When it’s time to finally push, we may find a few helpful techniques can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of our pushes! Remember, pushing can be exhausting, so we want to make our efforts efficient.
Let’s focus on the “pulling” aspect of pushing! We are usually cued to grab our legs, handles, scarves/sheets, just something while pushing. But, how we pull on those things can make a huge difference.
We want to pull towards ourselves with our BACK not pull ourselves towards the effort with our shoulders.
In the first image, you can see I am pulling with my back. My shoulders stay down and back, my spine is neutral (ribs stacked over pelvis), and I am pulling the scarf towards me.
This directs the force DOWN towards where I am trying to push. So, it adds to my push power.
In the middle image, you can see I am pulling with my shoulders. My shoulders are raised, elbows flare out, and I am curling forward.
I am pulling myself towards the other end of this scarf, and the direction of my force is upwards. This does not add to the power of my push and may actually take some effort away from the push.
While pushing, focus on pulling towards you so that you use your back. This will help direct the force down to add power to your push!
Learn more pushing techniques in our childbirth education courses or our pushing webinar offered every other month!