Would you rather transition, or push?

[Funny Face]

I had an epidural late in labor for my last birth so only felt the beginning of transition and not much at all of pushing. I know both stages of labor are intense but wondered.... would you rather have to go through transition again, or pushing the baby out?

Which was more painful for you, or more difficult, or more intense?

Just wondering.

[amymaew]

I hated pushing, so I'd take transition any day of the week. Fortunately both were short for me though.

[the_lissa]

I liked pushing. It felt good to m e. It was hard work like a workout, but it didn't hurt me.

[DBZ]

I think transiton was harder then pushing, but pushing my DD out didn't take long at all. I can't imagine getting an epi during transition. I was begging for pain relief (didn't get drugs though). There is no way I could have been on a bed long enough to get that epidural put in place.

[MamaFern]

push!!

[funkygranolamama]

push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!

[Romana]

I hated both, but I voted I'd rather do transition because pushing was the same as transition, but worse.

I had 7.5 hours of transition followed by 25 minutes of pushing. Ctx were 2-3 min apart, long, and excruciatingly painful the entire time. Pushing felt exactly the same as transition, except with added pressure and other awful sensations, and required huge physical effort on my part (instead of the focus I'd had on relaxing through the intensity for the prior 7.5 hours). The baby did not descend in the slightest on its own during pushing; I had to put a lot of effort into it. I also never had a pushing urge.

So as I said, I hated both, but I'd take transition over pushing because pushing was just like transition except worse.

I can fully understand why any sane woman might request an epidural at some point during 7.5 hours of transition.

[DBZ]

Originally Posted by funkygranolamama

push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!
push it out shove it out wayyyyy out!

[DBZ]

I doubt I would have survived 7.5 hours of transition. I hope like hell I never have a long labor. That's gotta be horrible.

[AlpineMama]

I had fun during transition. It was kind of like an out of body experience. I was very calm and focused and felt like I was hovering over my body while kneeling in the water. It was GREAT and I would choose to feel that way even if it had nothing to do with giving birth.

Pushing sucked.

I would rather transition.

[2bluefish]

I'd rather push, pushing #3 was pretty intensely uncomfortable (a surprise cause it was pretty easy with #1 and #2), but still over in 10 minutes, so who cares! Transition is always stinky for me cause I always have a little cervix in front that I have to wait for - this time I figured out to get knee chest on the bed and blow horse lips, and I got through it pretty easily. I got the shakes pretty violently. But it went fast too, so who cares! Having had a long difficult labor, and now a labor where the difficult parts went quickly - I have to say I'll take quick anytime. I can do anything for 10 or 20 min!

[~Katie~]

Well considering I never went through transition, I would take that any day over having to push. Pushing was not fun.

[Wolfmeis]

Transition was a lot easier on me because I could zone out. Pushing is painful to me, so having to actively do something that hurt me when I was so tired was just awful.

[dany]

Pushing, definitely. Transition was uncomfortably close to constant panic for me.

Both stages were uncomfortable and uncontrollable, but at least with pushing, I could work WITH my body, rather than feeling like I wanted nothing more than to run AWAY from myself.

[mikayla's mama]

I pushed for over 4 hours with my first, so definitely transition. With my second, both phases were probably almost equally as bad.

The difference is, for me, during the transition phase there's nothing you can do, during the pushing phase you have something to concentrate your energy on.

[hapersmion]

My pushing felt like transition just kept on going. I pushed for 3.5-4 hours, so it seemed like my transition lasted 5 hours or so. But I think I'd go with pushing, because at least I felt like I was accomplishing something. Rather than just trying to endure and relax through each contraction, I had something to DO. I'd really like to have the pushing experience that people talk about, though, where it feels good to push. I'm hoping that if I wait for my body to start pushing on its own next time that will be more likely.

[GooeyRN]

I would rather push. The contractions are less intense for me and I know that its almost over. Its nice to know that I can play an active role at that point, too. With my first, transition lasted a few hours. It was awful. I had pitocin, I wanted to die. This last time it was only an hour. Pushing is painful, but it only lasted 10 minutes both times for me. I can't imagine pushing for hours, but I guess it would beat a long transition.

[danotoyou2]

Transition wasn't bad for me... not painful, just intense. But, it was hard to catch my breath in between contractions, and there were a couple points where I said "this is HARD." Pushing, on the other hand... was just fun. Especially when I could feel him moving down. That feeling of him passing through the cervix was... um... strange but amazing and wonderful.

[ldsapmom]

Transition, all the way. I had difficult pushing phases, and it never.felt.good to push. In fact, it hurt. Transition, on the other hand, I spent rocking in a wooden rocking chair, calm, serene, present.

My pushing phases get me to that transition-panic feeling; I don't have it when in transition.

[chrissy]

i'd rather push. transition is just so crazy intense. though pushing is pretty intense too, but (for me) not as painful as transition.