Can anyone tell me what the pushing stage feels like?

[OhGood]

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...

[deleted203]

Like vomiting! You know when your body takes over and heaves and you could not possibly stop yourself from throwing up? Well, it's like that in reverse!

[Jojay]

Agree with it feeling like the huge urge to poo.

The pushing stage was much better than contractions imo - you feel like you can do something about the pain rather than feeling helpless.

The ring of fire did sting a bit, and I did tear, but I remember feeling quite detatched from the proceedings by that stage. Knowing that the end is in sight is a great motivator!

Good luck with everything. I too had an epidural with my first, but a quick, straight forward birth with dc2 - hope you do too!

[AmandaPayneNeedsaHoliday]

Just felt I needed to add a nice positive one!

Epidural and forceps for DD1. For DD2, waterbirth and no pain relief at all.

Contractions were agony. Felt like being kicked in the spine by a large horse and then pulled apart from the inside.

Pushing did not hurt. Literally did not hurt at all. I went all quiet, the pain stopped, I thought labour had stalled (bad experience first time in that vein). Then my body started to push and within a few minutes out she came.

Pushing was bloody amazing!

[OhGood]

focusing intently on amandapayneneedsaholiday

All a bit humbling tbh - but superemotional pregnancy hormones.

[AmandaPayneNeedsaHoliday]

Ha ha, yes, I do good stories on pushing!

Second labour was bloody amazing. Just don't get me going on the first....

[Taffeta]

First one I had an epidural which they let wear off when DS was in the birth canal. Went from pain free zen like calm to feeling a giant football in my fanjo. Not cool.

With DD, despite the fact I'd already had a child, and it was my due date, I was convinced I needed a poo. I woke up in the middle of the night with my first contraction and had her just over an hour later. It hurt, but not as much as the first time. Best way to describe DD was pressure.

[TiddlyOmPomPom]

The crowning and pushing stage was far far easier than the rest of my labour for me - I felt like I had an elephant sat on my lower back for most of it (can't spell coxycs??) and was shitting the aforementioned watermelon at the same time. The pressure was constant, I couldn't differentiate between contractions - I think DS was back to back for most of the labour.
By the time I felt I couldn't hack it and needed more than the gas & air, I was fully dilated and ready to push, not that the midwives believed me until they checked! Knowing that I was on the home straight, I got my 2nd wind and coped with just G&A.

Pushing was pretty quick - three pushes and he was out. The pushing was the same level of pain as the contractions, but felt more 'productive' (obviously!) so didn't feel so bad.
His head was hard to push (small tear), then the rest of him came out on the 3rd push like a slippery bunch of grapes.

Crowning itself was like a kind of icy fire, but I breathed through it fine, my sis had told me to imagine it as an icy pain instead of what it really is - she even prepped me by holding my hand in an ice bucket!

I'm curious as to what it might be like next time - DS was 4wks early and had a tiny head, I've no idea what it'll be like delivering a full term baby!

[Neeko]

I'd do my second child's birth again no problem. Waterbirth and my body just did what it was supposed to do. Was hard work and painful but also the most empowering experience of my entire life.

Good luck

[caughtinagiggleloop]

My body took over and I just pushed when I needed it was all going fine and then the little blighter decided to get stuck in the birth canal so I had to get rushed off down to the delivery suite and she was finally born with forceps. I had an episiotomy and they gave me a local anaesthetic so I didn't feel the crowning at all.

They thought it was going be over quite quickly at first so they wouldn't give me an epidural and when they took me to the delivery suite, they didn't take the gas and air so I had nothing other than the local anaesthetic. I have a bit of a thing about needles though and I was more upset about that than I was about the pain of the contractions. All I remember about it was me (somewhat losing perspective by this time) crying and saying I didn't want the injection because it was going to hurt and the nurse doing the cutting saying "but Mrs Giggle, you're in labour..."

[Coffee1Sugar]

Like squeezing a watermelon out your nostril

[VisualiseAHorse]

Your body 'taking over'. I remember the MW saying 'you're doing really well, keep pushing!'. I wasn't putting any effort in at that point! Then when I did manage to actually put the effort into pushing along with my body, baby was out very quickly!

[VisualiseAHorse]

Tiddly - sounds just like my labour! The pushing bit was the easy bit!!

