How do our hormones help with pain relief during labour? Our hormones serve an important purpose during labour and birth. The hormonal influences on labour and birth are not well understood, but they should be.Labour and birth involve peak levels of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin (the love hormone and the mothering hormone). Along with these, our bodies also release beta endorphins, which are your body’s natural painkillers, and the fight or flight hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline).The “nesting instinct” is caused by increased prolactin (the mothering hormone). When you are nesting, you want to have everything ready and prepared before your baby arrives. This is also associated with the feeling of safety, and interference with this will stall the beginning of labour. Even after labour has started, there are certain things that will slow or even stop the process because of the change in hormones.“Many women have had the experience of their labour stopping when they entered the unfamiliar surroundings of a hospital, and some women can be as sensitive as a cat to the presence of an observer. Giving birth away from our natural environment can cause the sorts of difficulties for humans that captive animals experience when giving birth at the zoo.” – Dr Sarah BuckleyOxytocin causes the uterus to contract during labour. This hormone is released at a gradual increase throughout labour and is at its highest at the time of birth. The euphoria and post-birth high a mother feels after an unmedicated birth are partially due to this release of oxytocin into the body, which is also triggered by the stretching of the birth canal as the baby is born.This peak and post-birth high doesn’t occur when an epidural or synthetic oxytocin is used due to the inconsistency in natural hormones in the body being interfered with. Oxytocin given by a drip goes directly into the bloodstream when labour contractions are not progressing. This way, the oxytocin does not enter the brain the way your natural hormonal oxytocin does.Oxytocin doesn’t just stop after your baby is born; it continues after the birth, causing the contractions that lead to the separation of the placenta from the uterus, and the release of the “afterbirth.” When oxytocin levels are high, strong contractions occur, reducing the chance of bleeding and postpartum haemorrhage. The love and connection between mum and baby, skin-to-skin contact, eye contact, and breastfeeding all naturally release oxytocin for both mother and baby.The fight or flight hormones can interfere with oxytocin release during labour and after the birth. But during birth, they do play a very important role. The burst of beta endorphins gives a mother the energy to birth her baby. These levels drop quickly after the birth and can sometimes cause mum to feel cold. A safe and warm environment is key. These beta endorphins are the natural equivalent to painkiller drugs like pethidine. During labour, they relieve pain and contribute to the “on another planet” feeling women experience when they labour naturally.All of these hormones work hand in hand with each other; your body releases them gradually or at a peak at exactly the right time.