who didn't push & just 'breathed' their baby out?

[tinyshoes]

I was reading Hypnobirthing, and the author talks about 'breathing the baby down,' and I am very intrigued!

I'd like to try not pushing this time....how does that happen?

I don't really understand the concept of 'breathing a baby down'.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I get an overwhelming urge to push. With my 1st I pushed and pushed. With my 2nd I started out doing that, then made myself stop. I breathed and only pushed as much as my body required. It didn't feel much different to me, but I think it was easier on my perineum.

[moodymaximus]

it just happened. i felt that DS was coming fast, and i was aware of needing to slow him down so i wouldn't tear. i tried to really relax my hands, my face--not to strain in any way. it felt right not to push. my body pushed on its own, he just came out.

[Veritaserum]

I taught HypnoBirthing for a couple of years and Mongan (the creator) really seems to believe that women only push because they've been conditioned to push. She herself never felt the urge to push.

My feeling is: If you feel like pushing--do it! If you don't feel like pushing--don't!

Some HypnoBirthing moms will fight those instincts because they believe what they've been taught about not pushing. Ignoring your body's instincts is never a good idea and generally results in more discomfort.

Anyway, with two of my natural births I didn't feel like pushing until my baby had moved down past the pubic arch. So I didn't push. I simply kept relaxing. I felt pressure, nothing more. Once my babies were low, I automatically started pushing. I pushed with my body's urges, which meant a lot of grunting and exhaling. With the third of my natural births I started pushing earlier because that's what felt right.

Above all, pushing should be mother-directed. In general breath-holding isn't a great idea, but if that's what feels best you should do that. In my experience most unmedicated mamas will grunt and push and blow for 6-7 sec. and then take another breath to do it again.

[gentleearthmama]

I never pushed. In fact my m/w almost didn't make it so I was there in the tub, trying not to have a baby until she got there and when she got there she said "don't push" and I was like "I am NOT pushing, the baby is just coming out!" So I tore a little bit. But I never pushed until it was time to push the placenta out.

[jeninejessica]

I highly recommend watching the video "birth as we know it" there's some fantastic fottage on there of a mother breathing her baby down. She almost looks like she's asleep while doing it, ebcause she's so calm. She literally just relaxed, and let the baby come down on his own. It looks so peaceful.

[barefootpoetry]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica

I highly recommend watching the video "birth as we know it" there's some fantastic fottage on there of a mother breathing her baby down. She almost looks like she's asleep while doing it, ebcause she's so calm. She literally just relaxed, and let the baby come down on his own. It looks so peaceful.

Is that the mama in the clear tank with the headband on, with the two LOs watching? She did look so calm, she was even smiling! If the camera hadn't panned down to the head coming out between her legs, you might not have even known the baby was being born right at that minute!

[jeninejessica]

That's the one I had in mind, yup. I'm sure there are others in that movie, but that is the specific birth I always think of when I think of that movie. It shows me exactly why I want an unassisted birth. Like wow- Birth can BE like that!

[mamallama]

When I was preparing for my son's birth I felt really drawn to Dr. Odent's writings about the fetal ejection reflex.

I didn't so much "breathe him down" --he just kind of fell out.

[HeatherB]

I had this experience with my recent (okay, nearly 5.5 months ago) birth. It was so completely different from my first two! When my water broke, my MW checked to find me at a "tight" 6 cm, but only a few minutes later my body was pushing with no effort from me. My MW's instruction was to breathe - which I thought I was doing! But I was freaked out that it was so fast, so apparently I was more holding my breath than breathing. Anyhow, I ended up breathing/blowing through each contraction. Once I realized that my body was doing its own thing and it was okay (and that, for instance, I was not still 6cm dilated! ), I was able to really just take in what was happening and ride it out. It was amazing! With my previous HB I was pushing actively and didn't realize how far I had progressed, whereas with this one, I felt each change and each shift as the baby descended and was born. It was very strange, though, to try to push out the placenta! Oh, I also tore less than I had before - just a tiny skin split that took no stitches and healed in 24 hours.

