# To what extent can your brain keep you from going into labor?



## MrsTC (Nov 18, 2005)

I know that my baby is probably right on schedule for when she's supposed to make her entrance into the world...I guess. I think prodromal labor is a horrible joke nature plays on a waiting mother. What, chemically, is going on that labor can start and go on for hours and hours and increase in intensity and then stop, that it doesn't keep going? Am I doing something to sabotage myself?

I know that things in your mind can hinder the progression of labor once you're in labor, but can they prevent you from going into it? I admit that I'm not looking forward to the pain (who does?) but is that enough to keep her in there? Really, my fear is not that great, it's just a dread more than anything.

For my sanity, I haven't been doing well communicating with this baby about coming out, because it makes me feel like I might be able to do something about getting the labor to start, and then when it doesn't I get way down. I have to keep a large, heavy thumb on the controlling part of my brain or it causes me lots of grief.

I don't think I got out what I meant to say. Sorry to ramble, but do you know anything about this?


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

I think the potential for the brain hindering labor is HUGE! I did it. Purposely. When I labored with both of my DS's. I was in absolute terror & I willed it to stop/stall. That's just what it did, too - I have the c-section scar to prove it.


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## SwissMama (Sep 5, 2005)

I believe it can totally keep you from giving birth. I'm not sure if there's "official" word, but I have heard anecdotal stories from friends in the middle east about their mothers being able to "hold a baby in" during Ramadan.


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## woo27ks (Jan 15, 2003)

I remember when I was pg with dd and my husband (at the time) was still living with us and still with his gf. I made him move out in Sept. (my dd was due beginning of October) because I was afraid I would never go into labor with all of the stress in the house.


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## aylaanne (Mar 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SwissMama* 
I believe it can totally keep you from giving birth. I'm not sure if there's "official" word, but I have heard anecdotal stories from friends in the middle east about their mothers being able to "hold a baby in" during Ramadan.

Do you know why a mother might want to hold a baby in during Ramadan? I have friends who are Moslem, but I have never heard of this.


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## SwissMama (Sep 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aylaanne* 
Do you know why a mother might want to hold a baby in during Ramadan? I have friends who are Moslem, but I have never heard of this.

Honestly, I can't exactly remember - but it had to do with timing and their husbands wanting to celebrate however they had planned to celebrate. They didn't hold the baby in during the ENTIRE ramadan, just during certain times. The one story I know of was a husband who was not available one night, and then she held off on birthing until the following (or two) nights until he was a) back from his business and then had to wait even further until the sunset so he could celebrate. I heard these stories quite a while ago, when we were just sitting around in a cafe - at the time, i was very impressed but wasn't placing close enough attention to "why".


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## cottonwood (Nov 20, 2001)

(Good lord! I think I've been misspelling 'prodromal' all this time! Why didn't anyone tell me?







)

Anyway, with my last I _was_ emotionally prepared for the birth and in good spirits, _and_ I had prodromal labor. I think my body was working up to birth gradually, in terms of hormonal output, and that at some point it was enough to create strong enough contractions that I could feel them at night when my brain was turned off. Eventually, one of those nights, the hormonal output became strong enough that it got the baby born.









But yes, you can psych yourself out and create a stall that way. And then it becomes a vicious cycle, with you worrying because you're stalled, and stalled because you're worrying, while your body is trying to get it going in spite of you. So, you know, what can be said about that other than that you need to try to find a way to relax and be happy and get that oxytocin flowing? Have you got any ideas about how you can do that? There must be something, think!


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## sweeetpea (Jun 14, 2006)

I had a client who started labor, but absolutely refused to let it progress until her mother flew in. Her mom's plane landed at 10 pm. Serious active labor by midnight, baby arrived at 5:00 am.

The mind is a HUGE part of the mind/body connection. Consciously or unconsciously, our thoughts impact what our body does.

FWIW,

sweetpea


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## LiLStar (Jul 7, 2006)

i was reading in ina may's guide to childbirth sometime in my 2nd tri, about just that thing. I think an example was (and i might butcher this, its been a while since I read it) a mom who was stalled during labor, and was asked if there was any reason she might not feel ready to have her baby, and there was something left out of her wedding vows that she was uncomfortable with. They had a priest come in, repeated their vows, and then her labor resumed and she had her baby.

That hit me hard and I realized immediately something in MY life that I needed to correct before I would feel 100% comfortable giving birth. I got started right away working on it, and it was finally taken care of completely when I was 38 weeks, 1 day, a sunday. That night, i lost a piece of my mucus plug. the next morning i lost the rest. wednesday morning i had the tiniest speck of "is it really there?" pink bloody show. that night, labor started.


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## musicmomto5 (Feb 22, 2007)

With my 3rd, I was at 41 weeks and having mild labor. My sister at the same time was having her 1st (on her due date I might add). She went into labor but was farther along. There was only 1 birthing tub (shortage in our area) that we were to share but thought it would work out ok. My Dad & brother came and took the tub to take to her since she was in really active labor.

Not only did I stop labor, I waited a whole week before I started up again. Only after I became calm and got over being annoyed







did I have Emily.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

I think the mind/body connection is huge. At the beginning of 38 weeks last time, I was really, really done and not feeling well. I developed PUPPPs and was in complete and total misery. Wednesday when I went to bed I talked a while to Luke and told him I was ready for him to come. Labor started in the middle of the night and then stopped about 7:30, I went to the ob, came home took a nap and then it started again, regularly contractions, but very light. This continued and finally picked up intensity around 3 or so. I got to the hospital at 4:30 am at an 8/9, finally had him at 8:30am.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

This thread is so interesting!

Just curious though...what's PUPPPS?








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## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

Probably different in each person- higher brain activities are so much a habit in some people that it is comforting to them and they tell the body everything is fine continue don't worry- and in other people that same activity is a pause signal to the body-- fear and danger can have the strongest effects and release all sorts of hormones communicating with the lower fight or flight part of the brain that can result in inhibition of labor -- but not always---

humans have a shallow attachment to instincts - they are religated to reflexes and most can be ignored or put off--- like we don't just "mate" anywhere any time, we don't go to the bathroom just anywhere, anyplace, we generally don't just drop everything and run when the boss fires us- or hit that person--- but some people do ... it is all a range


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## 4lilfarmers (Feb 9, 2006)

i think your brain has a lot of power over your body... my brain "stalled" my labor (well, kept me from progressing) for at least 12 hours b/c i was afraid of it doing that! (my fears became reality) luckily a mw at my birth realized it and got me through.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rmzbm* 
This thread is so interesting!

Just curious though...what's PUPPPS?







:

PUPPPs is hell. It is an itchy rash of pregnancy, like poison ivy, but 10 x worse( and I get very severe cases of poison ivy as it is). Often it will start at the belly and spreads, by birth it was covering my belly part way down my thighs and the entire underneath of my arms. there was no relief, no matter what I tried. It wasn't until I was entering transition that labor was great enough to distract from the itchiness.


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## Lousli (Nov 4, 2003)

Well, I tried like hell to stall my labor the second time around, but no dice. Of course, I think it might be different in my situation, because of the whole prematurity issue.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
PUPPPs is hell. It is an itchy rash of pregnancy, like poison ivy, but 10 x worse( and I get very severe cases of poison ivy as it is). Often it will start at the belly and spreads, by birth it was covering my belly part way down my thighs and the entire underneath of my arms. there was no relief, no matter what I tried. It wasn't until I was entering transition that labor was great enough to distract from the itchiness.

Ahhhhhh...sounds hellish!


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