Why screaming during labour isn’t necessarily the best thing to do.
Why do we hear so many women scream during labour?
*Disclaimer - Please read the whole blog post. Whilst I outline why screaming can be a waste of energy, I also very much acknowledge that you should listen to your body and make whatever sounds feel helpful for you, this may include screaming at points.
All that we ever see in the movies when someone gives birth is them lying down on a bed, screaming in pain. So it makes sense that screaming during labour is the best thing to do then? We see it all the time, so it must be helpful?
This isn’t necessarily true, screaming during labour isn’t always the best thing to do…let’s take it back to basics.
We usually scream when we are scared of something, not necessarily because we are in pain. Think about someone who is scared of spiders, they scream when they see a spider, not because the spider has hurt them but because they are fearful.
Screaming is a survival instinct, it warns others of danger and also alerts our brain to danger, which then activates fight or flight mode.
When we go into fight or flight mode we produce adrenaline that can stall and slow down labour if it’s experienced at heightened levels.
Why screaming might not be useful during labour?
Substantial amounts of screaming wastes vital energy that we need. If you scream for long periods of time it consumes all of your internal strength and we know that the uterus muscles need this energy / strength to work efficiently.
BUT…
You might moo like a cow, roar like a lion or wooo like a whale
Birth is primal and instinctive, so some people find themselves making all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds like groaning and grunting. Actually, these deep and often loud sounds can be really beneficial and far more useful than screaming.
Instinctive, primal sounds during labour can be a form of pain relief
Mooing, roaring, grunting and groaning can actually help to produce a hormone in our system known as beta-endorphins.
Endorphins increase our own natural pain relief and are said to be 200 times stronger than morphine. The constant sound of mooing or groaning signals to our brain that we are safe, which then releases this wonderful hormone and can help with producing our body’s natural supply of pain relief.
It might sound like you are birthing on a farm during labour but go with it.
You should always listen to your body, this is key…
If you find screaming beneficial (some people do at the very end of labour) then that’s absolutely fine, however, you might find that building your confidence about your upcoming birth helps you to lean into these primal noises that can be really beneficial for you.
Of course, you should always listen to your body and do what it tells you to do but instinctively you may be more likely to groan or moan or even moo (I was a moo-er).
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