Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

birth without pushing

47 replies

Snowlet · 14/03/2014 09:28

Just that really.... would anyone be willing to share a story about birthing without actively pushing? The hypno book that I'm reading (in preparation for the hypno course) talks about how pushing isn't necessary. You breathe your baby out and the body does the work.

Have people experienced this? Are the midwives agreeable to leaving you alone to birth in your own time? I'm sure no matter what birth is challenging but I'm planning to avoid the discomfort/damage that people say comes along with a lot of pushing. Have others accomplished this?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

5madthings · 14/03/2014 23:14

I didn't actively push with ds4 my body just did it, very quick Labour, under an hour. He was born in birthing pool, 10lb 13oz and head circumference was off the chart!

I just sucked madly on the gas and air and my body did it.

McBaby · 15/03/2014 08:19

I was told I wasn't in labour but went from 3-10cm in well under an hour. I then thought I needed the toilet as I had the urge to push I think I would have pushed her out on the toilet quite easily being upright but the midwife dragged me back to the bed to lie on my back and monitor my DD where the urge to push disappeared completely. But as my DD was in distress I was instructed to push her out as quickly as possible which was hard work I till they have me 3 pushes or I needed an episiotomy. Once they cut me she flew out in one push across the bed. So the whole labour was well under 2 hours.

Currently 34 weeks and hoping to have a home birth this time and be able to get on with it at my own pace - provided baby is happy in there.

sweetkitty · 15/03/2014 08:27

I've had four babies and never actively pushed any of them out. With DD1 I was in hospital dilated very quickly and my body was pushing before I knew what was going on.

I remember especially with DD3 who was a HB labouring in a foetal position then feeling I needed to turn onto my back and I felt her move down and out in two contractions was the weirdest thing ever, 45 min labour too. DS was the last and I was induced due to SPD and precip labours. I was having contractions and asked the MW to break my waters as I was fed up 4 mins later he was born expelled as well.

Littlefish · 15/03/2014 08:30

I had a waterbirth with dd and remember having an absolutely uncontrollable need to push. In fact, I only did 2 pushes and she was out! There is no way I could have stopped myself pushing. At no time did the the midwife need to tell me to do it, it just happened.

PrettyCandles · 15/03/2014 08:35

This

followed by

this.

happydutchmummy · 15/03/2014 08:43

With my first my waters broke at 6 cm and 10 minutes later I felt the urge to push. I remember the midwife coming in and asking if I could feel any pressure and replying that no, no pressure but I could feel the head. 10 minutes later she was out.

With my second I managed to make it into the pool, got in at 5 cm, 25 mins later ds was out. I just felt a need to poo, rather than push and didn't realise he'd already come out when they placed him on my chest.

With neither birth had I planned on not pushing, however I prepared for labour by learning loads of pregnancy yoga positions and keeping very active and mobile during labour. I went in quite calm and my dh was an amazing birth partner. I am just lucky though that my body seems to let newborns just swim out rather than having to work at labour.

PrettyCandles · 15/03/2014 08:52

And this.

MyNameIsAnAnagram · 15/03/2014 08:54

With ds1 I had 3 hours of directed pushing to no avail, he was back to back and stuck. Ds2 my body just took over and he practically fell out with no conscious effort on my part. Obviously it took effort but it was totally out if my control. And no direction from mws as it was just dh and I.

Stockhausen · 15/03/2014 09:04

I had this, didn't realise it was a 'thing'!

I was in the pool, didn't even realise the head was out! Had to stand after that as head was out but contractions paused, gravity & one more contraction had the midwife catching him!

Another one with a large baby, and no tears.

Wuxiapian · 15/03/2014 09:05

I breathed DC2 out in the pool.

I was terrified of pushing and tearing, so didn't push. He eased himself out without me doing anything.

Stockhausen · 15/03/2014 09:06

Oh and I agree with the above, it was totally involuntary... like vomiting or pooing... !

It also made me make a strange bovine moaning sound

Original poster

Snowlet · 15/03/2014 16:07

Thanks so much to everyone who has shared, this is all immensely helpful. My DP was almost 10lbs at birth so I love hearing about large babies and no tearing :)

Maybe it sounds strange to say, but I'm actually really looking forward to labour and birth. It might have something to do with feeling the size of a blue whale before it happens though!

OP posts:

5madthings · 15/03/2014 16:22

Yes to the bovine sounds! Dp always says I sounded like a wounded bison kind of mooing!

SummerSevern · 15/03/2014 17:02

I didn't make a conscious decision to start pushing. At some point my body figured out that the contractions hurt less if I pushed. So I did.
To me, it felt a lot like poking, but through the front. And obviously a lot lot lot more painful.
And apparently I sounded like a vuvuzela.

SummerSevern · 15/03/2014 17:02

*pooing, not poking.

Stockhausen · 15/03/2014 17:14

The biggest thing for me was the feeling of mot being 'on the clock' as I was in the pool, had gas & air and was left to it by midwives. Had I been on my back on dry land, I imagined them making me push & timing it, then intervening when I didn't conform to their timetable!

Mandy21 · 16/03/2014 18:44

I don't think my situation was due to 'not realising' or 'being told to push before my body would have taken over', I just genuinely didnt get a natural urge, or a situation where it was involuntary, it just never happened with either pregnancy.

Helspopje · 16/03/2014 22:49

I described it as being taken over by aliens. There was not a thing that I could've done to have stopped the process even if I'd have wanted to.

Never had anyone to tell me to or not to push as was halfway up the corridor having been told I wasn't in labour for no 1 and had just walked onto the MLU saying that I felt a bit odd with no 2. Both out moments later with nothing at all for the first and a whiff of entonox for the second. Still feel cheated out of my much prepped for hypno-waterbirth.

Orangeisthenewbanana · 16/03/2014 22:56

I was a little disappointed when I tried to "breathe the baby out" like I'd been taught in hypnobirthing but the midwives were all telling me to stop that & properly push. In the end I needed a venteuse anyway so maybe more active pushing on my behalf was needed? Who knows, and I confess at the time I just wanted it to be done with!

Shellywelly1973 · 16/03/2014 23:04

I had dc6 6 weeks ago tonight!

I only felt the urge to push with dc1. Dc2&3 shot out. Dc4 I breathed out. Dc5&6, I pushed.

But I only felt the urge to push with dc1. Dc1 it wasn't painful to push. With all the others it was horrendously painful. I only used entonox for 3 dc & it didn't help!

ToriaPumpkin · 18/03/2014 18:18

I got the urge to push about 40 minutes after reaching 10cms, by which point DS was crowning. I didn't 'push' so much as bear down and he started coming by himself. They told me to stop pushing on the third contraction and out slid my little monkey!

He was 9lbs exactly, and I did tear, but that was because his hand was over his face and you're just not designed to have that shape come out!

Norfolknway · 18/03/2014 19:12

Both of mine kind of, erm, flew out.

I actually can't imagine what it would be like to really push a baby out as if it wouldn't come if I didn't

Flip

1 2