Does the body know how to give birth naturally?

Adopting a natural lifestyle for a smooth and harmonious birth

In discussion forums on the subject of childbirth, you will occasionally see the following sentence: “In any case, don’t worry, your body KNOWS how to give birth.”

And of course, this is true… All women, and indeed all female mammals, are endowed with a body in which all the processes of pregnancy and childbirth are already programmed. The stages of embryogenesis unfold wonderfully well, almost miraculously, without us having to control anything. The same is true of childbirth in principle.

So why all the medical and other monitoring and support during these two phases of life that enable a woman to become a mother? Why don’t births always go wonderfully well for all women in the world? Why are so many instruments and machines needed to medically assist a process that is, in principle, governed by nature? Why are some birth stories a pleasure to read, while others can cause pain or fear? Why do some women come out of their births traumatized?

From my point of view, it is undeniable that the body knows how to give birth naturally, but this assumes that you have a natural lifestyle to begin with. Let me explain. In our “modern” societies, lifestyles have become increasingly artificial and technology-dependent. This undoubtedly brings a pleasant level of comfort. But the flip side is that the body can become accustomed to relying on artificial aids in many areas and thus become underused. For example, motorized transportation is of course very convenient, but it can cause us to lose the habit of using our two legs to move from one place to another, which is what nature intended in the first place. Household appliances are very useful, but they can cause us to forget to exercise our bodies even for simple everyday tasks such as washing clothes or dishes by hand. Screens allow for an incredible flow of information and impressive remote communication, but they reinforce the tendency to sit without really using our limbs.

With an overly sedentary lifestyle, the body weakens, just as an unused muscle becomes necrotic. In this case, it is not surprising that for some women, childbirth does not ultimately proceed in a simple and natural way.

Personally, I believe that if a woman wants to be able to trust her body on the day of delivery and simply let the physiological process intended by nature take its course, it is advisable to exercise the body and adopt as natural a lifestyle as possible well before the day of birth.

Here are a few ideas that can help you achieve this:

• Spend as much time as possible outdoors and get used to resisting the cold, heat, wind, and rain
• Get around on foot or by bike
• Listen to your body’s signals and take them into account. Respond to pain by correcting what is wrong rather than trying to “fix” the problem illusorily with a painkiller.
• Avoid as much as possible any form of contamination or pollution, whether it be in the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the cosmetics you use… Be aware that all products derived from the chemical industry are, in principle, harmful to life.
• Exercise your body as much as possible and keep it moving.

In conclusion, of course your body knows how to give birth naturally: it is a wonderful process intended by nature. But remember that the more you accustom your body to living naturally on a daily basis, the more you prepare favorable conditions for a smooth delivery. So all that’s left for me to do is wish you courage!

This article was written by Claire Loiseleur, mother of eleven children all born within the heart of marital intimacy, through our conscious choice to offer our babies a birth with all the Love and Respect they deserve, and co-author of the book and documentary:

Filled with music and colours, and enriched with numerous captions and voice-over explanations, the documentary EXPERIENCING BIRTH NATURALLY AND PEACEFULLY beautifully complements the teachings shared in the book NATURAL BIRTH WITHIN THE INTIMACY OF THE COUPLE.

This film is available as a streaming video, with instant viewing through a private personal link offering unlimited access.

Read more articles on the topic of respectful childbirth.

A list of these 22 articles, along with a brief summary of each, is available on the following page:

The book GIVING BIRTH NATURALLY AND FREELY AS A COUPLE is part of the Lights for a New World books presented on the Youtube channel and Facebook page entitled : Lights for a New World

The expression « Lights for a New World » is explained on the following page :