Two Pushing Methods You Need To Know About

Did you know that there are two primary types of pushing styles in labor? They are known as coached pushing and spontaneous pushing. Lets dive into each type and their pros and cons so you can decide which one is best for you.

Coached Pushing

Coached pushing or directed pushing occurs after you’re fully dilated and is where someone on your birth team, either an OB, nurse, or midwife is helping direct you on how and when to push. This form of pushing is most commonly used in hospital settings. Typically your provider will tell you to take a deep breath at the beginning of your contraction, tighten your abdominal muscles and push as hard as you can while they count down from 10. Then you’ll take a quick breath and do it again, with the goal usually being three times per contraction.

Coached Pushing: Pros and Cons

If you have an epidural, it may take a while for you to feel the urge to push and some women never feel it at all after receiving an epidural. In these cases, coached pushing can be especially helpful because it’s hard to read the cues from your body. Some downsides of coached pushing include: higher risk of moderate to severe perineal injury, higher rates of episiotomy, and higher rates of neonatal resuscitation due to increased stress on the baby during the pushing stage.

Spontaneous Pushing

Spontaneous pushing, also called mother-led pushing is where you follow your body’s natural urges, pushing when your body feels ready and in a way that feels right to you. This type of pushing is usually more common among home births and with midwives. Many women describe the body’s urge to push as basically feeling like you need to poop, which it’s completely fine if you do that too. Oftentimes in spontaneous pushing, women do not take a deep breath before a contraction and will instead breathe out as they push, rather than holding their breath. You may push only a little during the height of a contraction or fully feel the need to push with a lot of force. Usually with spontaneous pushing, you may push more frequently per contraction, but for shorter amounts of time than with coached pushing. The intensity and frequency are completely up to the mother and what her body is telling her to do.

Spontaneous Pushing: Pros and Cons

There aren’t many downsides to spontaneous pushing because you aren’t putting your body or your baby in as much stress. Women who use spontaneous pushing on average have longer labors by 10-30 minutes, but there are much fewer cases of intervention needed for these mothers and babies because less stress is being put on each of their bodies. Just because this pushing style is mother-led, it does not mean that you don’t have support. Your birth team can still give you encouragement, guidance, or suggestions; you’re just being able to trust your body first rather than following their counting and other directions.

Ultimately, it’s your body, your birth, and your decision. You can always change your mind and try out both styles of pushing to see which one feels more comfortable for you.