Thanks JoeJoe, you are right, the man cannot rescue her from the pain. He can be there and give her encouragement to press on, and she may need a doctor to assist, but ultimately she is the one that has to do the hard part.
And, just like when women go into labor to birth a baby, not every woman takes the same amount of time. Some women have a much harder time with the delivery than other women.
It is not about what you feel should work in your M. It is about doing the work that gets the right results. Do what works!