When might a specific pushing position or technique be recommended?
Women who have epidurals will usually be more limited in positions they can use. Many women who have epidurals may need caregiver-directed coaching as well because they have been numbed. Specific concerns about mother or baby may also dictate pushing position. For example, squatting may be problematic in a woman with varicose veins because it can constrict blood flow from her legs, or the baby may do better with the mother pushing in one position versus another. Individual circumstances such as medical urgency to deliver the baby may also demand forceful pushing.
