I Sang Through Labor to Manage the Pain

"Stress can amplify pain, she said, so singing might relieve the stress of a laboring woman by activating the parts of her nervous system that can calm her down. “This reduces their cortisol levels, relaxes them, reduces their heart rate, reduces blood flow and allows their bodies to go with the progression of labor,” she said.

Dr. Fohrman also suggested that singing may serve as a diversion. “When a person is singing, they’re in a state where they have to tap into other creative areas of their brain,” he said. “It’s a distraction from other sensory input which helps them to relax.”