Thoughts About Pushing
The way our society portrays birth is almost always connected to the idea of pushing. I've heard people talk about feeling like they were pushing their insides out while trying to push their baby out. That just does not sound like a good thing to me! And it doesn't give me the idea that birthing is a natural, normal process.
People have different ideas about pushing, but the thing is, contrary to our society's popular belief, a lot of experts believe that pushing (at least directed and forced pushing) is unnecessary and even harmful to the birth process.
-(One note: the ideas shared in this post are focused on natural birthing. A birth with an epidural will probably include a care provider directing pushing.)
Whether or not you want to have a hypnobirthing experience, there is a lot to learn from different aspects of the hypnobirth philosophy. One thing I really like about the philosophy is the idea of "breathing" baby out, rather than "pushing" baby out.
"Breathing" a baby out refers to a mother relaxing and breathing deeply, and letting her body gradually open by itself to let baby slide/move out, rather than forcefully bearing down to push baby out.
Here is a comparison quoted from Hypnobirthing: the Mongan Method, by expert Marie F. Mongan, explaining benefits of breathing baby out, rather than pushing:
Mother-Directed Birth Breathing
-Allows parents to maintain control over their birthing
-Conserves mother's energy
-Provides continual supply of oxygen to the baby
-Gently opens the birth path for smooth descent
-Increases prospect of birthing over an intact perineum (this means that there is much less chance of tearing)
-Perineal tissues unfold naturally for the gentle emergence of baby
-Baby maintains healthy heart rate during descent
Staff-Directed Forced Pushing
-Tires mother and reduces her effectiveness and participation in birthing experience
-Closes and constricts vaginal passage ahead of baby
-Emergency intervention can result
-Mother becomes exhausted; baby is distressed
-Ruptures eye and facial blood vessels
-Limits flow of oxygen to baby, often causing heart-rate deceleration
-Surrenders control of birthing to others
-Contributes to tearing or the need for episiotomy
(Citation: Mongan, Marie F. “The Power of the Mind.” Hypnobirthing: the Mongan Method: A Natural, Instinctive Approach to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing, Health Communications, 2015, pp. 132–132.)
Ina May Gaskin, who is internationally recognized for her contributions to midwifery, has made similar remarks about "pushing." I love her "Sphincter Law," as explained in chapter 4 of her book Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.
Google search definition of sphincter:
Sphincters are rings of muscle. Ina May explains that sphincters are muscles in your body that are naturally flexed, so rather than needing to flex them, we need to relax them. (In contrast to your biceps, which may be relaxed until you flex them to make your arm move.) An example is the sphincter that you use when you use the restroom (number 2!). It is naturally closed/flexed. When you use the restroom, you relax the sphincter, and the waste passes through to leave your body. The Sphincter Law suggests that the woman's cervix and vagina use sphincters and need to be relaxed during birth, rather than flexed. Pushing the baby out would flex these muscles, while relaxing would allow them to naturally open and stretch.
Ina May further explains that sphincter's are best able to relax when in a intimate/private environment, without pressure from others. She asks the reader to imagine that they were trying to use the restroom, and someone was standing by them saying, "Push!!!" or even "Relax!!!" An uncomfortable situation like that would make it very hard for you to relax your sphincter and use the restroom. It's the same concept as having a baby! It will be harder for your body to relax and for your cervix and vagina to open up if you feel like your privacy is invaded or if you feel pressured by spectators to push or relax. An ideal environment, according to the Sphincter Law, would be a private atmosphere where the mother feels safe, and interruptions are very unlikely, if not impossible. This is the same reason we like to lock the bathroom door. We are able to relax better when we don't feel like we might be interrupted or intruded upon.
In my own experience, I found that my body pushed my baby out without me trying! The pushing was involuntary and I just tried to stay relaxed and let my body do what it was doing. I did, however, specifically try to push the rest of my baby's body out after his head had come out and the midwife had unwrapped the chord from his neck. She asked me to push him out with the next contraction, and I happily complied. (My body was pushing naturally already with each contraction.) I do think there will be times for pushing, but I think that it should almost always be natural and directed by your body. Your body will tell you if/when you need to push. With my next birth I would like to try "breathing" baby out, to have a more gradual birth, with much less chance of tearing.
