Push it. Part 2 of Birthing Classes

We just had the third class of our out-of-hospital birthing class series. The basis of this class revolved around what happens after active labor = PUSHING; when to push, what happens before, methods and what happens after. After pushing? duh... but there's actually more that happens than I thought!

Before Pushing
A method of pushing that was personally recommended to me by a friend who had a water birth at home which I intend to take a class on is called Hypnobirthing. It's basically focusing, internalizing and breathing out your pushes instead of actively (like, blue in the face) pushing which can lead to exhaustion and potentially hurting your baby and sweet vagina.

Relaxin is what causes your uterus to soften and allow baby to journey through your canal. This hormone is released in extra doses when you go into labor and it's what also causes 'the waddle' late in pregnancy. I hope I'm a damn good waddler in a couple months!

Some Methods that help before pushing

• Vagina Massages: During your pregnancy your partner is encouraged to do perennial massages (I'll let you Google it), this is more effective BEFORE labor rather than during (you're fine to start around 36 weeks). This helps prevents tearing!
• Sitting and moving on an exercise ball: Doing this helps your relaxins do their job and open the uterus. It's also helpful to do this all through out your pregnancy because it drives baby's head down. Also, you shouldn't slouch back on a couch (which is what we all want to do...) because this creates a 'hammock' for baby and can put them in a bad position. So if you sit on the couch sit up straight!
• Double hip squeeze
• Essential Oils
• Pool of warm water
• People at your (natural) birth: The least amount of people at your birth the better, they say every extra person besides your main support person adds an hour onto labor if they're not supportive, high anxiety and medically minded. 
• Rebozo
• Cat-Cow

What does it feel like when you need to push? 
Pooing! It feels like this kind of pressure because baby's head is against the back of your pelvis and if you do poo, it's baby's fault :) If you're pushing and baby's head crowns and goes back in after a push this means your uterus is blocking baby from exiting. At this point you would just need to change birthing positions to either a cat-cow (just the cat...) position or a birthing stool so gravity can help baby exit easier. Depending on how your active labor is progressing, you can push for 15 minutes or two hours and pushing should begin when you're 10 cm. Unless you have a C-section, your baby will have a cone head. This is normal and it goes away :) Baby's bones form into a cone position so they can guide their way through your tunnel.

(I wonder if anyone has ever had Salt-n-Pepa 'Push-it' on their labor playlist...

I think I would laugh before I'd be able to push)

After Pushing
You have to keep pushing. No, it's not the same but your uterus still has to contract to deliver the placenta. Sometimes it will follow baby, the average time is 20 minutes but legally (for a midwife) it needs to come out within an hour. The size of your placenta is about 1/6 of your baby, so you probably won't feel it coming out. The contractions aren't strong like they are during birth so (i'm told) they're not going to be painful. Breastfeeding and of course, Pitocin (given in all hospital drug-births) help strengthen contractions. Pitocin also helps control bleeding after childbirth and I may end up needing to have since my iron is low but I'm still waiting for my updated blood results. I'm all for Pitocin as long as baby's out!

• Placenta Encapsulation: You've probably heard of people taking their placenta home to cook it, mammals eating it right after baby is out or even planting it to grow a tree. I'm not that granola, I won't be eating my own placenta or grow a tree just to have it die but I do want to ingest it in a powdered pill form. Think of it as a drug-free, cure-all; it helps stop the baby blues, diminishes postpartum fatigue, balance hormones, enhance milk supply and increase energy. Thankfully there's companies that do this for you so this isn't a DIY project. Here's a happy blog post I read about. 

Baby is out!

Those nine months of planning is here. As soon as baby is free they're placed (or you're placing, if you were catching) immediately on mom's chest because baby needs to feel your heart rate, temperature and breathing to keep baby feeling calm and comfortable. A non-crying baby is a happy one. Hopefully baby will try and find boob right away so you can start the breastfeeding!