"resting phase" after transition

[jancea]

i was reading on unhinderedliving.com and i came across this paragraph:

Sometimes after a woman reaches transition, there will be a resting phase.  The resting phase is designed to replenish the uterus with vital nutrients and let it rest so that waste products can be carried away.  In addition, it allows the woman some much needed rest before the delivery.  If you experience this resting phase (which can last up to one hour), don't panic and think that something is wrong.  Relax, have a drink of something that will give you some quick energy, and just enjoy the rest.  A couple spoonfuls of raw, unheated honey would be excellent.  You won't have long to wait.

i have never heard of it! have any of you had this happen during UC? tell me about it?

[weliveintheforest]

I have heard of it but haven't experienced it like it is usually described.  What I got was long periods in between the really heavy contractions, and in that period I could rest and even nod off before the next big one.  

[Devaskyla]

I had a nice resting phase with ds2. He was stuck for several hours behind my pelvic bone and after we got him unstuck, my contractions stopped for a couple hours. Dh & I both had a nap. I suspect his head was molding during that time. Contractions gradually picked up again and then I pushed him out. Took longer than it should have because I had no idea how to push, but eventually I got it sorted.

[BK Mommy]

Originally Posted by weliveintheforest 

I have heard of it but haven't experienced it like it is usually described.  What I got was long periods in between the really heavy contractions, and in that period I could rest and even nod off before the next big one.  

My experience was very similar to this.

[purplerose]

I did have a few minutes between transition and pushing, but once the rest was over it came full-blast. I don't remember that with 2 labors, only my third, but then my first two were in the hospital where you are made to force-push and my third was at home where I just let things go.

[jancea]

thanks all,

my first was in the hospital and though it was a normal vaginal birth, i had an epi around 5 cm so i didn't feel anything after that. hoping i don't freak out and go to the hospital just in case i have a resting phase. this info was good to find though i feel like i should probably get a stethoscope or something to monitor fetal heart rate now.

[purplerose]

off topic but I loved unhinderedliving when I had my UC...they had the childbirth section even back in 2002 and it was so helpful! that and Sears' The Birth Book were my two main readings to get ready.

[forumyonly1]

i didnt UC but i had 2 homebirths and had 15+ minutes between contractions at the very end.. i would consider this a resting period.. and i needed every second of it to push those babies out!

[IwannaBanRN]

When I was delivering my daughter, there was a phase where the pitocin on a lower dose(pitocin I wasn't informed of and never consented) didn't work and the nurses said to up the dose. This was what I came to find out was the resting phase. Nice to know that my uterus wasn't getting the replenished nutrients it needed to work and heal properly. I don't remember alot of what I felt when I had my son, unfortunately. I was kinda doped out. This time will be much different. No drugs, no hospital, and I hope to get this "resting phase" again that was so rudely interrupted last time.

[Multimomma]

I've had that with some of mine, so I wanted to emphasize the whole 'sometimes'   When my five yo was born, i was looking forward to that resting phase and it never hit. So I was kind of shocked, and it made the birth seem harder than it really was because I was expecting it. But when my 8yo was born, it was SO nice to have my water break and just everything chill for a while. It felt very right, and wasn't scary at all, but his birth was much easier than the other children. 

[indignantgirl]

With my first 2 UC's I had the normal ever-intensifying, ever-hastening contractions up to/through transition, and then all of a sudden, blessed relief!  I spaced out for maybe 5 minutes, both times.  It felt like ages!  The second time I had some strange eyes-open hallucination/dream about how my DH was a cop and needed to make sure his gun was put away since the new baby was fixing to be here (DH is NOT a cop, and we never have/never would own a gun!).  5 minutes doesn't sound like long but after the intensity (and vomiting) of transition it was exactly what I needed.  After that, my body went into "expel the baby on it's own" mode and that was that.

I looked forward to that little rest my whole labor with my last baby and I was sorely disappointed that I never got it.  I felt really cheated and pissed off at the time.  After my usual transition vomiting spell, I kept having contractions and every time one started I would think, "are you KIDDING me?!"  I said it out loud several times as well. :D

[JamieCatheryn]

With my first I feel asleep for a while right before I checked myself, found his head and that I seemed to be complete, and the pushing contractions seriously began.

[greenmama66]

I just had my 6th 2.5 weeks ago and here's what happened as in previous births I already had a midwife over checking me etc;

I didn't realize I was in active labor as it went so fast, the final few contrax (this was after 44 minutes of labor) I was in the tub and had my oldest daughter apply counter pressure on my back. Then I felt fine- no more intensity so I am guessing that was a resting phase. I then checked myself to see if I was fully dilated and at that point started to push in the tub but I ended up getting out of the tub and pushed my son out while standing over thew toilet. Midwife had arrived at that point when I was pushing baby out (husband was scared to have a UC and wanted a midwife).

[amberskyfire]

I didn't get a resting phase in my labor, but it's very common. Doctors, who don't understand it and are therefore afraid of it, call it "stalled labor" and it's when they'll either up your Pitocin dose to try and restart things or they will automatically go to c-section. Not everyone has this rest, but some do. It really upsets me to know that so many women are rushed to emergency cesarean when they are literally minutes or seconds from pushing their baby out.

Anecdote: My close friend had this exact scenario happen to her and we don't get along very well anymore because of it because she's absolutely certain that "the doctor saved her life and her baby's life and if she had had a home birth like I did, she would have died." (She nearly died from severe hemorrhage - from the cesarean.) She's pretty upset at me about home birthing because of it and I've never had the heart to tell her the truth.