Natural Expulsive Reflex?

semulcahy

So, I've done some research on this (also referred to as Maternal-Fetal Ejection Reflex; MFER) and I was wondering if anyone else has? Basically what the research that's been done says, particularly by Dr. Odent, is that this reflex allows the mother's body to birth the baby without her ever having to 'bear down' or use coached pushing during labor. Most of what I've read has said that coached pushing is counter-productive, and can prolong the labor process. I'm planning a hypnobirth, and would love to try to let this reflex work as its meant to in order to help with that. Has anyone else done any research on this topic, or even tried to use it to their advantage in a previous birth?

VexedMommy

semulcahy said:

So, I've done some research on this (also referred to as Maternal-Fetal Ejection Reflex; MFER) and I was wondering if anyone else has? Basically what the research that's been done says, particularly by Dr. Odent, is that this reflex allows the mother's body to birth the baby without her ever having to 'bear down' or use coached pushing during labor. Most of what I've read has said that coached pushing is counter-productive, and can prolong the labor process. I'm planning a hypnobirth, and would love to try to let this reflex work as its meant to in order to help with that. Has anyone else done any research on this topic, or even tried to use it to their advantage in a previous birth?

From my experience, baby traveled quite a bit of the way down while I was asleep.  At the end though my body's natural reflex was to push.  This may be a horrible analogy, but I think it's apt.  Do you push when you have a large bm or do you just hang over the toilet and let it come happen?  It honestly felt very similar to me (I had an epidural so wasn't feeling much.)

thefithuntress

Can't say I've ever heard of not pushing. I'm going the non-medicated route (if I can) with a doula and midwife and they mentioned the urge to push is natural and to go with it when it happens.

vomitrosa

Your body is naturally going to want to push

Falchas

I'll definitely look it up, sounds interesting.  During my one and only birth experience, the urge to push came pretty naturally (and felt precisely how Vexed described, I actually thought that was the issue for a while, I'm lucky our son wasn't born in our bathroom).  I'm interested in what is considered coached pushing.  By the time the nurses, doc and husband were encouraging me to push, I was more than ready to without anyone having to tell me, it was just nice to have someone helping me through the contraction (when to breath, how long it would last, when to take a break etc.)

semulcahy

I wonder if spontaneous pushing is more helpful than coached pushing. I'm wondering too if that's even practiced anymore? I'm just trying to prepare myself as best I can... I'm crazy scared

thefithuntress

semulcahy said:

I wonder if spontaneous pushing is more helpful than coached pushing. I'm wondering too if that's even practiced anymore? I'm just trying to prepare myself as best I can... I'm crazy scared

Relax! Don't overthink it, mama. Have you been to a labor class yet? Being informed is important but don't freak yourself out. You'll do great!

kittyberet

I was in charge of when I pushed. I was the one who said when the contraction was DH was there helping me time but in my experience the coach doesn't tell you when to push. If I wasn't feeling it on a contraction we waited. I definitely felt the need to push as others have said it felt like a BM. Not sure what you mean by spontaneous vs coached pushing?

ahowell88

I am pretty sure I experienced this with my last birth! I went from 7cm dilated to 10 in about 10-15 minutes and there was NO way I can really describe it. I sort of "pushed" twice but not really? Just like you said, I never had to "bear down" and it wasn't really difficult, even though I was unmedicated. It felt like my body already knew what to do, so I never had to make a conscious effort to push or try to get the baby out. My first birth, I had an epidural and so I can't really compare the two other than to say pushing was definitely hard work (was tired and out of breath, also had to be coached) and took more time (could be attributed to first baby though, as far as how long it took). Hopefully, I have a similar experience this time around, because that was pretty much my ideal birth/pushing situation!

Cook3133

I didn't know there was a term for this. I am pretty sure this happened with my second but since I was on the epidural they did tell me to push. He came out in a push and a half so pretty sure he was coming wether I pushed it not. This did happen with my 3rd. It was "all natural" at a birthing center and they told me if I felt like pushing I could but my contractions hurt so bad I didn't feel like I could, all of a sudden I felt the baby mostly come out (and let out a big scream!) and then had the energy and desire to push once to get him the rest of the way out!

