Doula

Answer: C - By relaxing the mouth and jaw, the cervix, vagina, anus, and pelvic floor muscles can release their tension. The definition of a sphincter as a body part that opens and closes to allow something through is applicable to labor and birth: the cervix opens to allow the baby through to be born. If a woman has safety, privacy, and some level of relaxation, she can let her body open on its own and will not be working against the physiologic process. Fear, isolation, fright, humiliation, and self-consciousness all produce adrenaline, which can slow labor progress and even close a cervix that had begun to dilate.