For your first birth...how long did you push? - Page 2

[TurboClaudia]

over 4 hours. (it felt like less. i was definitely in "labor land.")
total labor was about 36 hours, all at home.

~claudia

[Undercover Hippie]

#1-hospital, pit induction, no epidural or coached/forced pushing--20 minutes. Slower would have been nice because I tore quite a bit and had lots of stitches!

#2 (not that you asked, LOL)-home, all natural, 8 minutes of pushing. I waited until I couldn't *not* push that time. Funny thing about that laborland, I felt like I was pushing for hours and I thought "Why is this taking so long, it was only 20 minutes last time?" and then it was only really 8 minutes...

[USAmma]

About 20 minutes of pushing with an emergency episiotomy at the last push b/c of heart worries. She was fully crowned already and stretching me out slowly, and getting some oil/massage so I wouldn't tear when she started to go downhill fast. I only pushed 5 times in those 20 minutes. She was born perfectly fine with high APGARS, so no cutting was probably necessary. : She would have been born with the next push anyway.

My second one came out in just a few pushes. She basically moved herself to the opening and I just pushed her out as a formality. Or that's how it felt then.

Both babies were in the 7 pound range and I was in the traditional hospital position during delivery.

[rozzie'sma]

Pitocin in the hospital and she was out in 4 pushes. No tears either!
Oh she was 8lbs 2 oz. 20 inches long. With a 33 1/2 cm head, 33 cm chest, 32 cm abdomen

[honeybee]

Well, I guess it depends on what you consider "pushing." I was flat on my back because they wanted to slow things down so I could get the last of the antibiotics. My body was basically pushing instinctively during that time. Then they sat me up, pulled out the stirrups, and said "Okay, you can push now." Once I sat up, the baby was out in a few pushes. If you count the flat-on-my-back time, it was maybe 20 minutes total. I wish it would've gone a little slower, though, since I ended up with a 3rd degree tear.

I was hooked up to an IV and monitors, but no meds.

[KatSG]

All natural, 1 hr on all fours (head was visible), then the OB made me get on my back (rather, she told me she would be out in 2 pushes if I got on my back b/c it would open my pelvis up : ), then pushed on my back for another 2 hours. But it didn't really seem like that long. No tears.

If I had it to do over again I would have stayed on all fours and told her to deal.

[indiegirl]

1st birth: almost three hours
2nd birth: 12 minutes
3rd birth: 6 minutes

[applecider]

My first, I had a water birth at a birth center and pushed for 15 min.

[Gunter]

1st babe at home: 2-3 pushes

[2+twins]

About 4 hours (probably a bit more) with my first. Her positioning was poor. It was a completely unmedicated/natural birth.

My second was only a few minutes/pushes (my body did all the work on that one - I didn't even have to try to push).

I've had 2 or 3 friends who gave birth naturally and only pushed for 5-10 minutes with their first baby. I think it all depends on the position of the baby and the mother (and the mother's position while pushing too).

[SAHMinHawaii]

Baby #1- 1.5 hours of pushing, but i didnt push using val salva(counting) and it wasn't back to back. I just laid there and waited for really strong urges to push. No tears. Labor was 4 days..very slow process.

Baby #2 I arrived at the hospital trying not to push. ONce in the room it was only about 4-5 pushes and she was out. These urges were insane. No tears.

[Ben's Mommy]

5 hours - 8.4 lbs. - no drugs - episiotomy - vaccum - THEN c-sec -

[Ruthla]

DD1: 45 minutes of pushing
DD2: 9 minutes of pushing, 3-4 pushes
DS: 10 minutes of pushing, 3-4 pushes

[momtoTnT]

with my first (hospital, side-lying, no-drugs) 40 minutes...he was 8#5ozs...with my second (hospital, on my back, in stirrups -not my choice, no drugs) 15 minutes with the threat of either vaccuum extraction or a section because the baby was "just too big" - that was a huge motivator for me (she was 9#2oz)

[kerikadi]

#1 - 10-15 minutes - less than 5 pushes
#2 - 1 push
#3 & #4 - less than 10 minutes

Keri

[DesireeH]

#1- hospital birth, epidural, born in OP position- less than 10 minutes (6 pounds 10 oz, episiotomy )
#2- home waterbirth- less than 10 minutes (7 pounds 12 oz, only a slight tear, no stitches needed.)

[teachinmaof3]

#1 - 10 minutes
#2 - 10 minutes
#3 - 10-20 minutes (can't remember the exact time)
#4 - 10 minutes

[Brinda]

1st - 45 minutes
2nd - 1 push, no minutes, lol
3rd - 20 minutes

[hookahgirl]

DD:Hospt., no meds:45 minutes. Although I didnt push as hard as I should of, just let my body do it. about 6 pushes total.

[chiro_kristin]

I think about 2-1/2 hours after 55 hr labor (completely natural at home)
It wasn't as bad as it seems.


Attended a patient's HB where she didn't even actively push (of course her uterus did, but she couldn't tell she was, only that the baby was coming!!).