At a blog I read a lot, That Wife, the author, Jenna, just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful son. Jenna had a homebirth and she did so well. She has been posting the birth story and recently answered frequently asked questions about the birth, including sharing this incredible video of the sounds she made during labor. She does a great job keeping her tons low which help open up the cervix and keep the pressure and sound focused low, on opening up and getting the baby out. High-pitched sounds, with the tension up high, in your head, are counter-productive. Near the end of the video, we see Jenna during the “ring of fire” moment of crowning and she expresses that it hurts. This might seem scary if you’re unfamiliar with natural childbirth, but sometimes just being able to express how she’s feeling–this hurts like heck!–is what a mom needs. Her midwife Sarah responds appropriately, honoring Jenna’s feelings, but encouraging her to keep going. Jenna trusts her body to know when to push and when to relax and moments later she birthed a healthy boy in the water with her husband’s support. This is one of my favorite videos (taken by Kelli Nicole, I believe) of a woman in labor:

Sounds of Labor from Jenna on Vimeo.

Here is a great video by Penny Simkin about the importance of distinguishing between pain and suffering during birth.

She talks about how there are productive kinds of pain, like the pain we feel during exercise, mountain climbing, athletics, body modification (piercing, tattoos, etc). It is so important to realize that just because we feel pain doesn’t mean we are suffering. It is important to employ various comfort measures during your labor so that you are able to deal with the pain and avoid suffering.