Knowing how to push

Hi guys

As the weeks tick by I find more and more questions come to mind in regards to bringing this little munchkin into the world! So I was just wondering if anyone can help..
My latest thoughts (which probably sounds very silly) is about pushing. I'm worried that when it comes to pushing I won't push effectively??? Does that make sense? So for those who have gone through labour do you have any tips for how to push?? Does the technique/feeling come naturally or is there a certain way etc, or something that you need to focus on?
I'm only little so I want to have a great technique and hopefully that will help get me through! :pray:
Hope that makes some sense!
Thanks

You have to push as if you were pushing a number two. It doesn't feel like a vaginal thing. The MW will direct you if you're doing it wrong. Good luck :)

diito nat, just push like your doing a poo!!!

Are you booked into ante natal classes? If you're not then you should be because that stuff will be covered there.

Like Natalie said, you should be coached by your midwife to push out through your bottom just like doing #2's.

Pushing will come naturally....it will just happen. Natalie gave the perfect example...like your doing a poo. Also dont worry about the feelings u have....i kept thinking i was wetting myself...and its an awful feeling to me....but dont let anything bother you. I pushed as hard as i could...but DD wouldnt come out..wouldnt get over the 'hump' but i had a vac extraction and i knew how to push even then..

Goodluck!!

Most women who have a normal, unmedicated birth should get an urge to push, just like an expulsion reflex that you can't resist. Its not always instant when you hit 10cms - but you get the rush from medical staff most of the time. There is an article on the main site about pushing too: Bearing Down or Pushing?

Thanks for your replys :) ...

And Sam, yeh we have done AN classes but I just wanted to hear what some other people thought/experienced etc.

I had the urge - try stopping when they tell you to - its almost impossible.

Oh Nat yeah that's great hey. Like trying to stop peeing at the ultrasound.

Try to push with a loose jaw too. Don't clench your mouth up. Or push in the back of your throat. It will get sore and you will waste energy. Push when you feel the urge, not when you are told to as such. Meaning just because you are 10 cm doesn't mean you need to push. Let bub move down on it's own. This way you don't waste extra energy too.

Goodluck. I am sure you will do fine :D

I actually think there is a knack to pushing. Yes you push like a number two, but the timing of an effective push - now that is something else. I am convinced that I only was effectively pushing towards the end - like Kelly says I think I was rushed into it a bit early by medical staff. In my experience it was like riding a wave on a body board - there is no point paddling hard when the wave is miles behind you, just like paddling once you are at the crest of the wave is pretty ineffective - both work ok, but just tire you out more than achieve anything real. But if you work with the wave just as it catches you, that's when you get really far.

I think contractions are like this - you can push heaps and tire yourself out at the "wrong" parts (not really wrong, but YKWIM?) and not get as far, but if you push with the contraction its a far more effective use of energy.

I'm not sure if this will be useful for you, Lee :dunno: but do those who have been there agree?

I got the urge to push and it sort of just came naturally to me. I also thought it was like pushing in your bum, like doing a poo. I think Roryrory said it well - I was coached by my midwife and she said to do a couple good pushes with each contraction as my pushing would be more effective that way.

I found the urge to push unmistakeable and it is very hard to resist however my bodies natural "push" in reaction to the contraction I felt wre pretty ineffective, once I was allowed to push at 10cm the OB told me to push into my bottom which took me a while to get the hang of, I found it easy if I visulaised actually pushing into your bum. The position you are in changes how effective and how your pushing feels. With my first birth I had was only allowed to push on my back and eventually on my side and it was unbelievably hard and took two hours with a lrge epiesitomy. This time I was on all fours and it was much easier. I would have liked to squat but after 20min of trying not to push, it was too exhausted to move when the time came. 30min later and after about 5 contraction with about 3 pushes to each contraction my little girl was born!. Trust in your body and in you midwives/dr to help you out

My effective pushes go a bit like this - push scream relax.

As everyone else has said it really is like doing a poo. The hospital staff will guide you, but in my case (even though it was my first child) I knew when to start pushing because my body told me. The only guidance I really needed was when to do shorter pushes to reduce tearing. My OB also told me not to shout out whilst I was pushing, but to hold my shouts in and focus my energy on my bottom. That seemed to work much better. As does pushing only when you have a contraction.

Don't worry about being small - I am very small and managed to push out quite a large baby. I did tear a little, but really didn't feel it. In fact, the pushing part was the easiest part of the birth for me because you're actually doing something (rather than in the earlier stages when you just have to let the contractions hit you and there's not much you can do).

Good luck with it all. Remember, it's what we're designed to do and you will be just fine.

Your body knows just what to do, but it is hard to tune into instinct if you are being given instructions. So some women choose instinctive pushing over directive pushing, and put that on their birth plans. Some women find it easier to tune into their bodies and their own inner voice if they are not semi-sitting on the bed, because if you can get into an upright position, like squatting or kneeling, or leaning forward on knees, then you've got gravity on your side and you can kind of feel what's happening better than when you are sitting on your tailbone. If you're on the bed, because of the angle of the vagine, you actually have to push up hill - that's too hard in my book, anything for an easy life! On hands and knees I found I could really concentrate and 'feel'/sense where I was up to.

Sometimes you can be so focussed on pushing the baby out with all your might, that you forget to 'back-pedal' when you get to the crowning point, so you can ease the head out gradually (hopefully) and avoid tearing. So I would say, trust your body and your instincts, take it gently, the expulsive power of your uterus is humungous, wait for that urge and work with it - and when you get to crowning, you might want to try using just one of the expulsive powers at a time - not both at the same time. One power is the expulsive force of your contracting uterus. The other power is you pushing volitionally. If you push for all you're worth during a contraction, right when you're crowning, your perineum might not have a chance to gently, gradually stretch and you might tear .... so slooooooowwwww it down (hard to do at such an intense moment - so psych up for it beforehand!) Sometimes you can puff out or pant during the cx, and give a gentle little push in between contractions. I had to tell myself to slam on the brakes and backpedal at this point, to avoid a tear (it worked - yay!)

One first time mother I was with did this really cool manouvre when she was pushing. No one told her to do it, it was just what felt right for her at the time. I was in awe. She knelt on one knee, with the other up (the proposal position). Pushed for a while, then swapped knees and put the other up. Up, down, up, down - just swapping knees. She was really focussed and in control. It was awesome to see, esp. as she was a first time mum. Her midwife and I used a whole bunch of hot compresses applied to her perineum as well, with a squirt of olive oil. She seemed to find that soothing. I also read in another thread about women supporting their own perineum as they crowned, to help them feel how their perineum was doing and help ease the head out gradually. If you are in an upright or semi-upright position, this is easier to do and helps you feel in control. Not all care providers are much into supporting the perineum, so it is good to choose a birth place with a low episiotomy rate and talk to your midwives about how you wish to push and what care & support for your perineum you want, and write this in your birth plan.

I tried perineal massage before each birth, I found it helpful - The Pink Kit has some good info on how to do it. Not everyone finds it their cup of tea, but I did because it helped me practice volitional relaxing (instead of tensing up) whenever I felt the stretching sensation. I needed a bit of extra practice in connecting the power of my mind to that part of my body!

Don't let anyone rush you, take your time, trust yourself, really relax your pelvic floor and be sure to tell your caregivers whether or not you want directions from them.


Happy birthing! Enjoy the power of your beautiful body ....