[caedmyn]

I keep reading about the "irresistible urge to push". I never felt that during DD's birth, and I'm wondering if maybe I pushed too soon, or I simply experienced a different feeling when ready to push. I had an unattended labor up until I was ready to push (didn't realize things were happening so quickly so waited too long to call DH and the midwife!). When DH arrived I had a very strong feeling of just wanting him to get plastic on the floor because I wanted to go down on my knees on the floor. I don't remember feeling like I "had" to push at any point, although I'd spent the 10-15 minutes prior to his arrival being very determined that I absolutely would not push as I did not want to birth the baby with no one there! The midwife arrived right as DH finished getting plastic on the floor and I slid onto the floor from the couch. The midwife checked (with my permission) and said DD's head was right there (yeah, I could feel that!) and I started pushing. The midwife never said anything about me being fully dialated, or that I could push, or anything like that. I just did it. DD was born less than 20 minutes later.

So...now that I've written a slightly convoluted post...does this sound like I was truly ready to push even though I never had what I would describe as a irresistible urge to push?

 

[JamieCatheryn]

Not everybody gets an irrestible urge to push. It kinda sounds like you got yourself too reliant on the midwife's presence and permission and blocked out any urge you might have had. Often babies can be born without any pushing beyond what the contractions do, so maybe you wouldn't have had to.

 

[bryonyvaughn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn Not everybody gets an irrestible urge to push.

Yes, and not everybody pushes to have a baby. For five of my six babies I've done no pushing to birth them. I have pushed for all their placentas though.

~BV

 

[caedmyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn Not everybody gets an irrestible urge to push. It kinda sounds like you got yourself too reliant on the midwife's presence and permission and blocked out any urge you might have had. Often babies can be born without any pushing beyond what the contractions do, so maybe you wouldn't have had to.

It had nothing to do with the midwife being there--I would have started pushing once the floor was ready with DH there, but I didn't want to birth DD without him (or somebody!) there.

 

[Juvysen]

Sounds to me like you at *least* had a psychological urge to push. Otherwise, why would you have started pushing at that point no matter what?

 

[caedmyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juvysen Sounds to me like you at *least* had a psychological urge to push. Otherwise, why would you have started pushing at that point no matter what?

Now that makes sense to me...it wasn't so much a physical urge to push as a mental one.