Relaxation for Birth Archives - Better Birth Blog

Brain Waves in Labor

June 25, 2020 By Lauren McClain

Natural birth (any birth!) is much easier when you can find your relaxation zone and brainwaves--with this handout! Relaxation for labor and birth, the whole mediation thing, makes so much more sense when you explain about brainwaves.This handout on relaxation for labor and birth explains the way our brains enter different states, optimal for different [...]

Fear-Tension-Pain Teaching Tool

April 4, 2019 By Lauren McClain

Inspired by the fear-tension-pain cycle, meditation, Brené Brown, and the concept of holding space, I plotted three aspects of labor experience. Everyone feels each cycle at some point in their labor. The goal, of course, is to spend as much time as possible in labor (and life!) feeling at peace. A high level of fear means more tension, which [...]

Four L-Words that Make Birth Hard

June 16, 2016 By Lauren McClain

photo credit: Petal and Vine Photography Birth is a physiological, instinctual act. We muss it up considerably with our meddling and medicine and science. That's not to say that science doesn't sometimes help and for that we are very grateful. It would be nice if science could just wait until it was called on [...]

Remember This One Thing For An Easier Birth

January 27, 2015 By Lauren McClain

Our disgust with each other I teach birth classes to pregnant couples. We watch videos of birth to help prepare both moms and dads for what natural birth looks and sounds like, in all its variety. One night my newlywed brother-in-law and his wife joined class because they were visiting from out of town. After […]

Contraction Rituals

October 1, 2014 By Lauren McClain

Choose your own adventure. In my birth preparation classes we talk about the importance of having a ritual in meeting the contractions, especially during active labor. Having something that you do each time a contraction starts, peaks, and/or ends can help you get through. Instead of feeling like it’s taking you over, you are […]