anyone ever do this while pushing?

[LiLStar]

While pushing flat on your back, does putting something under your butt to lift it up a few inches off the ground help to get a big-headed baby through the pelvis? I just remembered that while pushing, I REALLY wanted to do that. But I couldn't without help, and I was really wishing someone would put a pillow under me but I was too far into la-la-laborland to speak, sooo it didn't happen. But would that have helped? I'm kinda miffed at myself for not speaking up now, I wonder if it would have shortened pushing? hmmm

[lovebug]

:

[melamama]

I would think squatting would help more than a pillow.
In a squat you are upright in a gravity positive position (so gravity is working with you).
The squat allows the pelvis to open some % more than is possible while lying on your back.

On your back with a pillow under your butt makes me think that you've got to get the baby out uphill. Seems like it would be harder.

I can imagine though that that position after the birth might be very comfortable.

[Quindin]

I agree that the pillow could actually work against you as the baby would have to go up hill. Squatting, being on your knews or standing is what really helps IME.

[LiLStar]

I wasn't moving the baby in any other position I think my mw even said later that the lip came back with other positions we tried.

[Sudonk]

Actually, putting something pliable, such as a pillow or folded towel underneath gives the advantage of allowing the tailbone to flex outward instead of being held in place by a firm surface, allowing the baby's head more space to move through. Clearly, it would be preferable to do so while also putting pillows behind mom's back to prop her up to allow gravity to assist in the descent of the baby. But yes, there could be a benefit to using something soft under mom.

[adoremybabe]

Originally Posted by Sudonk

Actually, putting something pliable, such as a pillow or folded towel underneath gives the advantage of allowing the tailbone to flex outward instead of being held in place by a firm surface, allowing the baby's head more space to move through. Clearly, it would be preferable to do so while also putting pillows behind mom's back to prop her up to allow gravity to assist in the descent of the baby. But yes, there could be a benefit to using something soft under mom.

Sudonk - I wonder if this would help me. With both of my previous births, I have broken my tailbone. I prefer not to go through that again but I feel that it is inevitable.

[LaurenAnanas]

Originally Posted by LiLStar

While pushing flat on your back, does putting something under your butt to lift it up a few inches off the ground help to get a big-headed baby through the pelvis? I just remembered that while pushing, I REALLY wanted to do that. But I couldn't without help, and I was really wishing someone would put a pillow under me but I was too far into la-la-laborland to speak, sooo it didn't happen. But would that have helped? I'm kinda miffed at myself for not speaking up now, I wonder if it would have shortened pushing? hmmm

Flat-on-back was the only postition that worked for me. We tried many, many other positions (toilet, squat, fancy birth chair, all fours, side-lying, etc...). DD wasn't big-headed, but she was not optimally positioned, and the midwife thinks my pubic arch migh be more pointy than round.

Anyway... I'm intruiged by this idea. Remembering all the sensations I had, it makes sense.

[Clairesoula]

I've heard of doing inversions to help the baby back up a bit and move into a better position. I bet getting your butt up would have been kind of a mini inversion that might have freed the baby up to wiggle into a better spot. I've also attended a birth where they layed the mom down like that temporarily when they were trying to get it past the pubic bone.

[Sheryl1678]

I remember trying repeatedly to arch my back while on my back pushing. Every time I tried to arch, the nurse made me grab the back of my knees and do the opposite of a back arch. Sigh.

We instinctively try to get in the best position for birth. I think we might do anything to counteract the stranded beetle position.

[ananas]

This sounds to me like the position that they have women in at the hospital (just woke up, so I can't rememeber the name of the position for the life of me).

Anyway, that position is harder than others because the baby has to work against gravity to get out, and this position seems like it would be the same thing.

[Fuamami]

I always had these grand ideas of squatting, too, but it never materialized. I always had to do the C-curl. That's the only thing that would work. I have a previous tailbone injury and it's not exactly where it should be, so I wonder if that's why! I never thought about it before.

[Pirogi]

Originally Posted by adoremybabe

Sudonk - I wonder if this would help me. With both of my previous births, I have broken my tailbone. I prefer not to go through that again but I feel that it is inevitable.

What positions were you in for your births? I have a very deformed tailbone (think nearly 90-degree angle from the normal curvature of the coccyx) from a fall when I was younger. I was able to birth my daughter after pushing for only 20 minutes without breaking my tailbone. I was in the birth tub, on my hands and knees for most of the pushing. I felt like a silverback gorilla! But that was the position my body chose, and I really think it was the key to not having tailbone issues. Right at the moment of birth, my body felt like being upright on my knees in the tub, so that is what I did. Maybe a H&K position would help?

[Eman'smom]

DD was OP and never turned, I birthed her in the tub (kind of semi reclining) the only way she finally came out was when I lifted my hips up while pushing, almost out of the water.

[*MamaJen*]

Originally Posted by ananas

This sounds to me like the position that they have women in at the hospital (just woke up, so I can't rememeber the name of the position for the life of me).

Lithotomy?

[Eresh]

Well, in the McRobert's maneuver the mother pulls on the backs of her knees to lift her bottom off the bed. The theory is it allows the pelvis to move (more) freely, thus allow a baby with sticky shoulders to be birthed. So while it's against gravity, allowing the extra room might be what was needed for you.

I also did some pushing on my back to get DS past my pubic bone (we also tried hands and knees, knees leaning over something, squatting, supported squat before lithotomy). Once I got him past my pubic bone I moved to side lying.

[JennTheMomma]

It should work, maybe not for all though. I was kind of sitting when I was pushing. Sort of like squatting but not on my feet. That really worked well for me.

[Girlprof]

I birthed in McRoberts' and it worked really well. Surprised the hell out of me. I had mentioned to my MW that my first baby (9 lb 8 oz) was born with a broken clavicle and I tore quite badly. That was in a supported squat. For the second baby (new MW) she had me very flat on my back. Our DD was fine and I had a tiny skid mark. Now, of course second births are frequently easier, but I attribute a lot of our great second birth to the skill of our MW. It was a very coached pushing phase - she had me pushing between contractions - but the baby was born quickly and uninjured.

[laohaire]

I don't think it matters whether it worked for anyone else or even if it has the gravity problem. I think that if it occurs to the mother that she wants to be in that position, that's probably a good idea.

I can certainly think of cases where slowing a baby's descent might actually be helpful. Plus the pillow might help get the pelvis in a better position.

Babies come out in all kinds of positions, and mothers are shaped in subtly different ways, so I think a mother's instinct is almost always going to be spot-on.

To use the "taking a dump" analogy (cough, sorry), if you are on the toilet and feel the need to pinch shut and lean to the right, would you question that? :

[wombatclay]

McRoberts (the "extreme dead bug" move with mama on her back and pulling/lifting her bum to the ceiling) does have certain benefits, especially if the babe is at a slightly wonky angle or if mama's pelvic arch is a bit funky.

It's also a position used to resolve shoulder dystocia since it does change the pelvic shape/wiggle the babe/allow for everyone to move into a better position (though the Gaskin maneuver should be tried first if possible since it has a better chance of resolving the dystocia... though in my second birth we tried both and neither released dd2's shoulder).

I think that if mama is comfy and making progress and she wants a pillow or support to lift her hips then that's all good!