Do babies help wriggle down the birth canal??

stellarella · #1 (**permalink**) 24-12-2007, 10:36 AM

Trying to find some info on the babies role as he is born.

It is my understanding that babies are not entirely passive and that they do actually contribute to the process by wriggling and writhing their way out.

Can anyone confirm this and provide some literature on it.

Thx

hanabi · #2 (**permalink**) 24-12-2007, 06:54 PM

It's Xmas eve and I don't have time to do a search but I just wanted to pipe in that I was aware of my daughter's movements during birth, including a twist in the birth canal and a kick in the diaphragm as the shoulders twisted at birth. Babies can definitely be participants in their own births.

stellarella · #3 (**permalink**) 24-12-2007, 07:06 PM

LOL...yes I know I tried to google too.
I too felt Oscar kick his way out especially after his head was born.

Just trying to back up my argument with someone that babies are not entirely passive in the birthing process.

Deesalie · #4 (**permalink**) 26-12-2007, 04:02 PM

from my understanding by working with the pink kit... the baby actually helps to move the sacrum with its head, to make more space in the pelvic canal... hence the lower back pain as the muscles and nerves get pushed out

~Luna~ · #5 (**permalink**) 26-12-2007, 04:25 PM

I felt Aiden spin around in my vagina.. broke my coccyx in the process though LOL

Pia · #6 (**permalink**) 16-01-2008, 11:28 AM

I cant really remember my 1st 2 births but with JE man did he move! He was wriggling and kicking and twisting all the way down then shot out so fast that I almost didn;t catch him!!! He was a water birth and very slippery!

I would agree with PP that babies are definately not passive during their birth.
They are the ones that trigger the whole process why would they sleep!!!

hehe

justincredible · #7 (**permalink**) 16-01-2008, 11:04 PM

IRC Michel Odent has done some writing on this.
The baby is not passive, and has a very active role in the birth process.

Even just the pressure of their head encouraging the cervix to dilate is part of them leading the way.

I think I have a link somewhere to an animation of what a baby does during birth, and how it's movements and hormones influence the mother's body.

Marmee · #8 (**permalink**) 17-01-2008, 08:14 AM

I am positive that my baby and I do all the work. Without the two, it would be much more difficult. My babies have definitely NOT been passive. Hell - if something was squeezing me down a tunnel, I'd probably be forced to work with it too