Understanding Labor Pain: God's Design, Not a Medical Emergency

Is Labor Pain the Same as Pain from Injury or Illness?

Labor pain is not the same as pain from injury, illness, or disease. While all pain activates the nervous system and causes a physiological response, such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, labor pain is purposeful, productive, and hormone-driven. It accompanies a healthy and normal process.

Pain from injury (like a broken bone or appendicitis) signals that something is wrong and the body is in danger. Labor pain signals that the body is working as designed. A woman’s stretching, shifting, and opening to bring forth new life. This is a completely different physiological reality than trauma-based pain. Labor pain often comes in waves, allowing time to rest and recover between surges, whereas pain from injury is usually constant and worsening.

In Mindful Birthing, Nancy Bardacke describes labor pain as "intense transformational pain," highlighting that it signifies the body's natural progression rather than harm or dysfunction. This perspective encourages expectant mothers to view labor pain as a signal of the body's strength and capability, rather than a threat.​

Mary Haseltine, in Made for This, emphasizes that labor pain is part of a sacred and redemptive process. She notes that the female body is divinely designed to not only give birth but also to cope with the associated challenges, viewing labor as a participation in the creative work of God.

God, in His wisdom, created the female body not only to give birth but also to cope with birth. During labor, a woman’s body releases endorphins (natural pain-relievers), oxytocin (the “love hormone”), and even triggers the flight or fight response, all designed to guide her through the intensity of the experience.

Major Differences Between American Birthing Culture and a God-Designed, Uninterrupted Birth

American birthing culture tends to medicalize and dramatize birth. It often views birth as a crisis to manage, not a normal process to support. There’s an emphasis on control, timelines, and interventions (like continuous monitoring, inductions, and epidurals), rather than trusting in the innate wisdom of the woman’s body.

A God-designed, uninterrupted, physiological birth honors the sacred design. It embraces patience and surrender. It recognizes that birth is not just physical, but deeply spiritual and mental experience. In a physiological, uninterrupted birth, a woman is supported in a peaceful environment, surrounded by love and safety, often with low lights, quiet voices, prayer, and intuitive movement. There is no rush, no interventions, no fear-based decision-making. It’s a space where the Holy Spirit is welcomed, and the miracle of life unfolds in God’s timing.

January Harshe's Birth Without Fear movement aligns with this perspective by promoting options, support, and respect as the standard of care for every pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. She emphasizes that women should have the freedom to make informed choices about their birthing experiences, free from judgment and coercion. This approach fosters a more holistic and empowering birthing culture, where women are encouraged to trust their instincts and embrace the natural process of childbirth.

Explaining the Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle & Gate Control Theory

The Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle is when fear increases muscle tension, and tension increases pain. When a woman is afraid or fearful, her body releases adrenaline and she tenses, which tightens muscles, and can slow labor and increase pain. Once the cycle starts, it can be hard to get out of it. This is why preparation for the intensity of birth is so important.

The Gate Control Theory of Pain teaches that our brain can only process a certain amount of sensory information at one time. By stimulating other senses like touch (massage), sound (music, prayer), and movement (hip swaying, water immersion) we can “close the gate” to pain signals from the uterus and cervix. This is why hands-on support, birth tubs, TENS units, and rhythmic breathing are so effective.

Sources:

Fear of Fear Itself: A Deeper Look into U.S. Birthing Culture, CWP at University of Missouri (https://cwp.missouri.edu/2016/fear-of-fear-itself-a-deeper-look-into-u-s-birthing-culture/)

Gaskin, Ina May. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Bantam Books, 2003.

Haseltine, Mary. Made for This: The Catholic Mom's Guide to Birth. Our Sunday Visitor, 2018.

Bardacke, Nancy. Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond. HarperOne, 2012.

Harshe, January. Birth Without Fear: The Judgment-Free Guide to Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum. Hachette Books, 2019.