Ep 151: Hug Your Hormones: Key players in pregnancy and birth

In this episode, Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael discuss key pregnancy hormones and their roles in conception, pregnancy, and labor. They emphasize the importance of honoring and understanding these hormones to support a healthy and empowered pregnancy journey.

The hormones discussed include relaxin, HCG, estrogen, oxytocin, progesterone, and prolactin. This conversation explores the role of hormones in pregnancy and childbirth. It covers topics such as nighttime feedings and their impact on ovulation, the hormones involved in labor, the role of prostaglandins in cervical softening, the signaling of the baby for birth, the importance of oxytocin in labor, and the role of endorphins in pain relief.

It also discusses the impact of cortisol and adrenaline on labor, and provides tips for supporting healthy hormones through sleep, movement, and nutrition. The conversation concludes with recommendations for additional resources on hormones.

Resources mentioned in episode:

Hormone Intelligence by Dr, Aviva Romm

Books by Lily Nichols

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

The First 40 Days by Heng Ou

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Honoring Hormones

05:50 Relaxin

08:08 HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin)

09:59 Estrogen

11:40 Oxytocin

14:03 Progesterone

16:00 Prolactin

16:28 Nighttime Feedings and Ovulation

18:04 Prostaglandins and Cervical Softening

19:20 Baby Signaling and Due Dates

20:16 Oxytocin and Labor

21:39 Supporting Oxytocin Flow

22:37 Endorphins and Pain Relief

23:06 Transition and Intensity of Labor

24:06 Cortisol and Adrenaline in Labor

25:38 Supporting Hormones through Sleep, Movement, and Nutrition

27:45 Chiropractic Care and Nervous System Function

29:54 Additional Resources for Learning about Hormones

Transcript

Dr. Shannon (00:01.848)
Hello, hello, you are listening to the Aligned Birth Podcast. You've got two hosts, Dr. Shannon, Dula Rachel, we're chatting about birthy stuff. And today's episode is unveiling the key pregnancy hormones from conception to labor. This is not gonna be, I don't want it to be too much of like an anatomy lesson or some sort of science lesson. Like it's not like...

I mean, obviously we're gonna go through the hormones, but what I want and the goal with this is I want us to kind of honor our hormones. I feel like sometimes with women and having your cycle and I don't know, I'm 41, Rachel is similar in age to me. So I feel like we've lived our whole reproductive lives with this.

mentality around hormones that can be like, uh, screw you hormones, you're messing everything up, and you're making me crazy, and just all of those things. And it's like a negative connotation with it. And maybe if we come at it and understanding what our hormones do, understanding that, well, they're trying to do their job. Sometimes they get a little cuckoo with their jobs. But what can we do, obviously, to support them to do their job better, but that it is all intricately.

connected and designed and made to flow so well. And maybe we can honor our hormones a bit. So we're gonna go through some key pregnancy hormones. We're not gonna talk about every hormone. And then we've talked about some of these before. Then we're gonna go into some of the, there's an overlap, but some of the hormones of labor as well. And maybe this helps you understand a little bit about what's going on with your body and you can embrace the hormones. Let's hug our hormones. Welcome today, Rachel.

I'm going to go to bed.

Rachael Hutchins (01:54.578)
Hi Dr. Shannon, thank you for that amazing intro. We're gonna hug our hormones. Yeah and I just to be fully transparent like I did not learn about most of these hormones and how my cycle worked until we were planning our first child and I read taking charge of your fertility which if you haven't read it it's amazing if you have daughters

Dr. Shannon (01:57.848)
Hormone hugs. We're gonna hug our hormones. Ha ha ha.

Dr. Shannon (02:14.303)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (02:23.39)
if you are preconception any point along your journey. This book is highly enlightening and so understanding your hormones I think as a woman who has cycles you have all these hormones and they do play on us in ways that impact our emotional state our physical state like energy levels emotional levels like

no one is hysterical and we have there are like ways things are portrayed in movies and ways things are portrayed in Comedy shows or whatever that use kind of those to make things seem funny and we can all laugh It's okay to laugh and be like yeah when I'm at this part in my cycle. I Am not my best self always but we shouldn't like have shame around that if we can be honest about how we're feeling based on our hormones and when you understand your hormone cycle you can

Dr. Shannon (03:14.227)
lol

Dr. Shannon (03:17.929)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (03:22.614)
Be like, okay, this is where I'm at. This is why I'm more tired than usual. This is why I have more energy. It makes sense. Yeah, you don't have to be so hard. And then we live.

