The women in these pictures are all in the midst of what I call "birth ecstacy." Yes, it is possible for birth to be, not just something you just make it through, but to be ECSTATIC. An ecstatic birth is possible through a complex cocktail our bodies produce that is specifically designed to help us quickly and easily birth our babies and bond to them immediately. When a mother is scared, disrespected, and/or out of her enivironment, pain is the likely result. At least 96% of American women birth in hospitals where they encounter a barrage of interventions which inhibit their natural birth cocktail from being released. We've all heard scary birth stories of moms being in excruciating pain for hours or days. Did you ever consider that those births were that way because of where the woman birthed and the constraints that were put on her during her birthing? We are the only mammals that transport ourselves during labor. If you moved a mother cat before she had her babies, her labor would stop because she has nested into an area that she considers safe for her birth. If she is moved out of that space, she no longer feels safe and will not birth until she does feel safe. Most people associate the hospital with illness. You aren't ill, you are having a baby! Many women find that their labor stops or slows down significantly once they enter the hospital. Surrounded by strangers, in a strange environment, with strange equipment at use that implies that labor isn't safe, you can bet that your body will release a healthy dose of adrenaline. Adrenaline intensifies feelings of pain, slows or stops labor progress, and shunts oxygenated blood away from your baby and your uterus. all of this makes it more likely that you will need interventions such as Pitocin (a synthetic version of the birthing hormone Oxytocin that your body naturally produces in the right environment.) It also means that labor is likely to be more intense and more painful and you are less likely to do it without pain medication.
    When you birth at home, surrounded by loving people you know well, and you are free to birth as your instinct tells you, you will receive a healthy dose of Mother Nature's exquisite ecstacy producing hormones. When you are in this type of environment, your body releases oxytocin and endorphins in abundance. Endorphins are your body's feel good drug. They lessen feelings of pain, increase feelings of ecstacy, and enhance a feeling of well-being. Think about this: Oxytocin is the hormone responsible when you fall in love, when you get the warm fuzzies, and when you have an orgasm. How can that same hormone be responsible for intense pain and intense pleasure? The answer is that it's not supposed to cause intense pain! So let's paint a different picture. Let's imagine that when you are in labor, you stay in the comfort of your own home and are free to do whatever you desire. You cuddle with your partner and oxytocin and endorphins are released in abundance. Later, your midwife, who you know well by this point, attends you with love. She is calm and relaxed so you know all is well. The lights are dim and you are emersed in warm water. Every instinct is respected, every fear is acknowledged. In this environment, you release copious amounts of oxytocin and endorphins. Because of the oxytocin, labor progresses quickly and steadily. Because of the endorphins, you experience very little or no pain and you have an overwhelming feeling that all is well. Your baby benefits from this as well because your uterus and baby are bathed in oxygen rich blood which allows your baby to birth without stress and your uterus to work efficiently. This is how birth can be ecstatic. When the conditions are right, yours can be too!