Pushing more than 5 hours???

[Beccadoula]

I just found this really cool web site - stories of a prolonged 2nd stage that was successful! http://www.thedoulaguide.com/pushing

[kltroy]

Yeah my sister pushed for something like 6+ hours with her first birth. Tried all sorts of positions, finally added pitocin, nipple stim etc, and finally, 2 pulls with the vacuum got his head around. She had a natural vaginal birth (no pain meds, anyway), with major tearing, a UTI as a chaser, and was pretty wiped out. Everyone suspects that it was just malpositioning of baby's head that caused such a prolonged 2nd stage, but kudos to the hospital CNM who tried everything possible to give her a vaginal birth.

Baby #2 for my sister came out in 2 pushes on hands/knees, and afterwards she said, "wow that was so EASY!"

[laohaire]

6 hours here. I will never know for sure but I think it was because of the nuchal hand. I got really tired after a while, and ran out of energy. I demanded pasta to be cooked for me. I really needed the energy. It got served to me, I ate about 4 bites, and then I was ready. I made a decision to push beyond the contractions, to add my voluntary pushing power to the involuntary. I did it once and chickened out when I felt the ring of fire. While I rested between contractions I made up my mind that she was coming OUT. So next contraction, I kept pushing and I tore myself a good one but her head came out. One more push for her body and it was all over. (Well, all except for the 3rd stage, which was another 3 hours!!!). Baby was absolutely fine, apgars 9 and 10. Definitely some head molding though, which of course straightened itself out naturally over time.

[Beccadoula]

Wow laohaire, what a story!!!
I myself have attended two births that were over 3 hours - both were due to elbow first presenting...quite a lot of work and tearing too. But both moms were sooooo totally happy at their accomplishments - they were both thrilled to have their babies without major medical intervention. Beautiful cone-headed babies!

[laohaire]

Oh, and I have a friend who pushed for 8 hours for her first birth (also at home, of course - no hospital would have waited that long!!). No tearing for her! And baby was fine, heck, he's 7 years old now.

[lotus.blossom]

I pushed for around 5 hours before my transfer. My homebirth midwives suggested many different positions but it just wasn't happening for me. I had a badly positioned baby trying to come through an unusually narrow pelvis. He was born (via c/s) with a pretty nasty cephalohematoma, which calcified. So I always have a reminder when I feel his head. And proves to me that he was trying to come out with his head cocked to the side.

The whole time I was pushing I was just hanging on that moment where he would shift and come shooting out. Who knows if that would have happened had I pushed for more hours......