Contractions during pushing

[Ambivalent Dreams]

While you were pushing during labor, how far apart were your contractions? Did you have pitocin or not? Thanks!

[JamieCatheryn]

No Pit with either birth. With DS1 contractions were a like 2.5 minutes apart and were like a minute long I think, for 20 minutes. With DS2 once really into 2nd stage my contraction was continuous with really strong involuntary pushing for half an hour, all the while I was complaining it wasn't fair, I was supposed to get breaks. Tissues swelled and I had to hold back and apply arnica then he came flying out, whole head born in seconds (with no damage!).

[Daffodil]

The first time, I had an epidural, so I didn't feel the contractions, and I don't really remember how far apart they were - but they were spaced out somewhat.

The second time, it was pretty much all just one big nonstop contraction while I was pushing. Like the PP, I was complaining about not getting any breaks. Fortunately, it only took about 10 minutes to push DS out.

No pitocin either time.

[womenswisdom]

At my birth w/ my 2nd, ctx were about 5 minutes apart during pushing. Homebirth, so no pitocin. I'd say that my labor was pretty typical compared to most of the labors I see as a doula in the hospital when mom is unmedicated.

[Romana]

Every 2-3 min, probably about 1 min long. Same intensity as transition, except with a lot more pressure.

No pitocin or anything like that. 1st birth, I showed up at the hospital ready to push; second birth was a home waterbirth.

[kitkat5505]

1st birth probably a few minutes between pushing cntrx, had an epidural. Second, no epi, only a few breaths between cntrx. Third, no epi, maybe 30-60 seconds between. No pit for any of them.

[Veritaserum]

When it was time to push I remember thinking it was nice that my contractions had spaced out a bit. I have NO idea how far apart they were, lol, just that they were no longer on top of each other. ETA: This is for my drug-free births. With my epidural/pitocin birth I don't know how far apart they were, either, and couldn't feel anything at all.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I want to say they were right on top of eachother. Because everytime it was time to push again, I thought, OH FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST!!! CAN A SISTER GET A BREAK!?!?! So they must have been close together.

[limette]

I have no idea. The pain was non-stop throughout the 2 hour pushing stage. I never got a break from it.

[St. Margaret]

For me it all became a blur when I was really pushing. I was more aware of my need to bear down and the overwhelming crazy intense feeling (and hard work) of it all, not any specific feelings of contractions. Everyone kept saying, "You'll feel a lot of pressure now" but I didn't at all, or at least not in a bad way, just in a pushy way.

[Baby_Cakes]

I don't know for sure how far apart they were, but far enough apart that I briefly fell asleep between them! Maybe 2-3 min? No pitocin, no drugs at all.

[laohaire]

I have no idea. Homebirth, no pitocin.

Do people time their contractions the whole way? I would find that distracting - I was in laborland and just floated away between contractions. I would hate the idea of timing my contractions (and for what purpose?). The only time I timed them was when labor was still just getting going, just so i could get a sense for whether I was really laboring/progressing.

PS: I pushed for 6 hours, so I doubt the timing of my contractions were very consistent the entire time.

[Tizzy]

DS2 at home, they were about 30sec long and 5min apart, DD they were 20sec long and 2min apart.

[Belle]

My contractions started at two minutes for both my labors and stayed consistant throughout labor. I'm pretty sure they didn't let up in spacing when I started pushing. But I wasn't timing them at that point, I had better things to do.

[Lady Mayapple]

DS1- "early" labor started hard and fast, contractions 2-5 minutes apart with intense back labor. We had him at the hospital, and what could have been a fast birth had I known better and trusted my body turned into a 20 hour long ordeal.

DS2- early labor 8-10 minutes apart, mostly gentle contractions. Transition was very fast and the whole thing was about 8 hours. During pushing, I can't honestly remember how my contractions were going-I wasn't paying attention LOL!

DD- Two days of start-and-stop labor, contractions 4-5 minutes apart for a few hours, then they would die out. For some reason they would always start up at night, so by the time real labor started I'd had zero sleep. As the contractions got closer together, I started pushing instinctively. Unfortunately they died out and after an hour of pushing all I'd done was make myself swell up. My midwife told me to rest, so I did. About 30 minutes later, my labor returned with violent, "pitocin-like" force ( I had Pit with my first, and they felt just like that) Midwife tried to have me push with the contractions but they were non stop. I just pushed and pushed and never stopped. Finally after 14 hours my daughter was born on our bedroom floor.

You can try to use your contractions to push more "effectively", but I was never able to figure out how to do it. I guess I'm a bad pusher LOL!

[CherryBomb]

I didn't have any pit, no clue how far apart my contractions were during pushing. I want to say they were no more than 1 minute apart, but idk.