Dr. Shannon (03:26.14)
It makes sense. And then you're not so hard on yourself, yes. Because we are not on that 24-hour cycle. Sorry. It just bothers me. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (03:33.57)
No, that's exactly what I was about to say is that we live in a world, for the most part, that's on this 24-hour cycle where everything sort of restarts, where you go to school every day, or you go to work every day, or you have these similar obligations that are just on the calendar, so you kind of have to show up. And men have a 24-hour cycle. They are resetting their hormones every 24 hours, and it's the same throughout the year. So they get more of a consistent level.

Dr. Shannon (03:53.112)
They are a 24 hour cycle. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (03:59.157)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (04:02.658)
Whereas women, we are on like a 28-ish day cycle where our hormones are rotating in 28 days, not in 24 hours, but we live in a 24-hour world. So again, when you can acknowledge that, honor that like you started us out with, then we can hopefully be more at ease as we're going through these cycles and when we're more aware, we're just more empowered and we can maybe make our calendars reflect.

Dr. Shannon (04:05.748)
You're complex.

Dr. Shannon (04:13.723)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (04:31.522)
things that are more conducive.

Dr. Shannon (04:32.416)
Mm-hmm. I do want to do a whole episode on like that aspect of things because I have a blog post that I want to write to like cyclical planning and all of that because today like we're not talking necessarily about the cycle because now it's like now pregnancy throws in some other Other fun hormones and it gets crazy, but I do want to I do want to revisit that because that's not something I've done until Lately like why is it taking me so long to realize this cyclical planning?

Rachael Hutchins (04:37.236)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (04:41.414)
Yeah, I love that conversation. No, no. Right, no.

Rachael Hutchins (04:58.197)
Right.

Dr. Shannon (04:59.277)
and honoring it more and hugging your hormones more. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (05:01.958)
Yes, yeah, yep. So we're just kind of again planting that seed today. We'll continue the conversation probably in another episode about how to kind of kind of build your routines around your hormones and learn more or just wanting to light that little fire and you like the little spark of curiosity and just teach you a little something about your hormones today. Um, and then if you are pregnant, uh, learning about how the hormones very briefly we're going to talk about the kind of

Dr. Shannon (05:14.892)
Mm-hmm

Rachael Hutchins (05:25.618)
orchestration of hormones during labor. It's complex. We highly encourage childbirth education. We've got another episode 60 where we talk about the hormones of labor as well. So Yeah, shall we get into it? So we have relaxin. Relaxin originates in the corpus luteum and the placenta.

Dr. Shannon (05:28.001)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (05:37.428)
Here we go. Let's get into it. Let's get into it. What's our first one?

Rachael Hutchins (05:50.458)
Relaxin is aptly named for its role in relaxing the uterine muscles and the ligaments, facilitating the expansion of the uterus to accommodate the growing fetus. Cool. Beyond its uterine effects, relaxin also softens and loosens the pelvic ligaments, preparing the birth canal for delivery. So we're getting more space and more mobility in all of our joints and ligaments and muscles. Yep.

Dr. Shannon (06:11.214)
Mm-hmm. And the joints and ligaments, yes.

Rachael Hutchins (06:15.046)
And then this hormone also plays a role in facilitating implantation and promoting blood vessel dilation essential for adequate blood flow to the developing fetus. So relaxation is part of the process of pregnancy and birth from the very beginning. And when we talk about relaxing in the, like when we're teaching childbirth education, we talk about it in a way so they can understand how they might be feeling and experiencing pregnancy because it can create some discomfort like pubic symphysis.

Dr. Shannon (06:30.784)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (06:43.51)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (06:44.086)
dysfunction because there are sometimes if you get too much length and space between your ligaments and your bones and your muscles and stuff if they smooth out too much it can cause some discomfort. So just being aware of how your body is working.

