Tips for Giving Birth From a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

Jun 19

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Are you pregnant or hoping to be pregnant? If so, this blog is for you! We will explore some of our top tips for giving birth in the context of preserving your pelvic floor and giving you the best possible experience! Below are some of our go-to's:

Relax your jaw. The state of your jaw mirrors the state of your pelvic floor. Clenching your jaw tightly during contractions also tenses your pelvic floor. Relax your jaw to relax the pelvic floor muscles and allow the baby to descend.

Low vocal sounds during contractions/pushing. Low vocal sounds work similarly to keep the pelvic floor and jaw as relaxed as possible, as well as to keep the nervous system calm. High-pitched noises further increase the fear-pain cycle by tightening muscles and activating the fight-or-flight system.

Avoid holding your breath if possible. Ideally, push with an open glottis. This will effectively manage pressure on your pelvic floor and decrease the risk of tearing and pelvic organ prolapse. With practice, your transverse abdominus (deep ab muscles) will work to push out the baby as you exhale.

Avoid pushing on your back. Over the years, women pushing out babies on their backs had become normalized, as this is how most OBGYNs were trained to catch babies. However, pushing on your back does not leave any room for your sacrum to move out of the way and allow the baby to exit as effectively as possible. To reduce trauma to your pelvic floor and pelvic pain, try pushing in other positions. Changing positions every 20-30 minutes is helpful for the baby to descend. Even if you have an epidural, with the help of your team, you can still push on your side or on all fours.

Spontaneous pushing. Push when you feel the urge. This will allow you to work with your body’s natural instincts and rhythm instead of tiring yourself out pushing when the doctor tells you to push. You know your body best! And when it comes to labor and delivery, it knows what to do.

Here at Arancia PT, we are passionate about educating and empowering women to take their health and birth experiences into their own hands. If you’d like to learn more tips for labor and delivery from our team of specialists, reach out today!