When does following your body not work?

Actually this was an OOH birth with mom in a tub with a very supportive husband along with her. We stayed out of the room quite a bit and mom seemed to be instinctively pushing.

I think having someone like a midwife say to you "follow your body" than instantly you run the risk that are no longer following your body, but following the midwife.

Without an exam than momma couldn't really know she had a lip- but i do think it is rare that listenign to your body does not work.

A part of listenign to your body is recognizing when pushing is not working and allowign yoruself a breater too!!! Even a momma who intends to follow her bodies signals is "eduacated" on what she thinks will happen at a birth, and not many mothers realize you can stop pushign and rest- the knowledge we have of birth says once you start pushing- you push till there is a baby...
so i think *listening* to your body does not work when you are listening to yuor head!!

That is interesting, I never thought about what we think a birth should go like. The midwife never told her "follow your body." It was more like after she had been pushing and we stepped in to check on her inbetween pushing the midwife told her she was doing a great job following her body. But, you may be right that she thought it was what she was supposed to be doing. And many women are not tuned in to their bodies pregnant or not, I find many women actually know that their decisions may actually be harming their body (like diet, lack of exercise etc..)

If you have a posterior baby, sometimes the most painful positions are the ones that make progress, so in that case it might be harmful.

The midwife did think the baby may be posterior. So, in that situation does help having someone to suggest positions?

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This is exactly what I was going to post. It is difficult for moms to fully listen, since even when they have the best of intentions it is difficult not to have expectations/make assumptions.