They feel better if they move or vocalize during the contractions, or even tense parts of their bodies. If disturbed in their ritual or prevented from doing the things they have found to be helpful, laboring women may become upset and stressed. Women are most likely to find their own coping style when they feel safe and supported, and are free from restrictions on their mobility and their vocal sounds and are also free from disturbances to their concentration, such as other people talking to them or doing procedures on them during contractions. Once a woman finds a ritual, she depends on it for many contractions. Changing the ritual or disturbing it throws her off.
Most women change their ritual from time to time in labor, when a change of pace seems necessary.
Childbirth educators who want to distill their teaching to cover the most meaningful ways of coping with the stress and pain of labor, might wish to incorporate the concept of the 3 R's in their childbirth preparation. We'd love to hear some of your birth rituals.