What role do secondary powers play during labor?

During labor, secondary powers are fundamentally related to the mother's voluntary efforts to assist in the process of birth, particularly during the second stage of labor. These efforts, often referred to as "bearing down" or "pushing," are crucial as they help move the fetus down the birth canal.

In the active labor phase, once the cervix is fully dilated, the mother's engagement with these secondary powers enables her to exert force, which aids in the expulsion of the fetus. This alignment with the body's natural contractions enhances the effectiveness of labor and facilitates the delivery process. By using her abdominal and diaphragm muscles, the mother employs secondary powers to complement the primary powers, which are involuntary uterine contractions.

This understanding highlights the integral role secondary powers play in labor, streamlining the connection between maternal effort and successful delivery.