Women who do not push the baby into labor suffer less

If you have ever seen a birth scene in a movie, series, soap opera or even in real life, you may recall a doctor or nurse telling the woman in labor that she needed to push hard to push the baby, right? What if this is not exactly necessary?

The proposition that the mother should not push, but rather expect the body itself to make the move to help the baby out, is a measure that has been defended from time to time.

A large study by the Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent County, England, found that encouraging women to push and push their baby out is related to severe ruptures in the perineum region.

Research and Comparisons

After an experiment that lasted 12 months and consisted essentially of asking women not to force at birth, it was observed that the percentage of women with severe perineal damage dropped from 7% to 1%.

Another change proposed in this 12-month program, in addition to the issue of strength, was the position of women during labor: patients were told not to lie down, but to sit, squat, or in other positions that favor the work of gravity.

During contractions, the nursing staff also helped women to do breathing work instead of pushing the baby. The changes also happened during the baby's departure: if before the team pulled the child after the shoulder pass, now the ideal was to wait for the baby to leave alone, also to prevent the woman suffering too much and having the torn perineum.

Positive results from this method were published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. Although this type of procedure is not very popular, it is not surprising for doulas and other professionals who work with humanized methods of delivery, and it is very good to have scientific support that ensures safety and less suffering for pregnant women.