12 November 2023 , 11:00
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Giving birth is an experience that looks different for everyone. You can read as many books on the topic as you like, and listen to as many anecdotes as you can, but until you're in the delivery room, you have no idea just how incredible your body can be.
An unbelievable picture of a woman giving birth has been shared by the American pregnancy centre Tangi Birth Services, and it shows a woman squatting - and her bones are protruding through her back as she pushes the baby out.
As medical staff attend to her, a huge bump is visible in her lower back, and it's caused by the normal movement of a woman's bones during childbirth.
The post, shared in 2019, read: "Can you see that bulge on her lower back? That is the rhombus of Michaelis. During the second stage of labour, a combination of bones including your sacrum actually move backwards and in doing so, increases the diameter of your pelvis. It allows your baby the maximum amount of space to turn as they navigate their way out into the world."
Known as the "opening of the back", the post stressed that the movement was "completely normal". It continued: "In order to facilitate the opening of your back, you should use active birth positions where you are upright and leaning forwards. Your body was made to do this! And your body and your baby work together! Birth is not something to be feared...it is something to be understood!"
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Many women commenting on the post had given birth themselves and had no idea about the phenomenon. One wrote: "My husband told me about this! I gave birth on my knees and he said the base of my back pushed out. Fascinating to see a photo of it thank you."
Another gushed: "Even though labor HURT, I felt so powerful while pushing, I felt so amazed that my body was able to deliver a human, a 8lbs human!!! WOMEN ARE AMAZING."