When Push(ing) Comes to Shove– Grateful Dead
All of the waiting, and laboring and now it is finally time to push your baby out! Have you ever thought about actually pushing a baby out of your vagina? Many people have questions about pushing in labor. For example:
How will I know what to do?
Am I doing it right?
Is it supposed to feel like that?
Just know, pushing in labor will look different for everyone.
Working on a Dream– Bruce Springsteen
You put in a lot of work into laboring. Going from 0cm dilated to a complete 10cm takes time, effort and patience. Remember that just because you’ve reached 10 cm does not mean it’s time to push the baby out. Some people experience a pause after reaching 10cm. This allows the birthing person to rest before more strong work is needed. Your care provider may suggest adding Pitocin to help things along. You may choose to do this, or if everyone is managing the labor well, you may choose to wait and see how labor changes within the next hour. It can be beneficial to wait until the birthing person feels urges to push. This will allow the baby to get lower in the pelvis meaning you won’t have to push as long.
Pro tip- If your baby is above zero station, keep your knees wide. If your baby is Zero station or beyond, keep your knees together. You may shock your care provider with how quickly you labor down.
Coach- Kenny Chesney
Sometimes laboring people may desire a little help figuring out how to release the perineum and push at the same time (think of pooping). It can sometimes be tricky to remember to breathe and continue to bare down. Coached pushing is essentially what it sounds like. Your doula or provider will coach you through each contraction. It might sound like this:
“Take a big deep breath in, hold your breath in, bare down and push, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe all that air out quickly and take another BIG DEEP breath in, hold it and push for another count to 10. One last time, 9, 8, 7,…3, 2, 1, great! Now rest!”
With or without medication, this can be used in any pushing position. Once you get to the crowning of the head or the Ring of fire your provider may have you breathe slowly or lessen your pushing to help avoid tearing.
“Intuition takes me there. Intuition takes me everywhere” especially when pushing in labor John Lennon
Intuitive pushing allows the birthing person to choose how, when, for how long, and what position to push in. This can look different from person to person. One may want to bear down and hold their breath, while another may choose to continue to ride the wave and moan during contractions, others shout and curse, still others are stoic and calm.
Intuitive pushing can be done in any position the birthing person finds comfortable.
This phase of labor is as special as the individual doing it. You may find you like one over the other or you may find you like a combination of both. Contrary to common thought you should keep your legs close together to make more space in your lower pelvis; do this rather than bring your knees wide and pulled back tight. Be sure to change positions often just as you did in labor.
We would love to know if you found this article helpful. Feel free to reach out and share your story.
By Angelina Miller