Dr. Shannon (06:47.533)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (06:55.432)
And some misalignments, you know, it can, yeah, doesn't say there can be some misalignments as well too. And so there's more, yes, you have more fluidity to some of the joints, but you also have, so you do need it though. So remember that, like it's necessary and it's there. And it's actually, I feel like it's there all the time. It's just different levels. And a lot of women will have different levels of it too. Cause I remember reading some research papers as far as like a history of having a lot of meniscus injuries in soccer players, but-

relating that to the levels of relaxant they have in their body. So everybody has different levels as well too. So just kind of, you know, know that. But that pubic symphysis, it's not a joint that normally, so it's like that anterior part of the pelvis, like right at that pubic bone. It's not a joint that normally like gets a lot of attention or moves a lot, but in pregnancy, it really does need to expand. So that's where relaxant is gonna come in and help. However, we just need to make sure that it's moving and expanding.

Rachael Hutchins (07:24.164)
Mmm.

Rachael Hutchins (07:30.646)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (07:43.836)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (07:53.801)
and on a line state, you know, so.

Rachael Hutchins (07:55.438)
Yeah, or it's got extra stability or support. So if you're experiencing that in your body, going to see a chiropractor, considering your options to support your body as it's growing and changing. So that's relaxin'. The next one is the HCG. So that's the human chorionic gonadotrophin. Did I say it right? Gonadotrophin. So I usually refer, I know.

Dr. Shannon (08:08.633)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:14.412)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:17.968)
Yeah, yes you did. Put that on your shirt because you got to watch the YouTube video so you can see Rachel's shirt because it's got all these hormones on it. It doesn't have... Sorry, I love it.

Rachael Hutchins (08:26.734)
So I'm wearing my hormone shirt, but it doesn't have gonadotropin.

Rachael Hutchins (08:34.799)
So this one is known as the pregnancy hormone HCG is produced by the placenta following implantation of the embryo in the uterine lining. So this is like early, early on, this is like actually the hormone that's measured to determine if you're pregnant or not. And then those rising levels are confirmation of pregnancy. So HCG serves as a vital marker in early pregnancy tests and helps maintain the corpus luteum, which in turn

Dr. Shannon (08:38.445)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:49.182)
if you're pregnant. Yep.

Rachael Hutchins (09:01.334)
produces progesterone to support the uterine lining and pregnancy. So you really need your progesterone pumping during this time and HCG is communicating with that saying, let's thicken up this lining. And that's what it does in those eight to 11 weeks is it rises rapidly in early pregnancy, peaking around eight to 11 weeks before gradually declining as the placenta assumes the role of hormone production. So that's super cool to know about HCG.

Dr. Shannon (09:07.082)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (09:29.887)
It is.

Rachael Hutchins (09:30.954)
Yeah. And then we have estrogen. So a lot of people have heard about estrogen, but do you know how it works and where it comes from? So it's produced primarily by the ovaries during pregnancy. Estrogen levels soar, surpassing pre-pregnancy levels by several folds. Estrogen plays multifaceted roles in pregnancy, including stimulating uterine growth, which is important, promoting fetal development, also very important, and maintaining blood flow to the placenta. All.

Very important things that estrogen supports. Additionally, contributes to breast development and preparation for lactation for breastfeeding and helps regulate other pregnancy hormones such as progesterone. Progesterone, which we've mentioned a couple of times and we do cover that more down the line.

Dr. Shannon (10:17.216)
And estrogen is one of those that's always around, and it's part of your regular cycle. So that's fun to think of. You've got these other ones that are coming in and making themselves known that are not necessarily part of your regular menstrual cycle. But I think it's good to maybe backtrack a minute. What is a hormone so that people kind of understand, okay, they're just little chemical messengers in the body. And so...

Rachael Hutchins (10:44.325)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (10:45.1)
they travel in the bud stream, they go to tissues and organs, and they're produced by specific like endocrine glands. And they just, they communicate. So they're little communicators in the body. So just kind of remember that as well. So then there's other things that are signaling and communicating. So it's just this beautiful system in the body of like, oh, this is communicating here to produce this, and this is coming around. When that's produced, it'll come here and produce this. So anywho, it's really fun when you think about it.

