For your first birth...how long did you push? - Page 3

[mothragirl]

40 minutes drug free and she was OP.

[Kathryn]

10 minutes, birth center, no drugs. She came out with both fists on her face and I didn't tear one bit.

[the_lissa]

I pushed for less than 10 minutes. A week after me, my midwife had a primip birth her baby in one push!

[Peppamint]

#1 was an induction, pushing in lithotomy position with a shot of Nubain and an episiotomy... total pushing time about 40 minutes IIRC (the drugs made me loopy)

#2 was all natural and I didn't push, I was kneeling in the birth pool and next thing I knew he was crowning... I moved into a sitting position with dh's support and my body just evacuated him. As fast as he came I was so sure I tore, but I didn't.

[MamaTaraX]

Natural birth, pushed about 30-35 minutes, I think. According to my doula's notes, 40 minutes. I've seen first-timers push a baby out in two pushes, under 5 minutes and I"ve seen 'em push for 2+ hours. I've seen multiparas push for longer than they did the first time around.

Namaste, Tara

[Lucky Charm]

For my first, i pushed about 15 minutes. It was a natural birth and she was OP.

Babe #2 was OP also, and 9 pounds and he too took about 15 minutes.

With # 3, I was checked at 2:50pm and found to be 7cm. He was born at exactly 3pm

[Peony]

DD was born in a hospital, no meds, after a 19 hour labor, and 1 hour of pushing, I was sitting up during the pushing in between dh's legs so I could lean against him.

[EmmalinesMom]

For DD1 it was a hospital, epidural birth, and I pushed for 20/30 minutes.

[dis]

Hospital, natural (no drugs), in labour for 5 hours prior to pushing, pushed for about 40 minutes side-lying, did the actual birth sitting upright (10 minutes).

[LizaBear]

DS (baby #1) - around 30 minutes or so.
DD (baby #2) - less than 10 minutes, only about 3 "real" pushes.

[omgrown]

pushed for 2.5 hours after about 29 hours of labor and an intrathecal (walking epidural I guess its called) at 8cm (wore off just in time to push). ended up having an episiotomy and being flat on my back due to baby's heart rate dropping and midwife thinking she was going to need to call in an OB to do a vaccum extraction, but luckily, once she did the episiotomy, I was able to push him out w/o the vacuum.
hoping next time is much, much easier

[crazy_eights]

20 minutes? Maybe 30? Natural, birth center. Entire labor was 4 hours.

[Squeakyneedle]

DS #1: hospital birth, no pain drugs (except one early labor shot of Nubain that I hated), episiotomy and vacuum after 2 hours of pushing. He wasn't in the most ideal position. 6lbs 15oz.

DS #2: hospital birth, induction, epidural--15 minutes...after the "practice push" when the nurse said "Stop! The Dr. needs to get his gloves on!" Epidural had not worn off but I pushed great. Episiotomy that I'm sure I didn't need. 6lbs 10oz.

DS #3: hospital birth, induction, epidural--45 minutes. He was OP until pushing and even with an epidural I got him turned over while pushing to be born face down! Episiotomy again, that I probably didn't need. 7lbs 1oz OB said if he (the baby) wasn't spending most of my pushing time turning over it would have gone faster. Apparently even drugged I'm a good pusher.

I hope with #4 (due any day) that I will be able to listen to my body and push instinctively (birth center with awesome midwife) instead of having someone tell me "You are complete. You can push now". Gee, thanks! And then they proceed to count and shout. Although, even through my epis I still felt that pressure that was probably the urge to push. I'm looking forward to that unmistakable, unmedicated, I can't NOT push urge. Let my body do most of the work until I can't resist pitching in.

Told midwife that my biggest fear is tearing and she said they do compresses, warm oil, support, and will help me slow and control my pushing at crowning to help avoid it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers loud that I don't tear. And that pushing ends up somewhere between what I did with #2 and #3.

[ambiguousinamber]

First birth: Birthing center pushed 1 1/2- 2 hrs, baby 9lb 13oz small tear, 3stitches

Second: Home birth, not ideal circumstances (lived with my parents, very crowded) had forgotten what my body felt like in the pushing stage so started pushing too early which made my cervix do wierd things. Pushed all told for about 2 hours once things got started. Baby 9lb something (midwifes scale was off)small tear, 2 stitches

Third: Water birth!!!!! (Highly recommended) out in 3 pushes
small tear, no stitches. (it was in a hospital but the hospital is very rural and the head OB nurse is very alternative, they left me alone most of the time I was there, of course I was only there a total of an hour and a half since I labored mostly at home)

All births were all natural

[cottonwood]

I pushed for two hours with my first, but I think that was because I was told to push as soon as I was "complete" and my body just wasn't ready yet. With my other three I let my body decide when it was ready for the baby to be born, and consequently those pushing phases were very short.

[annakiss]

#1 - uh, 20 minutes of intentional pushing (my body was doing it on it's own already for about 30 mins)
#2 - i kept trying little pushes for a while, but really pushed for maybe 20-30 minutes, if that.

i guess that's just how i work.

[KiwiZ]

I've always heard that typical first birth pushing is from 1/5 hour to 3 hours, with subsequent births a lot faster (as in a couple of pushes, not minutes/hours!). But of course there are exceptions to every rule.

My 1st birth was c-sec (no pushing), but my 2nd was a VBAC and I had about 20 minutes of pushing, with the aid of a vacuum extractor. Frankly I was quite surprised that my dd came out that quickly!

My SIL pushed for 3 hours and also was aided by a vacuum extractor. I think most of my friends pushed roughly the better part of an hour for their first babies

[GabeMom]

This thread is very encouraging to me!! I am thinking positively about #2.

#1 (unmedicated hospital w/ very supportive midwife) took 5.5 hours. Ofcourse, in Laborland, I had no idea it took that long. Apparently, ds turned posterior AFTER phase 1 and landed on a nerve that sent pain shooting through my leg. This caused my pushes to be less than effective for a while... I'm looking forward to being able to tell a different story next fall!

[cottonwood]

"I've always heard that typical first birth pushing is from 1/5 hour to 3 hours"

Typical first births are also usually monitored and managed i.e., disturbed, and typical first moms are more likely to wait to do what they're told rather than listen to their bodies. In our culture anyway.

[ldsapmom]

#1 full induction with no pain meds, flat on my back in bed, 9 pound, 8 ounce baby: 3 hours then vacuum delivery
#2 posterior and asynclitic born, side-lying modified squat, 9 pound, 9 ounce baby: 90 minutes
#3 posterior labor BUT rotated to anterior during a lunge, he was born 5 minutes after the lunge and one contraction later, he was 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

For the first two I just thought I was cursed to have babies like that! With the pushing and the coming out and going in with the head. But my third baby showed I can have them just fall out (with a little help, of course).