Pushhhh

The act of pushing a baby out of one's body...sounds crazy, doesn't it? People seem to have very different views of pushing, and how it should be done. I have heard the words "beautiful", "amazing", "unbelievable", "difficult", "weird", "gross", "cool", "painful", used in many different combos when talking about this activity that happens every single day to women all over the world. So, whats the deal?

Pushing is what the birthing community has named "second stage" of labor. There is no telling how long this stage will last, as it varies greatly depending on whether the mother has done it before, or its her first time, what position she is in, what types of interventions she has faced, her support system, the size of her baby, among other factors.

"Laboring Down the Baby"
A term used to describe the waiting period between full dilation of the cervix and pushing. Mothers can use this time to allow her baby to naturally move down her pelvis, making the active pushing phase more successful in a shorter period of time. This time can also be used to move around, allowing for the baby to turn as he must before he is welcomed into the world.

Laboring down is a technique that is becoming more and more popular in birthing centers and hospitals. Midwives, in essence, have been using this technique for centuries as they encourage women to embrace the signals they receive from their bodies and to just do what they feel. This allows the laboring mother to push only when she is feeling that natural urge.

I have taken an interest to this particular aspect of pregnancy and childbirth and will continue to research the different areas of this fascinating subject.