Rachael Hutchins (10:51.765)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (11:11.718)
Yeah, and a lot of the hormones that are players during your menstrual cycle are players during pregnancy and birth, which is super cool. And then like you said, you add in a couple other hormones that are specific. Yeah, so again, we think learning about this just helps you feel more empowered about the whole experience and sees it. I like that, like a beautiful orchestration, like a symphony of hormones at play.

Dr. Shannon (11:20.28)
Mm-hmm.

And yeah, and others take a vaccine, and other ones come up. Exactly.

Dr. Shannon (11:36.716)
Mm-hmm. It is.

Rachael Hutchins (11:40.486)
all working to protect you and your baby and help things grow and be healthy and strong and also signal to the body if something is not right, which is also cool. So the next hormone, which is on the top of my shirt here and always top of mind for me is oxytocin. I actually have, I don't know, can you see that?

Dr. Shannon (11:48.806)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (11:53.6)
Yes!

Dr. Shannon (11:58.696)
Oh yeah, you get the tattoo of it. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (12:01.118)
Yep, got the tattoo of the oxytocin molecule on my arm. So I kind of have a thing with oxytocin. So it's referred to as the love hormone, love hormone. And you release oxytocin during your menstrual cycle, during intercourse, during moments of happiness and love and joy and a lot during labor. It's also referred to as the bonding hormone. So when you look at your baby, make eye contact to your baby, smell your baby, you release oxytocin. Super cool.

Dr. Shannon (12:09.504)
You love love!

Dr. Shannon (12:23.64)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (12:30.97)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (12:31.522)
It's instrumental in various stages of pregnancy and birth, just like I just said. During pregnancy, oxytocin promotes uterine contractions. That's one of the big players and a lot of people know that fact right there. When you have uterine contractions, which come from oxytocin, that aids in cervical dilation and the progress of labor. We need oxytocin to be flowing for labor to progress.

Dr. Shannon (12:56.362)
Thank you.

Rachael Hutchins (12:58.378)
Oxytocin also fosters emotional bonding between the mother and the baby. It enhances maternal instincts and facilitates breastfeeding by promoting milk ejection and let down. So that's cool.

Dr. Shannon (13:10.088)
It's a huge one. It's a huge one. And that's where, because this is where the word pitocin comes from, right? Because it's the synthetic aspect of oxytocin for, if you're hearing about like being induced or having to have a pitocin as you know, into your labor system. So that's where part of those words come from too.

Rachael Hutchins (13:33.578)
Well, yeah, because it's the synthetic form in their medically starting labor because you need your uterus to be contracting. But the thing, the biggest difference with pitocin, well, there's lots, but oxytocin is produced in the brain and actually increases your pain threshold. Whereas pitocin doesn't impact, doesn't come from the brain. It's a synthetic drug. So it's harder to cope with pitocin contractions versus oxytocin contractions because you're

Dr. Shannon (13:38.978)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (13:44.567)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (13:55.152)
Mm-mm. It's synthetic. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (14:02.98)
because you're missing that feedback loop, right? That's the connection there. I know, but it's good to know that. It's good to know.

Rachael Hutchins (14:03.202)
brain isn't the feedback. Yeah, yeah. So, okay, next one is progesterone, dubbed the hormone of pregnancy. Progesterone is predominantly produced by the corpus luteum early in pregnancy and later by the placenta. Progesterone plays a pivotal role in maintaining the uterine lining, preventing contractions that could lead to premature labor.

Dr. Shannon (14:15.308)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (14:27.206)
and supporting fetal development. And it also regulates the immune response to prevent the mother's body from rejecting the developing fetus as a foreign entity. So personal story for me about progesterone that helped me have my second baby is we were having a hard time conceiving. Had super easy time with number one. Number two, I had a miscarriage and then took like 15 months after that to conceive. And it was determined I had really low levels of progesterone once I became pregnant. And

thankfully due to medicine and technology or science and research. You can just do progesterone suppositories that mimic the same thing and help build up that lining of the uterus so that the pregnancy holds when it's there. And that, again, I haven't really fully understood that until I had to go through that experience of like how that hormone really plays a big role.

