Ep. 135: Friday Free Talk: Don't Stop Pushing

Inside The Birth Lounge, I teach my Secret Sauce to Pushing. Part of that formula is based on your baby's position in your pelvis! I actively advise against what's called 'directed pushing,' where birthing people are told how and when to push (primarily talking about unmedicated births). It is not new that directed pushing can be less effective than letting the birthing person push with their body, but what about being told not to push? Nurses are notorious for saying 'don't push' for this reason or that. (This is obviously not applicable to all nurses and is a generalization.) Whether it be that you are not fully 10cm dilated yet or the doctor isn't in the room, your body is telling you to push. I am diving into the science behind this urge to push and what you should do when you feel it!

Sources:

Longer labor times with directed pushing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519218304025

EPU: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613812001805

Dilation: https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/15/the-anterior-cervical-lip-how-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-birth/

https://midwifethinking.com/2014/04/16/pushing-leave-it-to-the-experts/

The Birth Lounge: thebirthlounge.com/waitlist