Birth Without Active Pushing
NEWSFLASH!
Second-time mom learns first-hand you DO NOT have to push to get the baby out. Save your delicate parts the trouble, and let your body and your baby handle it. Just relax and breathe. Allow your body to open up - don't resist it - the baby will come out!
(It's total BS that TV-dramas and movies make it seem like you have to push, push, push - on your back, with your legs pulled up - NO. YOU DON'T. For many of us, that hurts way *way* more than it has to and does so much more damage to your body.)
The purpose of labor is not to open a hole (the cervix); the purpose of labor is to build the fundus of the UTERUS, which pulls the cervix open and UP... so that the powerful muscle of the uterus can push the baby out.
I have felt that Ejection Reflex myself, and guess what? It pushes the baby out FOR YOU! A no-push birth is incredible and how cool it was to feel my body doing it for me, exactly when it was ready. Healing was a breeze compared to my first birth. I also declined cervical checks because I knew it was not the best predictor of labor progression and preferred not to have anything in my space as I was relaxing and my body was at work during labor.
Our bodies are amazing! - Dr. Mackenzie
Birth Without Active Pushing (Articles below)
This article discusses the anatomical and physiological explanation of the second stage of labor and "Birth Without Active Pushing"
"The back of the baby’s head contacts a nerve plexus at the front of the pelvis, where the bladder and urethra join (this is known in the feminist literature as the G-spot). This triggers the backward movement of the rhombus of Michaelis and the fanning open of the wings of the ilia, which makes more space in the pelvic cavity. Then the following actions occur (although these are written as a sequence, they tend to happen simultaneously):
The mother reaches upward to find a firm object to grasp
She allows her body to sag forward and knees to roll out
Her back arches and she begins to wriggle her lower body
The uterus contracts and forces the baby’s body down"
Love this quote from the introduction too: "their uteri were quite capable of managing by themselves"
http://www.babiesincommon.com/.../Birth-Without-Active...
Some other great resources about natural birthing and not pushing...
http://www.mothering.com/…/women-in-labor-stop-pushing-see…/
http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/dont-push-the-river-it…/
I hope this concept is as inspiring for you as it was for me! <3
