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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Can anyone tell me what the pushing stage feels like?

111 replies

OhGood · 15/03/2013 18:57

I had an epidural up for this bit with DD and so have no idea what it's like. I would love to hear anyone's experience.

Was there any change in pain levels from dilation to pushing? Was it any less painful, or more painful, or different pain? Did it feel more like pressure? With DD, I could feel pressure and feel her moving down and turning - did you feel that? And crowning?

Feeling very at the thought of going through this all again...

OP posts:

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spanky2 · 15/03/2013 19:02

Weird feeling of needing to push , no other way of describing it. Like the urge to sneeze, you just know what your body is telling you. Hurts more but I guess that's cos my bits were being ripped to shreds!

spanky2 · 15/03/2013 19:02

Crowning was as the midwife put it the ring of fire!

lljkk · 15/03/2013 19:04

Good, actually, all that contraction pain finally does what it's supposed to. Just like a great big spontaneous whoosh of powerful muscle finally let loose. Not truly painful on its own.

Still felt the crowning but it's like a minor stinging annoyance compared to the pain of unproductive contractions.

Sorry I never remember feeling the baby moving during delivery. You'd think I'd notice that big bulk moving, but no.

I wish that I had learnt to stand up for delivery, turned out to be the easiest position (for me).

StellaNova · 15/03/2013 19:06

For me it felt like doing a poo that wouldn't come. I didn't know I was pushing, I kept saying "I'll just get this poo out then the baby can come."

I was on pethidine and slightly delirious....

Original poster

OhGood · 15/03/2013 19:12

stella

From my careful study of OBEM (makes me feel awful, hate watching people in pain, trying to toughen myself up) crowning always seems to be the bit where people properly scream.

OP posts:

AllBellyandBoobs · 15/03/2013 19:15

Blessed relief for me, the pain stopped and my pushing contractions felt like it does when you're about to vomit, except the force was downwards obviously. Crowning hurt like buggery (I imagine :) ) but the rest was fine, just tiring

barefootwalker · 15/03/2013 19:21

I agree with Allbelly. The pushing wasn't painful in itself, just like a wretch but downwards instead of up. I was kneeling in the pool and quite comfortable in that position. I imagine it might feel quite different if you we're lying down.

scarlettsmummy2 · 15/03/2013 19:37

Like doing a poo when you are really constipated! The crowning bit was very stingy and I screamed a lot, but was all over very quickly and the pain stopped immediately.

pickledparsnip · 15/03/2013 19:44

Like shitting a watermelon. The biggest watermelon in the world.

Skygirls · 15/03/2013 19:46

Totally agree with the ring of fire. That's exactly how it (crowning)feels..
For me, this wasn't the worst pain - those were the contractions being so close together and longer, before the crowning.

My body just pushed of its own accord and I didn't get much direction from the midwives. I can remember pleading with them to take the pain away and DH said I was sweating profusely.

I did ask for an epidural but it was too late. This was DC3 and total labour time for me, from waters to delivery was exactly 80minutes.

Crowning was a different pain (ring of fire) more acute, but this is quick, so you don't have to deal with it for long before you get that sense of relief.

I do remember having to push with DC1 though. The contractions are painful, but you are so focused on pushing when the midwives tell you, that (for me anyway) you don't really think about it. The pushing stage felt like was constipated and needed to get a poo out. (Sorry if too much info).

And in the true miracle of nature, after giving birth, you remember that it was painful but can't recall exactly what it felt like/ how painful it actually was.
DH reminded me that in the labour ward, I swore he was never coming near me again, but when DC1 was 2 weeks old, I said that I could do it all over again.

TheSecondComing · 15/03/2013 19:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pickledparsnip · 15/03/2013 19:50

I was induced though op & had had an epidural which had worn off. I found it difficult because ds got stuck & I couldn't push him out. I found the contractions worse to get through in a way, maybe because they were artificial as I was on a drip. Once the pushing stage came I knew there wasn't long to go.

BeaWheesht · 15/03/2013 19:53

With ds (dc1) it was just the most enormous feeling d pressure down there and I just HAD to push.

