No pushing necessary?

[female18-]

What would happen if you didnt push? I read somewhere the body will naturally get the baby out during contractions without the mother being told to push. What does this mean?

I never felt the urge to push during ds's labor...so if i hadnt pushed when they told me, he still would have come out?

Im really confused.

[mom3b1?]

Yes, contractions will get the baby out whether or not you make an effort to help them or not. I didn't push until I couldn't not push with my last birth (and only vaginal birth). If I'd never had an urge, and never pushed, he would have come out just the same. The urge that I did get was completely irresistable. I made no effort to push, I just did it. It was completely out of my control.

Kiley

[female18-]

Really? Because everyone ive read about seems to always feel this huge urge to push the baby out, like the contractions give them a pushing urge. But I never felt that. I was in labor for a long time, and even when I was fully dilated, they took me to the birth room at the hospital, and told me when to push. I felt no pushing urge whatsoever. What went wrong? Why didnt I get the pushing urge? Arent you supposed to get it rather fast once dilated?

[hubris]

I don't remember feeling the urge to push with DS1, but then again, once I was fully dilated I was instructed to push. I suspect if I'd labored just a little bit longer, I would have had the urge to push on my own. DS1 was OP and maybe my body was waiting for me to be in a more advantageous position so he could turn?

With DS2 (who also ended up OP) I stood/squatted through my entire labor and felt an amazing urge to push. Hospital staff took that as a sign to get me out of the comfy tub, onto the bed, into lithotomy position, where they wanted me to push the way *they* wanted me to push. Same kind of pushing as my first labor - hard, long pushes, with people telling me to push more times during a contraction that I wanted to. It felt pretty stupid. I was so involved in the directed pushing that I cannot remember if I felt the urge any more. It was like my natural urges were being overridden by the loud advice of those around me.

I liked the urge to push. It felt nice to go with it, like my uterus was encouraging the rest of my body to just kindof put a little effort into it to guide the baby down. Directed pushing SUCKED, it felt totally unnatural. I wish everybody hadn't been in such a rush to TELL me what to do when my body was doing it on its own, and in a position that felt right/good to me.

I'm hoping to let this baby be eased into the world by my body, in whatever position feels right, rather than huffed and puffed and shoved out in the stupid lithotomy position.

[ThreeBeans]

Did you have an epidural? An improperly done epidural can keep you from feeling the urge to push.


As far as it went for me, 'not' pushing was simply not an option.

[prancie]

You may not have been given enough time to feel the urge to push. Often a woman's body will rest after full dialation is achieved and contactions will stop for a short while. In the hospital you are instructed to push as soon as you reach full dialation, but your body may have been intending to hold off a few minutes.

[prancie]

Also, it is a fact that women will give birth under anesthesia, so the answer is a definative yes, the body will give birth without consious effort on your part.

[Belleweather]

I don't think that the urge to push is necessarily something that you feel, like "Oh, now I would like to push!" it's more something your body starts doing on it's own... to me, at least, pushing felt a lot like the reverse of throwing up and was something that my body just DID.

[elliemama]

When I was expecting baby #1 and doing hypnobirthing sessions, my instructor explained that "breathing the baby down" was all I would need to do. Now, I bought into hypnobirthing 100% and it worked wonderfully for me... but I admit I was always a bit skeptical about not having to push!
As it happens, when I was fully dilated in the birthing center tub, the midwife (who I didn't know all that well beforehand) hustled me out of the tub and up onto the bed and directed me to push in true drill-sergeant fashion. I complied because I couldn't wait to see my baby - but she was hardcore; I remember exclaiming, "There's my baby!" when I saw the head in the mirror, and her replying, "Don't talk, PUSH!" I probably pushed no more than 10 times, and perhaps I even delivered a bit too quickly, because DD came out with her hand next to her head and I tore quite a bit as a result. The only time I really felt an overwhelming urge to push was right at the end when the midwife was telling me NOT to push, and I replied, "I have to!" It was like my body was doing its own involuntary thing. Why fight it? But I assume she was trying to slow me down to ease the baby out. I really felt like we were at cross purposes. She even confessed afterwards that she had considered doing an episiotomy! I think she was just exhausted - I was her 3rd birth that weekend or something.

I'm not sure if that really answers your question... but at any rate, now I am expecting baby #2, and I have (A) made sure to find a midwife who doesn't do hardcore directed pushing; and (B) talked with my hypnobirthing gal to get a better sense of this whole "breathing the baby down" thing. And I'm hoping I can be less impatient myself this time too when the 2nd stage rolls around. We'll see!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

There have been more than a few babies born to mom's who were in coma's or unconcious. The baby will come out on its own without pushing. As far as not feeling the urge to push. That urge can hit before you get to 10 cm or it can happen hours after you hit 10 cm. Usually it does happen when you get to 10 but not always. There have been woman post here about being 10cm for hours before the urge to push hits. I think it has something to do with the position of the head on the cervix not sure about that tho.

[female18-]

Wow thats amazing, I had no idea!! Wish I knew back when I was having ds.

No I didnt have an epidural. Its just that when ive seen women on tv movies and documentarys going into labor, they always say they 'have to push'!. And I was concerned something was wrong with my body because I never felt the urge to push.

I was in labor 40 hours. I dont remember how long I pushed for. I remember thinking I wasnt happy to be in the usual position on my back legs spread knees up, because gravity wasnt going to be able to help, but at the same time I was exhausted and couldnt bare to be standing or kneeling.