[NatureMama3]

I didn't push (as in voluntarily) but I didn't breathe either. I just kind of grunted and held on for dear life. I'm told it was about 20 minutes from when they first noticed me grunting till he came.

[MamaChicken]

I breathed my DD out and it was fantastic. I let my body do the pushing and I did the breathing like it was discribed in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I also did HypnoBabies and I pictured myself giving birth this way so many times, that was just how it happened. The on-call midwife at the hospital seemed a bit surprised at first, then cheered me on "breath her out, you're doing a great job! That's exactly how to do it, just breath her out!"

I spent a lot of time conditioning my mind that breathing her out was the "right" way to do it, not the purple pushing they had me do with my DS.

[tinyshoes]

oh thanks mamas, it's really starting to make sense!

[shanahan]

this is really interesting.... While in labor, I was standing up in the shower and my body just started pushing - I could feel my son coming down. But everyone keep yelling at me to "NOT PUSH" (I was supposedly at 8 cms) so I was tensing up to try to keep my body from pushing... My doula asked why I was tensing up instead of relaxing and I told her than when I relaxed, my body started pushing - so I was told to stop pushing, which caused me to tense up - which I was also told to stop! I was very confused!!

Soon after though, I got the go ahead to start pushing - and it was so odd that all of a sudden I felt very rushed and felt like I was being told to push when they decided I should. It felt very unnatural. But I was exhausted and figured they knew best, so I followed their lead. I had this odd worry that if I didn't push him out fast enough, they would do a c-section or something on me!!! But in the end, I only pushed for like 15 minutes!

In retrospect, I think what I thought was my "body pushing" - was really me breathing him down because it happened whenever I relaxed, focused on breathing, etc. Even though I feared it because it was opposite of what I was being told to do, I really think this was my body's way of naturally delivering.... But that natural feeling left as soon as I was laid down and told when to push...

So, next time I'm just going to trust myself even more and follow my lead - and tell everyone else to do the same, not the other way around!!!

[sunshine's mama]

i laughed my baby out....

she was in a hurry...

i had pushed 1x and laughed so hard at something, VOILA out she came......she giggles and smiles constantly now......

[Limabean1975]

laughed baby out??

Originally Posted by sunshine's mama

i laughed my baby out....

she was in a hurry...

i had pushed 1x and laughed so hard at something, VOILA out she came......she giggles and smiles constantly now......

nak

omg, tell me more!!!

[leafwood]

I read Hypnobirthing and did the techniques throughout labor. I planned to breathe this baby out (unlike the first time when I pushed).....throughout transition I managed to stay completely relaxed to the point everyone thought labor stalled. Then I had a huge surge, I moaned and stood up in the tub to announce that I had to push the baby out. I mean I REALLY wanted to push. Apparently baby was very far down and I pushed through about 4 surges and he was here. It didn't hurt....I had 2 tiny skidmarks that healed really quickly. At one point I felt like my arms and hands were tingly and the MW stopped me and made me hold my breath b/c she said I was hyperventalating from pushing so hard and that helped. With the next surge she told me to slow down but I couldn't. It's not that I wanted to push, it's that I couldn't NOT push....if that makes sense. Basically, it worked for my body and I was in such a place of trusting my body that I followed.

[Cujobunny]

Originally Posted by NatureMama3

I didn't push (as in voluntarily) but I didn't breathe either. I just kind of grunted and held on for dear life. I'm told it was about 20 minutes from when they first noticed me grunting till he came.

Me too, but it was 9 minutes

[Veritaserum]

With my last baby I pushed for 1 minute. I felt her move down and gave a little grunt. My midwife asked if I could feel her head. I didn't know if my mw meant whether I could feel her head inside or if her head was coming out. I reached down and there was her head halfway out! I had no discomfort of any kind (thank you, Hypnobabies!) and simply grunted some more to get the rest of her out before pulling her up to my chest.

[Momtotwo2004]

I did not push with my last baby. I was kneeling in the tub and I relaxed during the contractions, as I had during the rest of the labor. I felt her descending but I had no pushing sensation. I believe I might have pushed a tad when her shoulders were coming out but not much.