Moving Through The Ring Of Fire
December 30, 2019
And so it ends. 2019. A decade. of growth. A decade of change. And it could not be more symbolic that it has come to a close with a spectacular full solar eclipse. An eclipse that, as it so happens, we will not see again for another 40 years. An eclipse that was named the ‘Ring of Fire’.
Mention those three words to a pregnant woman today, however, and you will probably watch her face rapidly eclipsed by dread.
It will take more than a bit of convincing for her to embrace the idea of a “cosmic gift” and the wonder of this moment. But I’m up for the challenge…
What is the ring of fire in birth?
Once a woman’s body has gone through its phase of opening, with the cervix dilating to about 10cm (read Progress at Your Own Pace to understand the stages of birth and how to support them) the baby’s moulded little head is able to move into the birth canal. The moment that has been dubbed the “ring of fire” is the moment when the labia and perineal tissue (between the vagina and the rectum) reach the point of maximum stretching and many women experience what they describe as an intense burning sensation. Most women assume that this will be the most intensely painful part of birth. The thought of final stretch, for want of a better word, is the part that has many women today crossing their legs and clenching their jaws. It is the part that has many young women, saying “There’s no way I’m going to do that to my vagina!” It is the part that has many women opting for surgical birth.
It is understandable that many women would rather opt to bypass this part of the journey.
Decades of medically managed birth with protocol that has called for forced pushing, media images of women screaming and swearing at their partners, misguided memes comparing birthing a baby to delivering things like watermelons, and stories from women who have indeed experienced either vaginal tearing or episiotomies, have all fuelled a pervasive fear of natural birth leading to physical trauma that will never leave a woman the same again.
Today, most women say: “Why on earth would I want to go through that!?”
The big questions they aren’t asking though are:
Why would something our bodies were designed to do be that bad?
Why are some women saying it’s not that bad?
And why do some women find this moment not just the most enjoyable part of birth but transformative?
The best way to answer these questions is by taking a closer look at what exactly happens during the crowning moment.
Birth Unfolding
In an uninterrupted, fear-free, physiologic birth, muscles, tissues and hormones work together in what can only be described as a delicate dance. As oxytocin, melatonin and serotonin levels increase, longitudinal uterine muscles shorten and circular muscles relax and the baby is nudged downwards. As this occurs, endorphins (500x more powerful than morphine) increase as a potent natural analgesic. While many women believe that we need to push our babies out, they are not aware that our birthing muscles are in fact involuntary, and move in a peristaltic way. When a woman is able to relax and breathe into this, it simply flows, a natural expulsive reflex, with each wave moving the baby down further. With each downward nudge the perineal tissues unfold. As the baby’s head crowns the tissues reach the point of what feels like maximum stretch, and this is when many woman experience “the burn”. What most are not told is that this burn lasts no more than seconds as the pressure of the baby’s head effectively shuts off nerves at this point, resulting in a numbing effect. At this point the head emerges and with another surge, the baby is born.
So how do we make this enjoyable?
Our bodies rely on balance… including balance of the elements. If we look at this as your body’s fire, we need to balance it out with earth (gravity, nourishment and being grounded), air (breath) and water (hydration and lubrication).
1. Avoid forced pushing. Guided, purple pushing that is still enforced by many physicians (despite current obstetric guidelines calling against it) does not work in sync with the birthing muscles. It calls for a woman to hold her breath and push on cue. Not only does this exhaust her, it reduces oxygen flow to the birthing muscles and baby. Oxygen supply is also reduced to perineal tissue which, in an extended period of pushing, increases chances of tissue damage. When directed pushing is used, the baby is forced down quicker than unfolding occurs which also increases chances of tearing.
2. Let earth’s gravity help. Avoid lying on your back and remain free to move into comfortable positions that support opening of the pelvis and its tissues, and enable the baby’s gentle rotation as it moves down with gravity assisting.
2. Breathe. With every inhale you are not simply sending oxygen-rich air to your womb and surrounding tissue, you are supporting its expansion. Inhaling with each contraction enables the tissues to expand or open a little further with each exhalation.
3. Nourish your cells. Eating a nutritionally dense diet rich in healthy fats during pregnancy, along with being well hydrated will ensure that your tissues are primed for the job, healthy, supple and flexible.
4. Perineal massage. Doing perineal massage during the final weeks of pregnancy (about 34 weeks onwards) will help prepare the tissues further, lubricating them and tuning you in to the feeling of the stretch and how to breathe in to it.
5. Having a midwife supporting you who is skilled in the use of warm compresses and homeopathic applications can further increase comfort levels and reduce chances of tearing.
5. Embrace and surrender to the moment rather than holding back. As you begin to feel that stretch, reaching down to feel your baby’s head is immensely empowering. It will be the first moment you touch this little person you’ve waited months (or possibly years) to meet. Remind yourself that you are about to see this little being and you are about to become a mother. In this moment, burn becomes bliss.
“Bring me the wild desire and I fell into the ring of fire”
This is the moment in which a woman’s body says “are you going to hold back or go for it?” “Are you going to resist or surrender?” “Are you going to let the light through?” This is the moment that changes your path. And as with any transformation, how you experience it depends entirely on whether you approach it with fear or openness to the flow.