The article Pushing for First-Time Moms, written by midwife Gloria Lemay, is one of the best I have ever read about the second (or pushing) phase of labor. In HypnoBirthing, we teach moms to follow the lead of their own bodies, bearing down when the urge comes, and avoiding “purple pushing”, which restricts blood flow and oxygen to the baby, and creates tension in the perineum. Women with epidurals are allowed to “labor-down” during the second […]
