How did you know you needed to push in labour?

[Bugaboobabe]

I'm due with dc4 in 6 weeks. With dcs 1 and 2 I had epidurals. With dc3 I had gas and air. I think I needed to push for quite a while but didn't realise it and I think I would have given birth far quicker had I realised. I labour quickly and was 3cm. Dh and I were left for about an hour, I should have realised really as contractions were every 2 minutes and lasting one minute, and I had a very heavy 'open' feeling which I now realise was ds's head. I did keep making grunting noises which I couldn't help but kept breathing away. Midwife came back after an hour and realised that things were imminent and I pushed DS out in 3 contractions. I think I could have skipped that hour of painful contractions if I'd realised what was going on.

Sorry this is rambly but I'm hoping to be more aware this time and listen to my body more. Just wondered about others experiences really

Oh, god, couldn't not push, which I don't think is helpful to you at all - just overwhelming need to push. But contractions were frequent and painful for quite a long time before that, so it's possible it'd have made no difference to you anyway.

Like habbibu probably not helpful but I also just couldn't not push! My body took over and there was no stopping it!

Same has habbibu and WantAnOrange.

dc4 was the only one without an epidural (although the previous 3 hadn't been fully effective so it still hurt) and it was much easier. With my last one it took me AGES to get into established labour (only ever been induced) and I went from 8cm to delivered in 2 minutes so that last hour of painful contraction may have been getting you to the end IYSWIM.

We're you upright for that last hour? Baby coming out slower is actually better tbh, my last 2 we're delivered too quickly for them to finish turning properly and we're both stunned on arrival!

It felt like needing to do a 9lb poo RIGHT NOW. Sorry not helpful, it was overwhelming and I couldn't have not done it. I was on hands and knees.

I didn't. The midwife had to feel and tell me. No epidural either, just rubbish irregular contractions all through labour. I never felt the urge to push and at the end couldn't feel contractions either. Probably why I ended up pushing for 2 hours 15 minutes.

fan with your first that's very common, good news is subesquent times it's usually much easier to tell

My experience was pretty much the same as fanofthe No idea why that was

Dc1 I had to be told to push. Was 10cm for ages but no urge.

Dc2 and dc3 I couldn't stop pushing. Dd1 was born about 5 mins after being told I was 5cm. 2 pushes. With the mw screaming at me to stop.

Dd2, born in one push. Mw didn't have time to put on her gloves I'd call for help.

Good luck with the birth.

The midwife told me too! I had no urge to push at all. Fortunately I didn't end up pushing for very long.... did get a 3rd degree tear though because he had an arm over his head

Overwhelming urge to push which I resisted quite a lot with dc3 as it felt almost "too much" if that makes sense and I was trying to do it a bit more gently!

I had an epidural with DC1 and had to be told when to push - which I found very hard, and odd, and wasn't sure I was doing it right etc. Ultimately had episiotomy and forceps and part of me still feels like I didn't do it myself almost six years later.

DCs 2 and 3, very different story. DC2 had my waters broken at home, got in birthing pool, couldn't NOT push. I do remember thinking 'so this is what they mean'

DC3 was a two-hour home labour that I didn't even make noise in (not intentionally) - I think I was just so in the zone. Felt ENORMOUS pressure but this time more sort of breathed her out rather than pushed. She was 10lb 11 and I only had a tiny graze although that could be down to having a bucket fanjo.

Best of luck. Could you maybe look into hiring a doula? They are brilliant

Exactlly the same as fan and Herrena here, luckily I was only pushing for 50 minutes though!

Random glad to here it's generally easier to tell with your second as 10wo pregnant with DC2 and am a little worried about knowing when to push.

I had no control over it...

MW: Hatti! Dont push! DOnt Push!
Me: Ngggggggggggggggg Im trying honest Ngggggggggghhhhhhhh
MW: Oh bugger, wait for me to get my gloves o.....And hello baby!

hatti love it!

Right from the get go, I felt like I needed a big poo. Which I did do about 5 hours before LO arrived. I still felt like I needed to poo the whole way through labour, and insisted on telling the MW repeatedly.

I woke up from a nap and just knew. And it's really hard not to push. I slept through most of my labour up to that point!

RandomMess, yes was upright standing and leaning over the head end of the bed, with DH rubbing my back. :)

With first birth didn't feel the urge to push at all. MWs were on at me to push but I was so tired after labouring all night (just TENS for pain relief). Ended up pushing for well over an hour and it felt like v hard work.

Second time was on hands and knees making mooing noises, determined not to push before I was ready. MW came back into the room and checked between my legs and said she could see the head. DD born in 2 pushes!

I didn't. DC1 was epidural so not surprising. DC2 was G&A and only got to hospital 30mins before he was born. Got from 5cm to 10cm in 25 of those minutes at which point MW told me I was fully dilated & to push when I felt the urge (contractions were continuous so no point in waiting for one). 2 mins later she asked why I wasn't pushing so I told her I hadn't felt the urge. She gave an exasperated tsk and told me to try to do a poo. So I did and was just thinking "you're going to regret this as you're going to get covered" when I realised everyone in the room was going "congratulations" or "that's the head" and that I hadn't actually done giant poo . She then told me to pant which I did for about 30 seconds before asking if I could just get on with it and then pushed the body out in one push before waiting for a response.

Was having massive shattering contractions (after 55 hour labour) and then something changed. Said to Doula 'hmmm, this feels interesting'. Doula later confirmed she could feel my body starting to push on its own. She told me to go with it. Which I did. Body did a sort of involuntary baby ejecting internal heaving thing, couldn't stop it, same as when you are violently puking and can't stop that happening...the spasming pushing thing carried on and it was a relief after the contractions tbh...then I felt his head in my fanjo...yikes, then he crowned and I started pushing myself for the first time while everyone shrieked at me to stop...then his head came out and then my son swam out into the pool.

for first I didnt get the urge either, for second I couldnt have stopped pushing even if I wanted to.

No proper urge with DS - his arm was up by his head so I think it meant his bogging couldn't stimulate my cervix properly and tell me body to push or something (I've been reading about this). With DD, she was perfectly presented so the urge to push was incredible and partof me just wanted to heave her out. However I listened to the MW and eased her massive head out but the bugger got her arm up by her shoulder on the way out and I tore

i didn't even realise i was pushing, until mw came back running into the room telling me with the next contraction to get on the bed. i was obviously grunting and pushing quite loudly

My midwife was the same, sheepliessleep. I must have been pushing a bit as she seemed to know I was ready to when she came back in the room. DH was oblivious to it all though for some reason. He has strict instructions this time to listen more carefully and check to look for a baby's head regularly

I didn't know when to push my body did it all on my own. just couldn't help it.