Some nurses may tell women in labor to hold off on pushing if the physician is not yet present, an action that can be dangerous for the mother and baby, according to Vice.
Unmedicated women in labor can't usually fight the urge to push, as it's instinctive and automatic, Lindsey Meehleis, a licensed midwife in California, told Vice. Women told not to push also say the experience is extremely painful, and holding the baby in can injure both women and their infants, according to health experts.
One study found anesthetized women who delayed pushing as part of a practice called "laboring down" had a higher risk of maternal hemorrhage and tearing. Newborns also have a higher chance of being admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for conditions like neonatal sepsis when labor lasts longer, according to a separate study.
The problem of delayed pushing is linked to a shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists, which places large demands on the clinicians' time, according to Vice. The U.S. will be short 8,800 obstetricians and gynecologists by 2020, according to one estimate, despite growing demand for reproductive care.
Still, instructing mothers not to push can be the correct answer in certain situations. If a baby isn't crowning and delivery is delayed, providers may try to expedite delivery or perform a cesarean section. Women in labor may be told to slow down or stop pushing to stop perineal tearing.