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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Was the pushing part easier in your second birth?

35 replies

Jo6545 · 23/06/2021 21:56

I was very lucky with my first birth in that I didn’t have any complications or interventions. Also didn’t have any painkillers through (not by choice!) so felt all of the pushing...I found the pushing physically very difficult. Not the most painful but I didn’t seem to be making an progress or know what I was doing. My contractions actually stopped at one point and I was just pushing without contraction. The head kept almost crowning then I’d feel it get ...’sucked’ back up and think oh god I have to do that again! My baby then got stuck at the shoulders (midwife nearly had to intervene) and then stuck again for a couple of pushes at the babies belly which I’ve never heard of! Most stories I hear once the head is out the rest comes out easily.

I’m nervous things won’t go as smoothly and the amount of time it took even without complications stressed me out last time!

OP posts:

littleindi · 23/06/2021 22:24

Hi @Jo6545, I can't answer your question as I am 35w with my second one now but I wanted to post as I could have written your birth story myself! Are you pregnant again and how far along if so?

I don't know if it was his belly like you experienced, but I know his body didn't come out easily either. He also had the pointiest head I've ever seen due to all that time in the birth canal. I ended up with severe prolapse after the first birth due to the long pushing stage and now this baby is proving to be much bigger than DC1 I am thinking of elective section... which does feel like a strange turn of events after having a zero intervention birth the first time.

DramaAlpaca · 23/06/2021 22:27

Yes. I couldn't push DS1 out and ended up having a forceps delivery. The pushing stage with DS2 was about 20 minutes. With DS3 it was five minutes maximum.

HarrietHairbrush · 23/06/2021 22:30

What position were you in op?
My first had the same and struggling with pushing but was flat on back and bearing down with legs on foot post of bed
With number two had him standing up, easy as pie.
Birth stool for subsequent children also much easier

Eyjafjallajokulldottir · 23/06/2021 22:33

Yes, ds had to be delivered by ventouse and was extremely painful (begged for an epidural but they wouldn't give me one)

When I went on to have dd I got an epidural and so the pushing part was easy (in fact it made the whole labour easy!) She came out after 2 pushes!

HumpHumpWhale · 23/06/2021 22:41

So so so much easier. 15 minutes pushing max, vs 2 hours with DS. I didn't have time for gas and air, never mind the water birth I had wanted, I went from "not clear you're definitely in established labour" in a triage room, to waters breaking and needing to push, to refusing to sit in a wheelchair (because, I realised after, she was crowning), first push in the hallway supported by two slightly hysterically giggling midwives, staggered to the bed in the nearest delivery suite, to holding her in my arms in literally 20 minutes total. I asked on the way if the birthing pool was free and they told me there wouldn't even be time to fill it. Totally didn't believe them, but they were right! I felt AMAZING afterwards. The midwives were pretty pleased too, it was just so fast and easy. With DS I was induced at 42 weeks and it was so slow and pushing took so long, and I vividly remember that sensation of thinking he was out but him getting sucked back in. So discouraging! And then the placenta got stuck. Afterwards I said I'd never do it again. V glad I did, obvs, because DD is awesome but also glad it was a different experience!

HumpHumpWhale · 23/06/2021 22:43

Also, I definitely felt I knew what I was doing MUCH more the second time. And I think that helped a lot.

SmednotaSmoo · 23/06/2021 22:46

Yes.

And my third sort of fell out. Seconds from cervix to vulva.

Providora · 23/06/2021 22:48

I didn't have to push at all with no. 2, not voluntarily anyway! It was all very quick. Couldn't have been more different from my first birth.

I hope it all goes well for you OP

Butterfly44 · 23/06/2021 22:49

Yes. First time for me took hours, every pain relief going. Second time much shorter and only gas and air.

IncessantNameChanger · 23/06/2021 22:52

My first son was 2.5 hours of pushing after a 1 hour labour. He nedded vontouse at the end so unfortunately my first 3.5 hour labour was a lot faster than my second.

