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Written by Pathways Magazine
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Wednesday, 01 September 2004 00:00 |
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Pelvic floor injury is less likely to follow the second stage of labor if women are allowed to push in the manner that feels most natural and comfortable to them. In coached pushing, the practitioner and others in the delivery room urge the woman to take a deep breath, hold it, and push as forcefully and long as possible with each contraction. Therefore, more force is applied to the pelvic floor and results in a greater risk of injury to the mother.
“Coached pushing is a modifiable practice. Everyone uses coached pushing, but it has no known maternal or fetal benefits, and we found that it was associated with negative effects on several urodynamic indices. Our findings suggest that physicians may want to reconsider routine coached pushing.”
Midwives have long practiced uncoached pushing in labor, that is allowing women to follow their bodies’ prompts and urges from within.
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/484738
 This article appeared in Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, Issue #03.
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