Contents
Overview of pushing methods
Power pushing
Take a deep breath with each contraction and push for the entire duration of the contraction
Spontaneous pushing
Women follow their own instincts, usually 3–5 times per contraction.
Delayed pushing
Women only push when they can no longer resist the urge to push or when the presenting part has reached the perineum.
Differences between pushing methods
Spontaneous pushing compared to power pushing
Hardly any differences
Delayed pushing compared to immediate pushing (both with epidural anesthesia)
- With delayed pushing, the expulsion phase is prolonged by approximately 56 minutes (low evidence)
- Delaying the pushing process in women with epidural anesthesia shortens the duration of pushing and increases the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal delivery
- Lower umbilical cord blood pH is more frequent with delayed pushing
Lemos et al. 2017
ENGLISH VERSION: Pushing methods for the expulsion phase of birth
Power pushing
Take a deep breath with each contraction and push for the entire duration of the contraction.
Spontaneous pushing
Women follow their own instincts, usually 3–5 times per contraction.
Delayed pushing
Women push only when they can no longer withstand the urge to push or when the presenting part has reached the perineum.
Differences in pushing methods
Spontaneous pushing compared with power pushing
Hardly any differences
Delayed pushing compared with immediate pushing (both with epidural anesthesia)
- Delayed pushing prolongs the expulsion phase by about 56 minutes (low evidence).
- Delayed pushing in women with epidural anesthesia reduces duration of pushing and increases likelihood of spontaneous vaginal delivery.
- Delayed pushing more likely to result in low pH of cord blood.
Lemos et al. 2017