With dd she was in a bad position and suddenly moved and I literally felt her slide down, one big push and she was out. Prior to that I remember saying to the midwife 'but you don't understand I feel like I have a bowling ball shoved up my bum'

ArmchairDetective · 15/03/2013 19:53

My pushing stage for DC2 was very quick and I didn't actually have to do anything.

I could cope with contractions, pressure I find pretty unpleasant but crowning, that was by far the worst bit. I can deal with contractions almost silently but it was a sort owwwwwwwwwww sharp pain which you can't help but cry out at. Like when you bang your funny bone really hard.

Didn't help that DC2 got stuck at this point (shoulder dystocia) and seemed to be just hanging there for ages.

But normally I imagine crowning is over quite quickly and you are so close to the end at that point.

BeaWheesht · 15/03/2013 19:54

Oh but the pushing stage was by far the beat because you can push right down into your bum you don't have to breath through it or any such crap like when having contractions before that.

Bumply · 15/03/2013 19:55

Pushing was like having never ending constipation. Hatd bloody work (they don't call it labour for nothing) but not as painful as some of the first stage, although gas and air was probably helping with that. Crowning hurt like hell, but was thankfully over quickly,and actually the most painful bit was the several attempts they made to put a cannula in my hand as drs were convinced I'd need a c-section - which I didn't.

TheDipDapOfDestiny · 15/03/2013 20:06

The pushing for me was completely involuntary, just like the vomiting reflex but t'other way!

The worst pain for me in all my labours was the crowning. Not a ring of fire, or stinging, but instead the sensation that someone had grabbed my fanny and was trying their hardest to rip it apart. Bloody awful. I did tear each time. But, this is the quickest bit of labour, the really unbearable bit probably only lasted about 15 minutes at most. And once baby is out, what a relief!

LittleMachine · 15/03/2013 20:10

I found it less painful than the not pushing contractions, and more purposeful. Except when DS's head kept going back in. That was annoying.
But I did all my screaming before that bit, I was just very determined and very tired when I was pushing.

shushpenfold · 15/03/2013 20:11

Hmm....crowning....naffingly awful hideous pain that pretty much makes your body just take over. it was so bad with no2 and no3 that I just could not listen to the midwife saying slowly' or 'just breathe and pant' and I just pushed to get the baby out and stop the pain. For me therefore, it lasted about 10 seconds with no2 and 2 seconds with no3!!!! Needless to say, I tore on those occasions, but at least it was over quickly!

RoseandVioletCreams · 15/03/2013 20:13

Yes involunatry here too - I didnt really do anything my body just did it.

The only thing I had to do was hold back

ISpyPlumPie · 15/03/2013 20:41

Like the most enormous overwhelming sense of pressure, and just had to push to make it go away. This was with DS2, and it was literally 3 pushes - one for the membranes (waters hadn't gone by second stage), one for his head and one for his body in very rapid succession. Didn't get the same urge with DS1 - the pain just gradually ratcheted up until I felt it was time to push, but it wasn't the same all-encompasing need to push now iyswim. Was a much longer second stage too.

And yes crowning most definitely = ring of fire.

GuffSmuggler · 15/03/2013 20:45

Like your bumhole is going to turn inside out with the pressure.

Princesspond · 15/03/2013 20:55

I too had epidural with first child, two hours of pushing but felt not a thing. Dc2 my god, I understood completely why they call it the urge to push, it was overwhelming. The midwife could tell I'd felt it as well, the contractions just changed. Every contraction I had to push, it pushed the pain away, 10 mins tops and DS was out. Just remember tell yourself to listen to the midwife and stop pushing and pant when told to.

wild · 15/03/2013 20:58

it feels like dry heaving before vomiting a cannonball

intheshed · 15/03/2013 21:03

I think the comparison to the vomiting sensation is quite good- not that you feel sick but it's an uncontrollable thing, your body takes over and you have to go with it.

Not as bad as the transition/baby moving down stage. The urge to push was stronger than the pain, iyswim.

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