Birth Story Telling and the Brain

Written By Sara Klaiman

Many times, when a new friend finds out that I am a midwife, the conversation often turns naturally to them telling me the story of their birth experience. It is so humbling to receive the opportunity to listen, and be moved by these stories.

I started to become interested in the phenomenon of telling birth stories and how it impacts our brains, bodies, and social connections. Here are just a few interesting bits of learning I have collected…

The sharing of your birth experience creates lasting social bonds. When the brain sees or hears a story, its neurons actually begin to fire in the same patterns as the speaker’s brain. This is known as ‘neural coupling’. Brain neurons in the listener begin to mirror the neural activity in the storyteller’s brain.

Storytelling also bonds us emotionally. Through a process psychologists call ‘narrative transport' (Green & Brock, 2002), we become so deeply immersed in the tone, images, and feeling of the story that our empathy for the storyteller actually grows.

Telling our birth stories also changes the brain’s chemistry. When captivated by an engaging story or when you feel deeply understood by a listener, the brain increases it’s production of oxytocin and dopamine, hormones shown to increase generosity, compassion, trustworthiness, and sensitivity to social cues.

By sharing parts of my birthing story with my own children, I am more able to own and appreciate my experience. By having asked about and listened to my mother’s and grandmother’s birthing story; I have been able to integrate the wounds and the triumphs of my familial and generational history. And, at the end of the day… all these stories inform my parenting and my personal healing.

Are you motivated to work with me on the telling of your story? check out my prenatal and postpartum coaching.

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