I had the pleasure of assisting in a delivery in the back of the ambulance once and she had the same experience. She was telling us the baby was coming so we checked her and nothing, no crowning, then a few minutes later she said its coming, so we checked her again and nope, baby was halfway out!!

Gapeach83

I believe it's possible to a certain extent. DD1 I had to push her hr dropped. DD2 I had to wait on dr to push she was in an emergency c-section. So DD2 basically did most of the work but the pressure I felt made me want to push so bad. When dr came in we decided to let her continue to do the work since she was fine. I did a couple practice lightly pushes. After dr suited up and really got me ready to really push only took 3 pushes and she came out easy peasy. I am not sure if she would be able to get shoulders out without a little push. Plus the pressure even with epidural makes pushing feel natural. I am gonna have to check this out never heard of it.

jdal1206

From what I was told in our birth classes (Bradley Method classes for a hopefully non-medicated little intervention birth) your body will want to push and you should relax and go with that feeling.  The coach in this instance is there to help you deal more with the pain (i.e help you to relax using techniques) than with the actual direction on when to push.  In regards to the more coached pushing I think (and I could be wrong but it's what we learned in class) comes when women have had epidurals or lots of pain meds and they literally cannot feel the contraction so their body doesn't know to push, thus needing someone to tell them to push and for how long to do so.  I hadn't heard of this reflex but will now look more into it so I can be better informed!

rachswi

Make sure you're fully dilated though. Our childbirth teacher explained that occasionally you'll have an urge to push but still have like ½ inch to quarter inch to go before you're fully dilated. In that instance it actually causes you to take a step back in labor because your cervix swells and closes a little again.

I don't know how common that is and I obviously have not experienced it since I'm a ftm but I intend on waiting until the nurses tell me I'm fully dilated before I give in to the urge to push.

SandK2015

I had that happen with all three previous. Didn't know there was a name for it either, and thought it was normal. I told the nurses everytime that baby was coming and they all laughed. 10-15 minutes later dr was about to miss each one cause the nurses all believed I didn't know what I was talking about. I am pretty sure the coached pushing is for women who've had an epidural as pp said. I had one with all three, could barely feel contractions with the first, the second they didn't get in early enough cause the nurse swore up and down that it took more than 5 minutes to dilate from a 5 to 8. The third I goofed cause they did it with a push button like regular pain meds, I was too chicken to keep pushing the button. With each one the dr told me to push and it started with the beginning of the contraction. But the feeling to push was overwhelming naturally. It was a relief to push in all honesty. Only pushed 5 times with the first, and 2 with the second and third. Hope you find more info and wish you the best of luck! I will now have to go Google it so I can read up more about it.

Cook3133

rachswi said:

Make sure you're fully dilated though. Our childbirth teacher explained that occasionally you'll have an urge to push but still have like ½ inch to quarter inch to go before you're fully dilated. In that instance it actually causes you to take a step back in labor because your cervix swells and closes a little again.

I don't know how common that is and I obviously have not experienced it since I'm a ftm but I intend on waiting until the nurses tell me I'm fully dilated before I give in to the urge to push.

My sisters last midwive told her to push whenever she had the urge to, even when she was at a 6! She either dialated super fast or delivered at a 6.

With my last birth my midwive never checked me, she let me and my body just do what it wanted. So I have no clue what I was dialated to but it didn't matter baby was coming out wether I was at a 10 or not.

Not sure how an epidural changes it but I know for sure with my first 2 I was at a 10 and told to go ahead and push.

Pontot31

rachswi said:

Make sure you're fully dilated though. Our childbirth teacher explained that occasionally you'll have an urge to push but still have like ½ inch to quarter inch to go before you're fully dilated. In that instance it actually causes you to take a step back in labor because your cervix swells and closes a little again.

I don't know how common that is and I obviously have not experienced it since I'm a ftm but I intend on waiting until the nurses tell me I'm fully dilated before I give in to the urge to push.

Once I got to 8cm my body naturally started pushing. It was pretty awful. The nurses thought I was going through transition because I was having back to back contractions and pushing withouteven trying. It caused me to go backwards. I swelled back to a 6 and never progressed further than that 14 hours later. We even attempted an epidural after about 8 hours of my body trying to push on its own and it still didn't relax me enough.
They explained that the baby was super low and trying to push her way out prematurely.
I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again this time!