Labor
Birthing professionals divide labor into three stages. The first is the longest and runs from labor's onset until the cervix is ten centimeters dilated. The second stage runs from the time your cervix is completely dilated to the birth of your baby. The third stage is comparatively brief and involves delivering the placenta after the baby has been born. Most experts recommend taking a walk or engaging in another relaxing and distracting activity during the bulk of the first stage.
Even once the birthing process has begun in earnest it is not necessary, or even good, to lie on your back in the classical birthing position. It cuts off blood circulation and increases the chance that you'll need an episiotomy. Experts recommend working in tandem with your birthing attendant; standing, walking, squatting or kneeling on hands and knees during the various stages of delivery. Midwives and perinatal-fitness experts often recommend coordinated pushing. This is a combination of breath techniques to relax or mobilize specific muscle groups at critical times during labor. Judicious use of these various techniques, along with the assistance of a good birthing attendant, midwives say, can relieve stress, speed up labor and reduce the risk of tearing.
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