Recently while I was at the beach, I found myself sitting watching the waves. ON this day the waves were very calm and slow. Just the day before they had been quite rough and almost dangerous. My brain started to think and reflect upon birth and labor.
We are conditioned to think that we NEED contractions to be fast and furious. We are told they MUST be 2-3 minutes apart and over a minute long to produce a baby. And as I sat and watched the waves, these calm slow waves, it hit me!! The tide was still going to come in. Even with very little wave activity, the tide would still come in.
In my mind I often equate labor pain and waves as very similar. There is the start , the height and then the ride down. This is known. This is unavoidable. This must happen.
BUT, do we NEED the peak to be super crazy high and out of control? Do we need the contractions to come so close together to bring about a healthy baby?
As I was thinking these thoughts, I was reflecting back on my last doula client’s birth. This Momma was in control. She stayed on top of her contractions. She rode the waves like a seasoned surfer. (She was a first time momma). As each contraction came, she relaxed down into it and took it on head first.
y the time we got to the hospital Momma was 8 cms, and still in control. BUT! Momma was only contracting every 6-9 minutes!! How could this be? How could she get to 8 cm and only contract 6-9 minutes apart?
Momma went on to achieve a drug free beautiful birth. All with contractions that never got any closer together. Now this goes against everything we are conditioned to know. But it goes back to simplicity. Simply put, if left alone, our bodies know what to do. If left alone, our bodies will get the baby out. If left alone, we CAN achieve our goals.
Much like the ocean… it can be rough and have waves coming back to back.. or it can be still, and only have a wave here or there. Either way, the tide will come in and go out. In much the same way, our body will get the baby out……