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Catecholamines

The Process of labor does stress an infant, resulting in a release of stress hormones (catecholamines, pronounced "cat-a-cola-means") that are crucial for the protection and good health of the baby.

Catecholamines cause vital processes in the baby which help it survive and adapt at birth, according to researchers Hugo Lagercrantz and Theodore Slotkin. The effects of the catecholamines on a baby, which include a slowing of the heart rate, protect it from less oxygen during contractions. The baby is also put into a highly alert state that researchers believe may help in infant attachment at birth.
From: A Good Birth & A Safe Birth

What do Catecholamines do? Improves Breathing *Increases lung surfactant *Increases lung-liquid absorption *Improves lung compliance *Dilates bronchioles Protects Heart and Brain *Increases blood flow to vital organs Mobilizes Fuel *Breaks down normal fat into fatty acids *Breaks down glycogen (in liver) to glucose *Stimulates new production of glucose by liver Facilitates Bonding? *Dilates pupils *Appears to increase alertness From: "The Stress of Being Born", Lagercrantz and Slotkin

Endorphins-The Body's Natural Narcotic

Circulating throughout your body are natural hormones that relax you when stressed and relieve pain when you hurt. Most mothers don't even know these biologic labor assistants exist and, more important, that they can influence when and how these hormones are released. In the 1970's researchers studying drug addiction stumbled upon the presence of specialized areas in the brain, called receptor sites, for morphine-like substances. They discovered endorphins (from, endogenous, meaning "produced in the body," and morphine-like substances), chemical pain relievers produced in the nerve cell that attach to receptor sites on the cell blunting the sensation of pain in these cells. Here's what we know about these natural remedies and how they can work for you.

*Endorphin levels go up during contractions in active labor (especially during the second stage of labor), are highest just after birth and return to prelabor levels two weeks postpartum.
*Endorphin levels were found to be highest during vaginal deliveries, less high in cesarean births in which the mother had also labored, and lowest in cesarean births performed before mother's labor had begun.
*Endorphin levels are elevated in newborns who had signs of fetal distress during delivery. The baby also receives these natural pain relievers during birth.
*Endorphin levels are increased during strenuous exercise, and there is no activity in the world that is more strenuous than labor.
*As an added benefit, endorphins stimulate the secretion of prolactin, the relaxing "mothering" hormone that regulates milk production and gives a woman a boost in interacting with her baby. Researchers believe that it is a combination of these hormones that contribute to the "birth high".
*Endorphins may account for the "high" mothers experience after a birth when sleep eludes them. Also, it seems possible that a mother having a surgical birth without going through labor may experience lower hormone levels after birth, which could account for the sometimes observed delay in milk supply after a cesarean birth.
*Like commercially produced narcotics, endorphins behave differently from woman to woman. This may be why some women are more sensitive to pain than others.
*Instead of the periodic "blast" you get with injectable narcotics (often making you groggy), your endorphins give you steady assistance throughout labor.
*Laboring mothers who are aware of these hormonal effects describe their feelings as "naturally drugged." Set the birthing conditions that let these labor helpers work for you.

From: The Birth Book by William Sears MD & Martha Sears RN

Labor For a While Before Your Cesarean

You may think, "Why should I go through all that work and pain if I'm going to have a cesarean anyway?" While it may be inconvenient for the hospital or doctor, it is often medically beneficial for your baby if you labor as long as possible before an elective cesarean. Besides indication that baby is ready to be born, some precesarean contractions let the baby benefit from the natural hormones of labor. Studies show that babies delivered by cesarean after mothers labor a while have fewer breathing problems in the first few days after birth than babies whose mothers were not in labor. Labor prepares baby for changes that are coming rather than being snatched from his nest without warning.

From: The Birth Book by Dr. William Sears