The April issue of Parents Magazine has a tidbit about swearing when in pain:
“One reason to feel less guilty the next time you accidentally use a four-letter word in front of the kids after stubbing your toe: It actually helps relieve pain, according to a new British study. The researchers believe that cursing may trigger a fight-or-flight response in the body, leading to a natural increase in pain tolerance.”
Great! Now I don’t feel so bad about all those f-bombs I dropped while giving birth to Sydney. No Suri-Cruise-Scientology-quiet-birth for my daughter, no siree! While in labor with Sydney, now 3, I swore like a sailor. Not usually my style, but necessary given the circumstances.
I arrived at the hospital at 8:50 pm and was already 5 cm dilated. Like an idiot I told the nurses I wanted to wait for my midwife, rather than get the epidural. By the time I decided to have the epidural (like 5 minutes later) it was too late. Sydney arrived around 10 pm, a little over an hour after I got to the hospital!
I sort of cringe at what those poor nurses and doctors thought while I cursed for that hour before she arrived. I hope they cut me some slack when they realized that not only was I an idiot for doing natural childbirth, but my baby was born sunny-side up! Extra ouch-factor.
Still, that swearing was much more effective than the Lamaze breathing. So if the f-word helped me give birth, I can live with that. And as I just read about this month, swearing is scientifically proven as a pain reliever! And much cheaper than an epidural.
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