These are just some things to consider when it comes to pushing!
So you can do your own research and find what feels right to you. Ultimately, your body will know what to do, and your care providers will also be able to help you know what is best.
People have different ideas about pushing, but the thing is, contrary to our society's popular belief, a lot of experts believe that pushing (at least directed and forced pushing) is unnecessary and even harmful to the birth process.
-(One note: the ideas shared in this post are focused on natural birthing. A birth with an epidural will probably include a care provider directing pushing.)
Whether or not you want to have a hypnobirthing experience, there is a lot to learn from different aspects of the hypnobirth philosophy. One thing I really like about the philosophy is the idea of "breathing" baby out, rather than "pushing" baby out.
"Breathing" a baby out refers to a mother relaxing and breathing deeply, and letting her body gradually open by itself to let baby slide/move out, rather than forcefully bearing down to push baby out.
Mother-Directed Birth Breathing
-Allows parents to maintain control over their birthing
-Conserves mother's energy
-Provides continual supply of oxygen to the baby
-Gently opens the birth path for smooth descent
-Increases prospect of birthing over an intact perineum (this means that there is much less chance of tearing)
-Perineal tissues unfold naturally for the gentle emergence of baby
-Baby maintains healthy heart rate during descent
Staff-Directed Forced Pushing
-Tires mother and reduces her effectiveness and participation in birthing experience
-Closes and constricts vaginal passage ahead of baby
-Emergency intervention can result
-Mother becomes exhausted; baby is distressed
-Ruptures eye and facial blood vessels
-Limits flow of oxygen to baby, often causing heart-rate deceleration
-Surrenders control of birthing to others
-Contributes to tearing or the need for episiotomy
(Citation: Mongan, Marie F. “The Power of the Mind.” Hypnobirthing: the Mongan Method: A Natural, Instinctive Approach to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing, Health Communications, 2015, pp. 132–132.)
Ina May Gaskin, who is internationally recognized for her contributions to midwifery, has made similar remarks about "pushing." I love her "Sphincter Law," as explained in chapter 4 of her book Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.
Google search definition of sphincter:
"sphinc·ter
ˈsfiNGktər/
noun
ANATOMY
- a ring of muscle surrounding and serving to guard or close an opening or tube, such as the anus or the openings of the stomach."
Ina May further explains that sphincter's are best able to relax when in a intimate/private environment, without pressure from others. She asks the reader to imagine that they were trying to use the restroom, and someone was standing by them saying, "Push!!!" or even "Relax!!!" An uncomfortable situation like that would make it very hard for you to relax your sphincter and use the restroom. It's the same concept as having a baby! It will be harder for your body to relax and for your cervix and vagina to open up if you feel like your privacy is invaded or if you feel pressured by spectators to push or relax. An ideal environment, according to the Sphincter Law, would be a private atmosphere where the mother feels safe, and interruptions are very unlikely, if not impossible. This is the same reason we like to lock the bathroom door. We are able to relax better when we don't feel like we might be interrupted or intruded upon.
In my own experience, I found that my body pushed my baby out without me trying! The pushing was involuntary and I just tried to stay relaxed and let my body do what it was doing. I did, however, specifically try to push the rest of my baby's body out after his head had come out and the midwife had unwrapped the chord from his neck. She asked me to push him out with the next contraction, and I happily complied. (My body was pushing naturally already with each contraction.) I do think there will be times for pushing, but I think that it should almost always be natural and directed by your body. Your body will tell you if/when you need to push. With my next birth I would like to try "breathing" baby out, to have a more gradual birth, with much less chance of tearing.
These are just some things to consider when it comes to pushing!
So you can do your own research and find what feels right to you. Ultimately, your body will know what to do, and your care providers will also be able to help you know what is best.
Comments
Post a Comment