Dr. Shannon (15:11.535)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (15:17.688)
right what's going on and what yeah and I always think of it as the baby is just bathed in progesterone like I don't know that's how I've always envisioned it as far as that hormone and its role in pregnancy it just hangs out in a bunch of progesterone

Rachael Hutchins (15:26.003)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (15:31.91)
Yeah, I mean, it hits all aspects and that's why it's, you know, it's really known as the main hormone of pregnancy. We then have prolactin, often associated with lactation and is secreted by the anterior pituitary gland and plays a crucial role in preparing the mother's breasts for milk production. So during pregnancy prolactin levels rise, promoting the growth and development of mammary glands in preparation for breastfeeding. Additionally, prolactin suppresses ovulation.

providing a natural contraceptive effective during breastfeeding. And that is not a full proof. I know we are both like quick to, that is it can prevent ovulation but it doesn't prevent pregnancy like always. Cause you can, whenever that first ovulation happens if you're not having protected sex, like that first ovulation could be the time you get pregnant. And that is when it happens sometimes unexpectedly for those who are breastfeeding and think that they're, you know.

Dr. Shannon (16:05.544)
Not always.

Dr. Shannon (16:10.116)
I have so many moms. Yes. Pregnancy. Uh-huh.

Rachael Hutchins (16:28.106)
not ovulating yet, but it's always good because when you don't know when that first ovulation is going to come. And also fun fact of nighttime feedings like from the breast, breastfeeding at night will help protect your supply long term as well as delay ovulation longer.

Dr. Shannon (16:28.283)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:32.652)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:47.672)
Hmm, that's fascinating because those are like the hardest feedings, you know, because you're obviously exhausted and those are the ones that they want to drop. But they're it's their key and crucial to maintaining that supply. And it makes sense because I remember too, when the kiddos would sleep through the night that first night or however and however long, however old they were, I don't even remember. I remember waking up and being like, oh my God.

Rachael Hutchins (16:53.15)
Yeah, and those are the ones people tend to want to drop before.

Rachael Hutchins (17:02.175)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (17:16.288)
You know, like, their breasts were like hard as a rock. And I was like, oh, I feel great, because I got so much sleep. But I'm like, oh my God, I need to nurse this child. Like, when you go a little bit longer, yeah. But oh my, feed the baby. That's hilarious. Yay, so those are fun.

Rachael Hutchins (17:19.335)
Right?

Rachael Hutchins (17:25.042)
Right, your mammary glands are communicating to you that, yeah, like you missed, like everyone slept, but also it's time to feed the baby.

Rachael Hutchins (17:37.774)
feed the baby um yeah and so yeah so the hormones of labor so some of these hormones come into play when labor is beginning so as labor approaches like a complex interplay of hormones orchestrates my favorite little word surrounding this the onset progression and completion of childbirth so from like labor

Dr. Shannon (17:58.389)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (18:04.714)
beginning so like when you talk about hormones being little communicators and that reminded me of something I like to talk about with um prostaglandins so prostaglandins are released in your

Dr. Shannon (18:16.596)
Mm-hmm. I'm glad you're mentioning this because I almost when we did prolactin I was like, oh, yeah prostaglandins I was like that's a different word, but we need to talk about it. So yes. Okay. Sorry sidebar. Mm-hmm

Rachael Hutchins (18:24.994)
Yeah and so when the baby's lungs are fully developed it signals to the body to release the prostaglandins and prostaglandins settle in your cervical mucus and begin the process of softening the cervix and the cervix needs to soften, thin, dilate which is open and then get out of the way and then the baby has to come down and out.

Dr. Shannon (18:42.944)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (18:51.922)
So it has to be soft and thin for it to really dilate. And a lot of us focus on the dilation being like the measurement of labor progress, but there's so much else at play in the very, very beginning. You don't even feel it happening, but it's the softening of the cervix. And that's from prostaglandins, little communicator in your body, but it comes from your baby signaling that they're fully developed. And so when we talk about due dates, I like to kind of highlight that the baby signals when they're ready and that it's a range between for most, uh,

