04/17/2026
Open/closed glottis pushing is an important part of the education I give my clients. It is not up to me to tell mommas how to push, but it’s up to me to teach them the differences so they can choose what’s best for them.
Also known as 'purple pushing'— it actively works against the way the body is designed to birth.
Why “hold your breath and push for 10” is biomechanically backwards.
Directed, breath‑holding pushing:
**Closes the glottis, which increases intrathoracic pressure
**Reduces oxygen flow to both mother and baby
**Creates unnecessary strain on pelvic floor muscles
**Shortens the exhale, which is the natural mechanism that helps the uterus and abdominal muscles work together
**Ignores fetal rotation, which often needs time and subtle movement, not force
**Can increase perineal trauma
**Disrupts the Ferguson reflex, which is the body’s built‑in pushing reflex
In other words: it’s the opposite of what physiology wants.
