Power Pose Your Way to a Positive Birth
(If you’d rather listen to this blogpost click on the image below)
Every so often I’ll come across a non ‘birthy’ book that is incredibly relevant for birth professionals and parents - Presence by Amy Cuddy is one of them.
If you’ve been to a comprehensive class such as GentleBirth or have being reading about positions in labor know that laboring in an upright position has significant benefits for you and your baby.
Benefits cited in research include:
Shorter labors
Less need for medication
Less babies experiencing distress
From my own observations (and I’m sure other midwives and doulas will agree) Moms who adopt upright positions in labor feel more in control, more confident and act more empowered - but this blog is about so much more than that.
For years I’ve been saying that what your brain is doing in labor is just as important as what your body and baby are doing. Feeling powerful impacts our thoughts, feelings behavior and even our physiology.
Is it possible that the way you move in labor can make your hormones work for you – or against you? Yes!
Is it possible that intentionally adopting a ‘power pose’ in labor can influence your mind and body in positive or negative ways? Yes!
Is it possible that what you wear in labor can influence how you feel in labor? Hospital gown or athletic wear? Yes!
Ditch the hospital gown or night dress!
Feelings of empowerment or disempowerment are influenced unconsciously and can be turned on or off without you even knowing. Take a moment and think about a time in your life when you felt powerful. Soak in those feelings of triumph and achievement for a few minutes and notice how different you feel.
You’ve just switched your psychological state by simply remembering a time you felt powerful (those memories come back even quicker the more expansive the position.
Why Is Feeling Powerful in Labor Important?
When you feel powerless your brain acts very differently and works against you in the following ways:
Anxiety increases reducing executive functioning of the brain (the ability to make decisions and focus).
Pain increases.
Working memory is impaired making it more difficult to remember what you learned in class.
Your focus is more external and you’re less self conscious.
BUT feeling empowered acts as a buffer against negative emotions and you’re less worried about what others think. Your focus is widened and your thinking becomes more positive.
According to expert Adam Galinksy feeling empowered incites you to take action (you’re more proactive).
You feel more connected to others.
You feel more in control.
Pain is reduced.
But feeling empowered doesn’t just expand our minds – it expands our body too. Wide expansive open body posture is linked to dominance in the animal kingdom and in humans it related to higher levels of testosterone (the confidence hormone). When we feel powerful we make ourselves look bigger. Look at how players react to a World Cup goal…or an athlete who has just won a race. Their arms go into the air, their chests are puffed out and chin is up (this expansive body posture is also seen in blind athletes on crossing the finish line…it’s an innate expression of triumph). When we feel powerless (upset…anxious) we tend to make ourselves smaller and that body language makes us seem less powerful by those around us.
Feeling powerful or powerless also influences how we walk and talk. Research suggests that we speak slower and pause more when we feel confident and the pitch of our voice deepens (to make us seem bigger). The muscles of the larynx expand rather than tighten. If you’re a birth professional no doubt you’ve worked with women who use low deep sounds when they are coping well (empowered) and high pitch sounds when they are distressed and not coping. In other fascinating research we’re learning that the body language of others also impacts our feelings of power or powerlessness as we mimic body language of others. If your partner or even your nurse is stressed or uninterested it can impact your physiology. Our expectations of others is reflected in our body language – a good reason to ask for a nurse/midwife who is on the same page as you for the kind of birth you’re hoping for.
iPosture
Limit time on small devices such as your Smartphone – new research strongly suggests that the smaller the device the more we hunch over it (contractive body posture) and the less assertive we become (hunching is a disempowered position).
Strike a Pose (Physically or Mentally)
A power pose is any upright, expansive position you adopt (sitting or standing). Think WonderWoman. The key word here is expansive. Interestingly the opposite pose is constrictive – the body contracts in on itself to make you seem smaller…to blend in and not attract attention (the ‘avoid’ system of the brain has been triggered). Think of how anxious or depressed people sit. Looking down, arms close to the body, chin down and shoulders hunched.
Take at these images and see which ones you think are power positions.
How about this position?
Or this?
Let’s take it even further and just imagine that pose and the feelings - it also activates the brain. (Something to consider if you are on bedrest for long periods in pregnancy or if you have an epidural in labor and have important decisions to make on the day).
How to Pose for Power in Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
These suggestions are helpful before any potentially stressful encounter and most can be used during an interaction also.
At your prenatal appointments don’t sit hunched over your phone. Sit upright if you’re using the GentleBirth App or stand (take up lots of space) or walk around. This is very helpful if hospitals make you anxious.
Breathe slowly and deeply – slow breathing triggers the relaxation response.
Adopt a power pose for 2 mins - (if you feel weird doing it in public go to the bathroom).
If you can’t physically power pose then do it mentally and bring up a memory in your life when you felt powerful.
Smile
Notice your posture today. What tiny adjustments can you make right now to prime your mindset for power and positivity.
Book your GentleBirth workshop today and learn more about power positions for labor and birth.
Interested in learning more - watch this great TED Talk and check out the book Presence by Amy Cuddy.
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are