Pressing on your abdomen to push the baby out
Not supported, and specifically recommended against.
Fundal pressure means someone pushing down on the top of your uterus during a contraction to help deliver the baby. It is still done in some units.
Across 5 trials and 3,057 women, manual fundal pressure did not increase spontaneous vaginal birth (relative risk 0.96). One trial found more cervical tears with it (relative risk 4.90). An inflatable belt version produced more third-degree tears in one trial of 500 women.
The World Health Organization recommendation is unambiguous: "Application of manual fundal pressure to facilitate childbirth during the second stage of labour is not recommended."
You can say no to thisIf someone climbs onto the bed to press on your abdomen and nobody asked you, you may say stop. It is a procedure on your body with no demonstrated benefit and documented harm.
Where this comes from:
203. Hofmeyr GJ, Vogel JP, Cuthbert A, Singata M. Fundal pressure during the second stage of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;(3):CD006067.
204. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.