God doesn’t desire for any of His daughters to suffer in pain during labor. He created childbirth to be a blessing and love gift for you to enjoy! (Watch this video to hear more of His heart for your birth and this video on what really happened at the fall regarding childbirth.)
Jesus took all our sickness and pain on His body on the cross so that we could be healed and free – and that includes labor pain!
Sometimes we don’t experience the gift of all that He died for because we don’t really believe that He died for certain things and made them available to us. And if we don’t believe they are something His heart wants us to have, then we don’t ask for them. And when we don’t ask for them, we don’t receive them. (You do not have because you do not ask God – James 4:2)
So I encourage you, ask God for a revelation of His heart for your birth! Understand what He paid a high price for you to experience, and then ask Him to experience the fullness of that gift during your birth. Ask Him for the desires of your heart for you labor – including it to be pain-free! So many of my friends who experienced pain-free labors simply believed and asked God for one. He LOVES to answer those prayers!
If you want help understanding His heart for your birth and believing for a supernatural, pain-free birth, come join my online Kingdom Childbirth Class. I also encourage you to check out the books Supernatural Childbirth and God’s Plan for Pregnancy.
2. Welcome Your Contractions
Sometimes contractions feel painful because we are resisting them. Even without realizing it, we start to tense up and resist the sensation. Unfortunately, this is counterproductive and not only makes the contraction much less effective, but also makes it much more painful.
So when a contraction starts, take a deep welcoming breath in and welcome it to your body as you think:
Welcome contraction! I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for opening me up. Thank you for bringing my baby down. I’m so glad you’re here and I fully embrace you and surrender to you and all that you’re doing in my body.
It’s like you give it this warm, welcoming hug and then fully relax and surrender into it.
I can’t tell you how many moms once they got the hang of this said that their contractions changed from feeling very painful to just a lot of pressure, but no pain.
To see me demonstrate how to do this, click here to get my free video series “My Top 3 Tips for an Amazing Birth.” Video #2 walks you through how to welcome each contraction.
3. Relax Each Part of Your Body (Roving Body Check)
It’s amazing how a mom might think that she’s relaxing through contractions, but after doing a roving body check down her body, she realizes that she’s actually tensing parts of her body. Maybe her jaw is tense, or her shoulders, or her forehead. Once she realizes it and is able to relax those areas, contractions suddenly start feeling way more comfortable, and sometimes even pain-free.
So what is a roving body check?
Have your partner start at the top of your head and slowly scan down your body to see any places that don’t look fully relaxed. He might gently touch each area that he sees tension in and as he does, that’s a cue to you to relax that area. Or, he might just say lovingly “Relax your forehead. Relax your shoulders. Relax your arms. Relax your feet. Etc.
I’ve done this many times as a doula for a mom in labor and it’s amazing to watch her go from moaning strongly through contractions to suddenly saying, “Oh wow, these aren’t that intense anymore.” It’s not that the contraction is less intense, it’s just that by fully relaxing her entire body, the pain level goes down because nothing in her body is resisting it.
It’s great to practice this full body relaxation during pregnancy so that when labor starts, you already know how to do a roving body check and quickly relax every muscle in your body. It’s like muscle memory and your muscles know how to go into instant relaxation mode.
Relaxing to the Holy Spirit Labor Relaxation Album is a great way to learn how to do this during pregnancy. In track 3 of the album, I walk you through the steps of relaxing each part of your body and inviting Holy Spirit’s peace and rest into every muscle. The album comes as part of my Kingdom Childbirth Class, or you can buy it separately here.
4. Raise Your Endorphin Levels
Did you know that God actually designed your body to release natural pain-killers during labor? He’s so awesome! These amazing hormones are called endorphins and they serve as a natural narcotic and opiate. And the wonderful thing is that as labor intensifies, your endorphin level increases as well. So as long as there’s no interference of things like medical painkillers or stress or fear, your endorphin level should always match the level needed for the intensity of labor at that stage.
God knew what He was doing, Mamas!
So here are a few ways to increase your endorphins during labor:
- Smile and laugh. The physical actions of smiling and laughing release endorphins in your body. So keep the atmosphere lighthearted and fun. Watch a comedy during early labor and ask your husband to crack jokes now and again if the atmosphere is feeling too serious. I told my husband that one of his jobs during labor was to make me laugh as much as possible :).
- Refuse to stress or worry about anything. The release of stress hormones will block the release of endorphins, so release your fears to God ahead of time and choose to trust Him with each situation that arises during labor. Here’s a great game to play to help you let go of your stress and fear.
- Keep a positive attitude. A positive attitude releases endorphins, so surround yourself with an encouraging, positive birth team and chose to look on the bright side of whatever situations arise during labor. Celebrate each centimeter that you dilate instead of focusing on how far you still have to go. Look for the good in each situation and the little gifts that God is giving you and how He is showing up (even if it’s not playing out the way you had hoped). My Heavenly Birth Kit has a lot of great tools in it to help you create a positive atmosphere for your birth (including Scriptures to put up on the walls and encouragement cue cards for your husband if he’s feeling lost as to how to encourage you or what to say).
- Ask God to bless your endorphins! I would totally ask Him to bless your endorphin release and to give you supernatural levels of endorphins during your labor! Not only will it decrease your pain, but it will give you an amazing sense of euphoria and a glorious “birth high” that so many moms experience who have unmedicated labors. I experienced this in my last birth and it was so heavenly! (You can hear that story here).
So there you have it – 4 steps to a pain-free birth! I pray that these tips radically bless your birth!
And you can find more steps towards a pain-free birth and info to empower you for a beautiful birth with God in my Kingdom Childbirth Class. I’d love to connect with you there!
To your beautiful birth,
Kierra