A conditioned response for labor is a learned physiological response to a previously neutral stimulus. For example, in Pavlov’s dog experiment, he rung a bell whenever he fed a dog and eventually when the dog hears a bell being rung, he begins to drool having learned to associate the stimulus of the bell ringing with salivating.
We have conditioned responses throughout our days; we begin to feel something almost uncontrollably that creates a physiological response when we are presented with a stimulus. Things such as our heart rate rising when we see a cop while we are driving; the cop is a neutral stimulus, they are not pulling you over or even bothering you, but we associate cops with getting a ticket and being pulled over, and that creates a response in us.
So we can utilize this psychological tool to prepare for labor: we can create conditioned relaxation responses, where we have a physiological response of relaxation when we are presented to a previously neutral stimulus!
We want to utilize as many senses as possible without overwhelming the system; we want to have a few elements, that we can either use all together or individually throughout labor that will cause you to relax.
How can you do it?
Conditioned responses are learned from repeated behavior. So we need to do it often: daily or several times a week. I’d recommend starting around 20 weeks, and implementing your relaxation training then (but before or after would work too).
I call them birthing rituals. but they are not necessarily religious. But it is an activity that you do frequently either solo or with your birthing partner that stimulates as many of your senses as possible.
Examples: Nightly slow dance (touch/action sense) to a certain playlist (sound sense) while repeating verbal affirmations (sound sense), diffusing your favorite essential oil (smell sense), in a dimly lit room (vision).
This example has five elements that can be used either all together or individually throughout labor that the birthing person now associates with relaxation.
The choice of which elements to use will depend on the circumstances, such as, if the birthing person is tired and wants to lay down, slow dancing would probably not be appropriate but you could still use the other four stimulus to continue to help with relaxation. Or if the hospital does not allow diffusers (aromatabs would be another option or rubbing diluted oils directly onto your clothing), then you could utilize the other four stimulus.
Examples:
Sense of Smell: diffusers (aroma tabs may be another option or rubbing oils on your clothing), candles (usually can’t have candles in a hospital), your partner’s smell
Sense of Sight: dimly lit rooms, natural lighting, visual objects (plants, crystals), visual birth affirmations, your partner, photographs, vision boards
Sense of Hearing: music, meditations, verbal birth affirmations and mantras, your partner’s voice
Sense of Touch: physical action (dancing, specific movement), specific touch (touching the shoulder, low back, etc), massage, hydrotherapy (bath or shower), touching your partner
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And it can be several activities!
Your labor preparation can involve several activities that stimulate relaxation; you’re not limited to only one ritual. But it should be a manageable amount of activities to conduct repeatedly throughout the rest of your pregnancy.
Here is my current labor preparation:
Nightly meditation (via Gentlebirth) where I listen to a meditation or hypnosis as I fall asleep. I diffuse an oil near my bed (smell), turn the lights off (visual), and find a comfortable position (action) to listen to the meditation (sound).
Daily journaling in a pregnancy journal (action), that I write my own birth affirmations and positive thoughts about my pregnancy and upcoming labor. The journal is in my birth altar, that is filled with small items that I associate with relaxation. I’ll light a candle. (smell) place a few crystals and other visually appealing items (visual) from my altar nearby, and write in a room filled with natural light (visual).
I’ll choose a mantra that I wrote the previous day to remind myself of throughout the day while either looking at an object from my altar (right now I have a red mandala bracelet that I wear while repeating “I am strong” throughout the day).
Several times a week, we do a partner guided meditation from Hypnobirthing, where my husband talks me through a meditation while incorporating certain physical touches with certain words. The room is dimly lit, we diffuse an oil. and his voice is my main source of sound.
Daily birth affirmations written on postcards with my husband and daughter. We write out our own personal birth affirmations for me, and display them in our home for us to look at throughout the day.
My own preparation utilizes positive mantras and birth affirmations repeatedly in several activities: I journal them; I repeat them to myself throughout the day while focusing on an object; and my family creates new ones together to display around our home. I anticipate that I will be fairly internally focused during my labor, and being able to speak to myself has been a helpful relaxation tool for me.
I am associating those birth affirmations with objects, such as a bracelet or crystals, so that I can see those objects and be reminded of my birth affirmation and the relaxation and power I felt with that thought.
Ultimately, how I prepare for my labor is unique to me and my family, and your birth rituals, birth affirmations, and development of your conditioned relaxation response will be unique to you as well!