I've been doing some reading on Fetus Ejection Reflex (FER) and have found the concept most intriguing. While I never knew there was an actual term for it, I know that this is how my body handles delivering it's babies. During FER a woman may suddenly have a small outburst of fear. It's typical to hear "I'm not going to make it", "I can't do this", or some other seemingly irrational saying. Her body may arch forward into more of an upright position. She has an overwhelming ability to push that can't be stopped even if trying. In a hospital setting, labor is often seen as 3 stages...early labor, transition and the final stage of labor (which is pushing). During these stages, interventions are taken at each step of the way and some of these interventions decrease the mothers ability to know and understand FER. For instance, pitocin being used in the early stages, brings on unnatural contractions that are not what the body wants to do. Instead of the uterus working from top to bottom to push baby out (like a wave) the uterus has intense contractions through the whole thing and no wave pattern is created. A natural contraction also has a peak and a low point, with a small resting phase in between contractions. When pitocin is used, the contractions are right on top of each other, with no rest between, and causing the uterus to get overly tired and 'stressed' causing it to not work the way it naturally should to expel the baby. Throughout labor, vitals are checked, nurses come in and out, monitors are beeping. This all causes a bit of 'uneasiness' even if mom doesn't fully realize it. It still causes her to be uncomfortable. There is at some point in every woman's labor, a point where she wants to make noise or scream, but many women don't want people to hear them so they try to fight that urge, putting more pressure on themselves and causing their body to not react the way it was created to. Those kind of stresses all work AGAINST labor and the way that the body is supposed to react to the baby. As the final stage approaches and a woman is fully dilated, she is often told be being pushing. Many women can push for hours, even though their body has no desire to. This pushing can cause unnecessary tearing as it is putting an abnormal amount of pressure onto the cervix and vaginal area. Oxygen can be decreased to both mom and baby as mom holds her breathe to push. It causes the mother to be overly tired from working harder than she needs to. Swelling in the vaginal area can (and does often) occure, causing even more intense tearing and pain. The mothers blood pressure can rise as she is working harder than she probably ever has in her life and is becoming stressed. The list goes on and on.
A mother who is left to her own instincts however, will have very few (if any) of these above mentioned issues. Her body knows when it needs to push and it will push on it's own, without the extra effort from her. Usually when this happens in a hospital and a woman is finally getting that overwhelming urge to push, she is told to STOP pushing and to 'pant'. Who is the 'genius' who thought this process up?? Talk about 100% unnatural! It's like telling someone to not their next breath. It's not possible. The body needs to breathe just like in that moment, the body needs to push out the baby. A baby is eventually going to come out, whether a mom tries to not push (and instead pants) or not. A baby isn't going to stay in the body forever.
I have 3 examples in my own 4 pregnancies of FER. With baby #2, my labor progressed quickly. I went from 7cm-10cm in a matter of a minute. The nurse had just checked me and left the room when I felt the need to push. Of course, being the all knowing, 'educated' nurse, she knew more about my body than I did and said it wasn't possible since I was only 7cm. I told my husband that she better get in there or the baby would be on the floor. Reluctantly she came back, rechecked and sure enough, I was 10cm and baby was 'right there'. She of course paniced since nothing was ready and the doctor was no where to be seen. She did the traditional "pant, don't push" line and went to call the doctor. I remember telling the intern at the end of my bed could catch this baby cause there was no way I could keep it in, even if I tried. The head crowned and the doctor got there just in time to give me a VERY unnecessary episiotomy catch the baby. He did nothing to assist in the delivery. My body had taken over and my body had delivered the baby, without any help or hinderance from me.
With my 3rd baby, I was in the car on the way to the hospital. My husband was out of town on business and baby was 3 weeks early. I remember telling my mom "My water just broke. You need to go fast because it won't be long now" and then seconds later saying "I NEED to push". She too said "Don't push. You need to blow". I was holding on to the "Oh Shit" bar at the top of the car and pulling my bottom off of the seat. I knew baby was crowning and was afraid it would deliver and didn't want to smoosh it. (Funny sounding when I think back on it). I tried with everything in me to not push. We pulled up the ER and by the time they got me on a table and got my pants off, the head was already out. There was no intentional pushing my baby girl out. My body took over and FER took control.
With my fourth pregnancy I decided that I didn't need the outside 'help' and that my body knew exactly what it needed to do. I decided early on that this baby would be born at home. I remember that feeling of 'ring of fire' as baby's head began to crown. That was the last I remember of straining. I put my hands on the points that were burning and my baby boy slid out. There was no effort from me except for pulling him from the water and to my chest. I never once forced a push out. My body gently slid him out.
So, while there will alway be the camp that says that 'purple pushing' is necessary, there is NO proof that needless pushing increases the speed of labor. In fact, the evidence is beginning to show the exact opposite to be true. It works in reverse of what the desired goal is.
For further research on FER:
http://www.activebirthpools.com/chapter3.html
http://www.wombecology.com/fetusejection.html
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0617.asp
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