Dr. Shannon (19:08.802)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (19:20.622)
pregnancies 38 to 42 weeks. Most babies will be born 42 weeks is the healthy range of normal for most people. Of course individual circumstances and you got to talk to your provider and all of that if that's good for you but just knowing what's normal that baby will send the signal that it's not like 40 weeks and like okay it's time for baby to be born but the baby says I'm fully developed then those prostaglandins are released and then your cervix starts softening and that begins the process. So I love to share that fact about

and then there's oxytocin. So this is often regarded as the primary hormone of labor. It stimulates rhythmic uterine contractions driving the process of labor and facilitating the expulsion of the baby. So oxytocin, we talked about it a moment ago, but something I like to touch on when it comes to labor is if we know it's the love hormone and the bonding hormone,

what we want to do is set ourselves up to support the oxytocin so that oxytocin can flow freely and oxytocin and cortisol which is the stress hormone can't really flow at the same time and cortisol can slow or stop labor and if we want we know we need to build up oxytocin stores on our uterus so that we can have good long strong contractions and we need to increase our pain threshold.

Dr. Shannon (20:22.86)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (20:44.358)
as things are increasing. So you need oxytocin to flow. So for early labor, doing things that facilitate safety, love, connection, bonding, comfort, all of this is going to help facilitate the flow of oxytocin. I mean, you could be watching a funny movie. Like if you're laughing real hard at a funny movie, you're releasing oxytocin. If you are cuddled up with your spouse or partner, like

Dr. Shannon (21:04.868)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:09.802)
that releases oxytocin. So does having intercourse. Like it doesn't always have to be having intercourse. It could be self-pleasure. It can be getting a massage. That's gonna release oxytocin too. So thinking about all the things that can like facilitate oxytocin so that you build up as many stores on your uterus as possible so that when things really kick in, your body's kind of primed and ready. And

Dr. Shannon (21:16.492)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (21:21.572)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:39.65)
trying to keep cortisol levels at bay especially in early labor. So if you know setting yourself up so that the stressors and the fear and all of that are as managed and mitigated as possible of course you're going to still feel them at times but this is where we're talking about the birth cave you know really setting up your space to be that private quiet comfortable

Dr. Shannon (21:44.164)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (22:01.885)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (22:08.89)
often dimly lit space is going to also reduce cortisol which allows oxytocin to flow. And another key player are your endorphins. So endorphins are your natural painkillers. So as your as the intensity of labor increases so do your endorphins. So this is when we talk to people and they're like how am I going to handle...

Dr. Shannon (22:16.48)
Right.

to do what it's supposed to do. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (22:37.654)
like transition, which when we talk about transition, we're like, it's the hardest part of labor, it's the most intense, and if you've watched any videos or anyone give birth, you see how intense it gets, and if you have never been through that and you're sitting here pregnant, you're like, how? Endorphins. That's it, endorphins, they're your natural painkillers, as well as oxytocin, right? Oxytocin's raising your pain threshold, and then endorphins are helping you just not feel the pain in the same way as if you didn't have.

Dr. Shannon (22:50.788)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (23:06.57)
If you just walked into labor at nine centimeters with no hormones without that building, it's like hitting a brick wall. It could be, which that's not how it happens. I mean, so, but this is why if you hear about someone having like a really precipitous labor, they go like first contraction to baby and under three hours, that feels really, really intense because your body just, you're hanging onto that fast train versus like riding along it.

Dr. Shannon (23:06.858)
Exactly.

with no progression there. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (23:28.488)
intense.

Dr. Shannon (23:34.432)
Yeah. Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (23:36.922)
So, but endorphins are definitely your friend. If you've ever like with working out, exercise, doing something super fun like a roller coaster, you know that high, that quick hit you get after that exercise or good run or that's an endorphin and that's what kind of keeps us coming back to it. So know that you have that alongside you in labor. And so conversely the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline

Dr. Shannon (23:43.222)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (24:03.524)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (24:06.282)
So that's your fight or flight hormones versus your rest and digest hormones. Those are helpful at certain points in labor. But like I mentioned already, if we have too high of cortisol levels, too high of stress and early labor is gonna slow or stall labor. But then at the end of labor, it serves you. And all throughout, it is keeping you, a healthy level of cortisol is keeping you alert and attuned to things happening in a protective way. And then at the end of birth, it helps.

