In this episode of Taking Back Birth, I discuss a chemical you definitely want to have in your pregnancy. You’ll discover how to get more of it!
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Podcast (taking-back-birth): Download (Duration: 46:48 — 75.4MB)
Meet the duo behind Indie Birth
We are mamas and midwives who decided to do birth differently– and bring others along with us. We are radical, fun to work with, and great at (lovingly) calling people on their bullshit to help move us all towards a new more beautiful world. With 12 children and over two decades of midwifery between us, we’ve learned a thing or two along the way, and Indie Birth is our space to share it all with you.
Margo and Maryn
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wow! i like it a lot. Oxytocin, i learned something new today. Thanks.
i love huging too. ! i wanted to experience to be pregnant by my fiance. i want to feel his love and support during pregnancy and birth. i guess to recieve oxytocin from him.!!! wow. i can even feel it, now. crazy feelings.
where can i take thoese classes? sounds amazing.
good luck to you and keep us posted.
thank you for your time.
You are welcome! Yes, oxytocin and the other hormones of birth are amazing and help us understand, I think, why birth works so well most of the time! For more info on our online classes, go here: http://www.indiebirth.com/how-to-have-an-indie-birth/
Great episode! I have a question though, that I’ve actually been wondering about for a while: how does oxytocin get distributed around the room during a birth? If it’s a hormone, it should only be able to travel through the bloodstream- right? How is it released from the body and how are others receptive to it? Also, you mentioned a class specifically on oxytocin that you took- do you have any more information about that?
Thanks for the podcast!
Thanks for the comment! I hope I am understanding your question correctly. As mentioned, oxytocin is released by the pituitary gland into the blood stream. This occurs when we “feel good” (to put it simply)…so again, orgasm, breastfeeding, hugging, etc. Witnessing the moment of birth, even we are not the ones experiencing it, causes us to also release oxytocin into our own bodies. My guess is this happens so that the dad (partner) as well as family might also feel a connection to the new family member and also a renewed connection and trust in one another. However, even if we are just “witnesses” (at a birth, or even viewing a birth online) we still get the same benefit of this natural release of oxytocin. Does that help?
The Oxytocin course is available thru Ancient Art of Midwifery Institute to anyone that is interested. If you’d like contact info for someone at the school, email us and we would love to help.
Also, our 5 week online birth series addresses oxytocin in birth as well as the other vitally important hormones of the process.:)
http://www.indiebirth.com/how-to-have-an-indie-birth/
I am 26 weeks pregnant and I’m an oxytocin junkie. In my non-pregnant life I never listen to music on the radio but now since I can get an oxytocin high just from listening to a love song I listen to cheesey music on the radio whenever I can instead of my usual moody/angry/emo tunes.
So ladies, add that to the list – bad love songs.
My oxytocin levels were so high in my last pregnancy that I was able to escape PPD and bond easily/immediately with my baby despite a c-section, being separated after her birth and breastfeeding complications and eventual failure to breastfeed. We continue to have a special and intense connection. I wish I had known about the role prenatal oxytocin plays in bonding because I wouldnt have been so scared and anxious about what effect the c-section would have on our bond. When they told me I was getting taken to the OR I actually said to my mom “What if I’m not able to love my baby?” I didn’t need to be concerned.
Thanks for making this episode. There is a disappointing amount of information available online and even in natural birth/pregnancy literature. I appreciate this so much.
I wonder what you think about the stress pregnant mothers must be experiencing being pregnant during Covid19. I was entering my third trimester when the pandemic was declared and when businesses and everyone’s normal way of life began to get “locked down.” It was quite disheartening; suddenly something joyful such as my baby shower and “looking” pregnant (which I REALLY had looked forward to, being a first time mom!) became something controversial and even fearful for some people among my family and friends. I was angry many times during those last three months, because I did not agree (and still don’t) with the lockdowns and restrictions on normal life. Luckily I had a home birth and did not have to make too many adjustments, except I was not able to see my midwife as much at the end (and that was a blessing in disguise, as it has led me to find my own autonomy more than I had at the beginning of my pregnancy), but I know pregnant women right now who are made to visit their OB alone, wear masks during labor, and not have anyone with them at their births…I wonder what the effects might be, the lack of oxytocin, as well as wearing masks for extended periods of time. Have you had any thoughts about all of this?
Love these podcasts. I am looking forward to becoming pregnant again, whenever (currently have my six month old boy)…I love this journey of learning to fully trust myself and “know” myself. Thanks for all the information and resources.