How early in labour did you feel like pushing?

[orlandobroom]

Baby #4 due quite soon.

With DC3's labour I started to feel quite 'nudgy' during contractions at about 4cm dilated. I dilated to 10cm within about 2 hours but during those 2 hours I couldn't help myself strongly bearing down during contractions. The midwife kept telling me to breathe through it but the gentle pushing was the only way to ease the pain, and also there was a lot of pressure and it just felt like the natural thing to do. I ended up pushing as quietly and secretively as possible so that the midwife thought I was breathing through the pain.

I was just wondering really if it is that bad to push if you feel you need to before the magic 10cm? From talking to friends, I know that it's fairly common to feel a lot of pressure and to want to push earlier than that.

Was dc3 back to back? I felt like I was trying not to push from about 4cm onwards with back to back OP DD. Was horrible trying not to push and the relief when I told the midwife and she said just to go with it was amazing. Not sure if it hampered the progress of labour or not, asdue to her prpresentation she was rather awkward to get out

I felt like that at about 8/9cm and spent an hour with the midwife telling me not to push and my DH having to coach me through it (he was amazing) then midwives changed shifts and without examining me, the midwife said if I felt the urge to push then I should push
DS was born an hour later.

Fighting the urge to push was so bloody hard though, like trying not to be sick when you feel it coming (disgusting comparison sorry, closest I could think of though).

He was back to back, but once I started pushing properly he came out really quickly. The midwife was surprised that he was back to back.

I suddenly went from 2cm to 9cm within about an hour (after about 30 hours worth of contractions ha ha).

I was absolutely desperate to push once I was at 9, I don't think anything on this planet could have stopped me pushing regardless of being told not to.

As I dilated very quickly nobody bothered to examine me until it was clear I wasn't stopping for anybody! Even once they knew I was at 9 they tried to get me to wait a little longer, but there was no stopping us :-D

You know your body better than anyone, and will do what feels right at the time!

With ds1 - never. They kept telling me I had to push and it felt completely wrong, unnaturaland I found it really difficult. With Ds2 I did get the urge - very late in the day : literally 3 of those pushes and he was out. What I would say is don't let them bully you: your body says is right, 9 times out of 10.