Dr. Shannon (24:09.656)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (24:22.627)
Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (24:35.866)
the baby out. It helps you have a huge burst of adrenaline at the end of birth that actually helps you deliver your baby because then you're at a point of no return. You need to get baby here and so it serves. We don't have to be scared of it just knowing how it works is kind of the goal.

Dr. Shannon (24:48.228)
Mm-hmm.

Exactly. I love that you said that, like not being scared of it. But knowing too, I think it's nice to know that like your body and this whole system here, this is like so beautifully and wonderfully and intricately made and designed this way. So it's also, okay, what can you do to support?

those things. So yes, like mitigating stress and understanding that and not just being like, okay, I don't want to be stressed. I don't want to be stressed because you know, you know, the necessarily you out. So it's not coming at it from that, but really understanding, okay, I know that stress is going to impact this. So maybe you look at, okay, how can I increase oxytocin? Because maybe then that can counteract it. Okay. You know, like what are the things that bring me peace and joy rather than coming at it from the like, okay, how can I, you know, reduce stress and those types of things. But I just think it's so neat.

Rachael Hutchins (25:13.183)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (25:17.346)
then that stresses you out.

Rachael Hutchins (25:29.833)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (25:38.762)
Yeah, because that just causes stress and then you're on a cycle. Yeah. So learning how to support the hormones, support oxytocin, understand how it works so that you can have the type of labor that you want, regardless of what you choose, and not fight it.

Dr. Shannon (25:42.349)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (25:53.9)
So, and not fight it. So I do, okay, so I wanna say this, because you even said how to support healthy hormones. So, few things to think of, and sometimes we, some we've had episodes on, some we haven't. So, there's the aspect of sleep. Sleep is when your body does most of its healing. So that's when you're getting good quality sleep. I know this is tough in pregnancy. When you're doing the best that you can and prioritizing it as best you can, that can impact.

hormones and hormone function. And then it's also movement. Obviously we talked about the endorphins, but moving the body, moving well, can impact that overall health and wellness. It's looking at the food that you're eating and nutrition. I know it's hard in pregnancy, like I craved Chips Ahoy, like cookies, like I ate a lot of mac and cheese. Like I craved certain things. I know in pregnancy sometimes it's hard with that, but.

for the most part, looking at how you are feeding your body as well, because that is what makes the cells and tissues and organs in your body and the hormones in your body. It's made out of the food that you eat and what you're able to digest and process and then reassemble into those parts and pieces as well too. So when you look at like, okay, I can also make sure that I'm eating well so that then you have that proper function of the hormones, proper function of the body.

and then other ways of like coming at it from having knowledge and support. So taking childbirth education classes, looking into doula support too, because that can help you feel safe, that can give you some of the knowledge, that can give you some other tools that can help those hormones, the ones that we want to flow freely to flow freely as well. And then I also have to just look at chiropractic care in the aspect of nervous system function, because again, to these hormones or chemical messengers,

mostly you've got those neuroendocrine systems. So from this pituitary gland in the brain, and that's a very intricate design and feedback loop of where the hormones are coming from, where they're going. And then that messenger sending that signal back up to say, okay, now we have too much, we have enough. And then it's that constant loop. So making sure that neuroendocrine system is working well. So looking and making sure that your nervous system is functioning well too. So it's not out of your control per se.

Rachael Hutchins (27:45.427)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (28:14.888)
and how to impact the hormones in your body. So just kind of keep that in mind.

Rachael Hutchins (28:19.466)
Yep, lots of great tips for how to support yourself along this journey and beyond. I did want to add three resources and we'll put them in the show notes, but there are people or books to add for learning more about hormones. Um, so there's Lily Nichols. She's all about like food and nutrition and supporting your body, um, through pregnancy. Yes.

Dr. Shannon (28:23.254)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (28:39.629)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (28:44.232)
She just has a new book that came out. This is real food for infertility, right? Because she has real food for pregnancy, which I know I think she... I thought that's what the one real food for pregnancy or maybe I'm thinking of a different title. Okay, infertility. Yeah, I can't remember which one, but yeah, she has a new one in general.

Rachael Hutchins (28:50.042)
Yes. And real food for gestational diabetes.

