03/24/2018
Cervical dilation. It’s often believed that that once you’ve reached full dilation, your caregiver will instruct you to start pushing with all your might. But it's actually best to avoid "coached pushing" by anyone attending your birth. During the final stages of (unmedicated) labor a birthing woman will experience the Fetel Ejection Reflex. By working with your body and only pushing when YOU feel the urge, you’re able to better utilize your energy and work with your breath. Your tissues can stretch more slowly and you drastically reduce the risk of tearing. Birth is very intricate series of events with each one triggering the next. Imagine if someone started screaming at you to “PUSH-PUUUSH” as soon as you sat on the toilet for a bowel movement. It wouldn’t be helpful... because sometimes you just need a moment to get things moving, right? So even if your cervix has reached 10cms, it’s not uncommon to need a moment of rest before you “get the urge”. Only your body possesses the intrinsic wisdom of knowing when everything within you is perfectly aligned to finally push your baby into the world.
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