The day before her birth, Kierstin and I FaceTimed and chatted about everything she was feeling—the antsiness, the excitement, the things left to do, the light worry of entering into the unknown, etc. Although she was just filling me in via text, I could sense perhaps she could use an ear to decompress what she was feeling. At the very least, a good vent sesh always feels good right? You often hear that mamas tend to magically go into labor when the to do list is done or when their support person’s flight lands. Why is that? Well this makes sense if you think about the stress response on the body.
Labor progresses when the body releases tension and its protective survival instinct. We can’t much do this when we are worried about something can we? While that’s a wonderful way to survive and protect our young (thank you, body), it can be very hindering as we live in a high stress environment everyday. Add in the constant timeline of 40 weeks being the “end date,” and you’ve got a recipe for tension.
Think about this in labor—what can you surrender? Do you need to close out the noise of social media and silence the random family members texting you for updates? What can you say out loud or physically massage out of your body to say—hey body and baby, it’s all you. I trust your wisdom and your timing. I’m ready when you are.