Rachael Hutchins (28:57.014)
But I think it's real food for fertility or infertility. I'm not sure. Yeah, but Lily Nichols, like if you just even like finding her on podcast or going to her website, I think she has classes. She's just a great resource for supporting like your body in this way with nutrition. Because I think that's super you touched on that. And I wanted to add that as a resource as well as Aviva Ram. So she has a book called Hormone. Oh, yay.

Dr. Shannon (29:08.408)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (29:14.436)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (29:20.576)
I'm so glad you're mentioning this because I wrote it down. I put it on my little poster. It's my middle one. I did. I was like, yeah, talk about this. So good.

Rachael Hutchins (29:27.258)
This book is on my side table. I'm a big fan of Aviva Rahm because she has a book called Hormone Intelligence. So that's tremendously helpful for understanding the complexity of your hormones. But also she's just a great resource for supporting your body holistically, your hormones holistically, preconceptive, or if you're not even trying, and then preconceptive during pregnancy and postpartum.

Dr. Shannon (29:33.861)
intelligence.

Dr. Shannon (29:45.572)
I'm going to go ahead and turn it off.

Rachael Hutchins (29:54.49)
wealth of knowledge. She's an MD and a midwife put together. It's a chef's kiss. She's just a great balance for information. And then I had one more. Oh is it the first 40 days? Oh Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great book for learning about your hormones so we can do that and then the first 40 days is about supporting your body nutritionally in the postpartum. So

Dr. Shannon (29:57.926)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (30:07.256)
The taking charge of oh you had taking charge of fertility. Yeah, you mentioned that.

Dr. Shannon (30:19.722)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (30:24.074)
full range options for people to kind of keep learning about how to support their body and hormones through these stages.

Dr. Shannon (30:25.451)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (30:31.34)
Definitely. No, those are all so good. We have a story Again, I did an interview with Caitlin Wimberly. I don't know when it's gonna come out, but she's prenatal postpartum fitness Guru she happens to be one of my patients I'm very excited that she came on the show because I got to be with her during her most recent pregnancy And what's funny with that in the story? That she told which I don't really remember this because when we were talking before the show and going through our outline she goes

She had a history of PCOS and it was being managed with birth control. So when she came in to get under care, we talked about maybe that was not the best thing and could there be some other ways? So she was looking at wanting to come off birth control. Her OB was super open to it and a wonderful resource for her. Then she borrowed the book Hormone Intelligence and then she got pregnant. She wasn't necessarily trying to get pregnant with this third baby.

Rachael Hutchins (31:22.967)
Hmm.

Dr. Shannon (31:30.328)
But she was like, yeah, you got me pregnant for that last one between hormone intelligence, so it was Aviva Rom and me. Yeah, so I just thought that was so funny. So there's that too, so keep that in mind. But yeah, no, but it can be when you like, yeah, I know, I thought that was so amazing though. Like, look at you, like taking charge of your health. The more you know. Exactly, I know. I had someone else just start up. She's in her 40s and it's like,

Rachael Hutchins (31:34.743)
Yeah

Rachael Hutchins (31:40.962)
That's hilarious and amazing.

Rachael Hutchins (31:49.202)
Yeah, the more you know. Yeah, the more you know, the more babies you have. Wait, no, just kidding.

Dr. Shannon (32:00.184)
She does not want more children. But she came and she's like, when we went through her scans and we were looking at how her organ systems are functioning and stuff, she's like, wait, this isn't going to make me get pregnant, is it? And I was like, I mean, I can't say. I was like, you have a responsibility. I am, but you have a responsibility to like, I was like, I, it's not my fault, but you need to, I was like, you just need to make sure you're doing what you need to do. Anywho.

Rachael Hutchins (32:12.422)
Right, I gotta...

Rachael Hutchins (32:18.062)
You know, like, I cannot, uh, predict or control this.

Rachael Hutchins (32:27.534)
Yeah, that's hilarious. That's awesome. So we will link all of these resources in our show notes. Be sure to join us next time as we explore more fascinating aspects of pregnancy and childbirth on the Aligned Earth Podcast.

Dr. Shannon (32:28.492)
I just thought that, I know, I thought that was funny. So, okay, sidebar. Ha ha ha.