What is “crowning” and should I continue to push during this part of the labour?
This term refers to the part of birth when the widest part of the baby’s head – known as the crown –eases out of the opening of your vagina. Your midwife will encourage you not to push at this stage so that the baby’s head can be born in a slow and controlled way, which can help to prevent serious tears to your vagina and perineum (the muscle and tissue around the outside area of your vagina and anus). Although stopping pushing can be hard, -you could try short panting breaths or slow steady breaths to help you achieve this. Although many women are worried about the possibility of tearing during the delivery of their baby it can be reassuring to remind yourself that midwives are very experienced and practised at guiding women and helping them to avoid tears whenever possible. Positions for the second stage of labour Although by this point in your labour you may be extremely tired and the contractions are lasting longer, it is best to resist any urge to lie down as this will not help th
