The miraculous journey of conception and pregnancy and our body systems that allow us to reproduce, are nothing short of brilliant. From two single cells forms a new and unique human being.



Women have been giving birth to their babies for eons. It is only in the last half a dozen generations that labour and birth have been altered by the rise of medical science. Some changes have undoubtedly been positive and required to protect women and babies.

However many changes, particularly the overuse of drugs for induction and augmentation of labour, and pain-killing medications have had a negative impact on parents as they welcome their babies into the world.

Why go natural and drug-free?

While some couples feel that their decision to have a drug-free birth is a natural extension of their broader views of health care and life, others may rationalize that they have spent the entire pregnancy avoiding drugs and dangerous chemicals, so do not wish to start during labour.

Still others may question why they might want to avoid drugs and other interventions in labour. There are many good reasons to do so.

A labour of love

Labour and birth is driven by an incredible hormonal system. Oxytocin is the primary hormone of birth. This hormone makes the uterus contract and relax, pushes the baby down onto the cervix to slowly open it, and then pushes the baby down through the vagina.

Oxytocin is also known as the hormone of love; it is secreted during orgasm, following ovulation, and is responsible for the release of milk during breastfeeding. It makes women feel nurturing and loving.

The baby also produces oxytocin during un-medicated labor, so in the minutes after birth, both mother and baby are bathed in an ecstatic blend of hormones.

The body’s own natural drugs for pain relief during labour

Another important hormone category involved in birth is endorphins.



Endorphins are calming and pain-relieving hormones that people produce in response to stress and pain. High endorphin levels during labor and birth can produce an altered state of consciousness that helps women flow with the process, even when it is long and arduous.

Despite the hard work of labor and birth, a woman with high endorphin levels can feel alert, attentive, and even euphoric during her labour and after the birth. Endorphins and oxytocin play an important role in strengthening the mother-baby relationship at this time. It has been shown that these hormones drop significantly with use of epidural or opioid pain medication.

Consequently women who have had drugs in labour do not experience the same hormonal euphoria at the births of their babies.