Pressure is applied to the nerves deep in the pelvis.
The uterus does the work, the body is doing it by itself, making the contractions increasingly expulsive, and the mother starts to feel the urge to bear down.
An increase in Adrenalin provides the energy to birth (push) the baby out, to be alert to greet them and spontaneously fall in love (sometimes this doesn’t happen).
Grunting & “pushy” noises.
Listen to your body and don’t be de-railed by being given instructions (Directed pushing – “hold breath & push, push, push”, “Push into your bottom like you’re doing a poo” NO PURPLE PUSHING – cutting oxygen to baby & yourselves.
No urge don’t force it – WAIT there is NO RUSH (Simpson, 2006).
Directed or coached pushing is more likely to cause tears, distress in both mother and baby and result in an instrumental delivery (Reed, R; 2016.)
Eyes may be closed and should not be interrupted.
Room needs to be kept dark and quiet, no room for neo-cortex activity here!
‘listen to your body’ and do what feels right.
Baby moves down, soft tissues stretch, Oxytocin is released.
May need a poo due to the baby’s head in the birth canal, to the back passage.
Poo is a positive as closely followed by a baby’s head