Women can give birth naturally while in a coma...WOW! Thats proof you dont need to push, and your body will do it for you.

I think what someone else said, if I was left to wait until i felt the urge to push, instead of being 'ordered' to push as soon as I reached full dilation, then I would have felt that urge.

So at that point you push when you feel the urge? What about when some women get told by the midwife 'STOP PUSHING!'......????

And if you're one of those women who dont feel the pushing urge for several hours after being fully dilated, is it safe to wait that long? I would worry the urge was never going to happen.

I forgot to add, my waters never broke on their own. So would that prevent the pushing urge?

[StacyL]

In my birth to say that there was an "urge" to push was a HUGE misnomer. My body just DID it. I felt almost as if I had a lower half that was not under my conscious control - my body was pushing and there was nothing I could do to stop it!

I didn't have to add anything to it - no "conscious" or forceful pushing of my own until after his head was out. Then I did have to push with my body the last three times to get him out - he had mild shoulder dystocia (stuck at the shoulders).

[AugustLia23]

At one labor support birth I was attending, the doctor told my client that maternal effort in pushing is about 15% of what's normally involved in pushing the baby out...then later they all proceeded to try out the holding breath and counting to ten on her : .

I've definitely heard of more than a few storied of babies coming out with no concerted pushing efforts, and I think that it is definitely possible. With my last birth though I can't see that it would've happened, but if I had waited long enough it probably would've.

[mwherbs]

being complete and getting to the place where the body triggers the urge to push can be 2 different things-
do you feel the urge to have a BM ? some of the pushing urge enguages this nerve set along with others- so besides getting to a dilation the baby's head or bottom needs to come down into your birth canal far enough to hit the nerve centers that trigger automatic pushing and the uterus changes what it is doing from opening to pushing- pushing deliberately can over ride those feelings( I don't know how but I have seen it and I have experienced it so I know it can happen) -- I have had clients who have had 6 babies and not felt the urge to push, we usually wait and sure enough it'll hit her-now it may be that some women never get the urge I just haven't seen it-

[goobergrl6]

with DS #1 I had a small urge at first (kinda like having to go #2) and when I mentioned it they made me push even if I wanted to rest. Then at the end when he was almost out I HAD to push the whole time. Contraction or not. I remeber a nurse saying something like "don't push right now" and I mumbled something about not being able to stop and my ob said "ok then do what you need to" With DS #2 I got to the hospital wanting to push. Told them this and they layed me down and he was crowning already. So my body had pushed him down on the car ride over without me doing ANYTHING! I really believe that if I had waited for the wheelchair downstairs I would of had him in the lobby without pushing once! LOL

[Kam]

Yes! You can give birth without conscious pushing!

I didn't feel the urge to push with my first birth, and gave birth on a birthing table on my back with my feet in stirrups. It was an awful experience, being shouted at to push with each contraction by the nurses while the doctor stood ready with his episiotomy tools.

With my second birth, I'd prearranged with my midwife to see whether I really could just breathe the baby out. I was fascinated by the possibility, but fairly certain it wouldn't work. She assured me that I could, and that just about everyone can. Sure enough, I didn't try to push even once with Hanae, and out she came. It was fantastic--much less painful and faster (probably also attributable to it being a second birth).

I would highly recommend every woman wait and see whether it's possible for her. There can be one or more hours between full dilation and the time when the body starts pushing, but it's worth the wait!

[~Heyokha~]

I studied hypnobirthing in preparation for the HB I had in April. They really encourage 'breathing the baby down' and not pushing. I was all geared up to let my body do the work and just kinda float peacefully in my birthing pool. Uh... wrong!!!!!! I wasnt breathing the baby down, I was grunting and pushing the baby down....and I did not feel in control of that. The urge was so strong, I have never felt anything like it. It was so amazingly primal, I have never felt more connected to the earth and all the species that inhabit it. To say the least, my birth video had only one thing in common with the hypnobirthing video. That is we were both holding a baby in the end.

[p1gg1e]

See I hear about not pushing but I cant not push. I HAVE to push. I wasn't told either time when to push or what not....I HAVE to push like no tomorrow.

My MW did have me stop pushing with my last DD because she was a hand presentation and she wanted to see if she could get her arm free but alas no, so I kept pushing...man the hand thing hurt ( mostly her elbow ) ! Not like my first DD I don't remember her hurting me on the way out

[RedHen4]

What an interesting thread!

With three babies born in the hospital, I pushed when I was told to push. I HATED being told to hold my breath and count to 10 with my first baby--I am lousy at holding my breath anyway! I ignored that on my 2nd, and thankfully by my third no one was telling me that nonsense.

Babies #4 & #5 I think I willfullly pushed because I wanted that baby OUT! I think many moms feel like it's finally something we can DO to make the pain be over.

With #5, though, I had an interesting experience that I'd never felt before. Although I started pushing on my own, it seemed at the end of each push my body took over and put more into the push that I consciously willed it to--I got an extra effort after thinking my own strength was exhausted. It was really amazing.

Baby #6 is coming...I wonder what this one will be like??

Korrie and Baby #6, due 12/12

[Emmeline II]

With #1 I had an epidural and didn't feel the urge for at least the first hour of pushing.

With #2 (homebirth) I was too busy dealing with the contractions to think about pushing; she found her own way out .