[pensarefriends]

For me, the early contractions were the worst. Very intense, slicing, ripping sort of pain but because it comes in waves, and you know what it is, it is manageable, Pushing hurt but in a strangely comforting way. I guess like vomiting or doind a massive poo. You can't stop yourself, your baby is coming one way or another. Crowning is a different type of pain, sharp and stingey and came and went very quickly. It stops instantaneously when your baby is born. The best day of my entire life.
Good luck

[StormyBrid]

Pushing was very much like constipation. Like when you've got a gigantic one in there, and your body's determined to get it out, and there's no holding it in no matter how scared you are of how much it's going to hurt. Pethidine helped a lot with getting over the fear and just going for it. Don't remember crowning at all, although I imagine it wasn't fun because apparently I shouted "Oh, fuck a duck" at that point.

Dilation was definitely worse. It was relentless - by the time I got to the hospital at 8cm, I would've done anything to just pause the whole thing and have a tea break. DD is now eight days old and I would totally do it again.

[PotPourri]

Bad period pains multiplied by 1000, then doing doing a massive poo (midwife kept saying - push through your bottom) while your stomach cramps hard.

Listen to the midwife - at crowning, is best not to get it over with quickly even though you just want to push the baby out at that point.

[thegreylady]

Mine were both fine. It felt like period pains which was followed by the feeling you get when you are constipated and have to push out a big hard poo! The great thing for me was that I was very very excited. I had read a lot before so I could identify each stage and couldn't wait for the baby.
I wasn't scared at all. I had one shot of pethidine before ds came and nothing with dd.
The good thing about labour is in the name-you are working really hard towards a really wonderful outcome so the pain has a point unlike most pain which means something is wrong, the pain of childbirth means your body is working properly.
I know some people have problems but most do not :-)

[LeBFG]

Contractions went from mild to having-to-yell-through-them painful. Transition was the worst point (just after comic explosion of waters) - more psycologically than painful though. Pushing was bally painful too - cue roaring. Felt like throwing up but didn't. Crowning was odd - I don't remember this being painful, just being very aware of it and what was happening - was able to pant through it. No scratches or cuts. Although I thought I would feel the baby descend I didn't (thought I was pooing). The best bit was feeling baby turn as she came out.

[bealos]

Same as you OP, I had epidural with first. Second time round (8 weeks ago, in fact) I had a home birth and it was amazing! I totally surrendered to the contractions and everything happened really fast - before I'd even thought to ring the midwife!

I would not say I actually pushed myself - it was totally expulsive, not painful that I remember. A little bit like when your body takes over with bad diarrhea and your body just empties itself downwards! Crowning didn't hurt - I had small 1st degree tear. Baby was out in less than 3 contractions.

[CumbrianMum2]

I've only had the one, and had her at home in a birthing pool (fantastically pain relieving), with gas and air for more pain relief (a LOT of gas and air). For me, the contractions were like the worst period pains you could imagine, and the pushing like the worst ever constipation. I remember getting really pissed off when I'd managed to push her out a cm or two, and then as the contraction passed, she seemed to slip back inside a little bit! Don't remember the crowning being so awful, largely because it was a sign that things were coming to an end. I do remember the midwives telling me to reach down so I could touch her head, and thinking I wasn't interested in touching a wretched head, just GET IT OUT!

[Thewhingingdefective]

Been through labour twice. First time I had epidural at 3cm as I had pre eclampsia and it was a twin pgcy, so no real feeling of pain at all. I did get the urge to push though.

Second time around my waters broke and 40 minutes later got my first contraction. Within fifteen minutes they were strong, coming every 2-3 minutes.

It felt like being crushed to death by a boa constrictor and totally overwhelming as there was no time to recover between contractions. The feeling of being squeezed was from right under my boobs almost down to my knees. I felt like a tube of toothpaste.

Pushing was just like involuntarily pushing out a gigantic poo.

[williaminajetfighter]

For me just getting to 10cm and the transition was dreadful. I was only on gas and air and tried a bit of pethidine (which made no difference). I thought contractions were going to be a crampy feeling but it felt, to me, like a really sharp stabby feeling. urgh.

Transition just felt like it was all getting too much. I never felt the urge to push which is odd as most people do. Midwife told me to start pushing and she was out in 3 pushes. I remember saying to the midwife - 'eek, this really stings' and then she was out. Probably a relatively easy labour as she was small (under 6 lbs). Can't imagine what would happen if I had to birth a 9 pounder!