Yes the pushing was easier as with the first there is a fear of the unknown pain so I know I was holding back a bit in hindsight. Also had more confidence in myself and my body and the pushing was over I'm maybe 30 ish minutes. I also think your body remembers if that's even possible.

However I was praised on my amazing pelvic floor by the midwife so unfortunately ds didnt fall out at one sneeze.

Right a good birth plan to help.you feel in control which might include things like trying different positions in labour. I really didnt want to move but as it was in my birth plan I had to curse myself and shift about a bit. The midwife knew what position I had to be in. I wasnt super keen to listen but my birth plan came back to haunt me

JaninaDuszejko · 23/06/2021 22:57

Yes. My experience of the second stage with DD2 and DS was like backward projectile vomiting or as the consultant who was at DSs birth said rather more politely 'involuntary pushing'. DD1 second stage was 2h, DD2 was 45 mins, DS 10 mins from 5cm to birth (with no pain relief).

RandomMess · 23/06/2021 22:59

Yes my pushing was involuntary with DCs 2-4. The last one went from waters breaking, 8cm to crowned to delivered in less than a minute long build up to get to that point though!

55378OO8 · 23/06/2021 23:00

Yes, I pushed for ages with Dc1 and eventually needed forceps. Dc2 came out in a few pushes.

stormelf · 23/06/2021 23:05

With my first I was pushing for almost five hours. She had her arms around her head so everytime she crowned she just seemed to go back up after the contraction. It was exhausting.

With my second I pushed once and he was out. It really shocked me when the paramedic passed me my baby as I wasn't expecting him to be out in one push

motogogo · 23/06/2021 23:10

Yes, Dd2 was a doddle. No pain relief at all, took 3 pushes

Foxhasbigsocks · 23/06/2021 23:14

Are you me op? You have basically just described my first labour. Three hours of pushing, contractions stopped at one point. They were about to do forceps (had the tray out) and then finally she came out.

With baby two I think one push or two pushes and head was out, maybe one or two pushes and dd2 was there.

So yes pushing is likely to be much much easier

BertieBotts · 23/06/2021 23:31

Yes. I had to push with ages for DS1 whereas DS2 I got him out in two pushes. I remembered exactly what it was like and I just kind of went "Fuck this!" and gave it my all because I didn't want to be stuck in that awful crowning sensation any longer than I absolutely had to. Midwives were like "You can stop pushing now and wait for the next - oh, OK, yes, the head is out"

I didn't tear either which I think they were worried I would do. I was probably lucky with that TBH. I think they wanted me to slow down so I wouldn't but I didn't really care at that point and just wanted to be done.

SpindleWhorl · 23/06/2021 23:34

Yes.

Passthesauce · 23/06/2021 23:36

Much easier labour and, according to the notes I was given, the pushing stage was 6 minutes - she shot out.

Original poster

Jo6545 · 24/06/2021 07:08

Thanks everyone this is very reassuring!! I’m currently 17 weeks with my second so just started to think hmm I have to actually do this again!

The first birth was a water birth and I was on all fours or bent over furniture pretty much throughout..I tried on my back for 5 mins but it felt so uncomfortable. I think as others have said a lot of the long pushing stage was probably me holding back out of fear. It was only really when I heard the midwife saying to the trainee that she would give it 5 more minutes that I really tried my hardest as I knew nothing good was going to happen if they got me out of the pool...

OP posts:

Camandmitch · 24/06/2021 07:13

The 'sucking up' happened with my first. I was asking for forceps at one point as I was so exhausted by it all (my labour had lasted 3 days!).

My second labour was long again overall but the pushing stage was less than 10 minutes. I think I only pushed four times and with each push I felt her moving down. I didn't actually push her out, she just slid out at the end

Chasingsquirrels · 24/06/2021 07:37

Yes much easier.

Dc1: 1 hr pushing.
Dc2: fell out.

BertieBotts · 24/06/2021 10:36

Your baby might have been back to back. Do you know which way they were facing when they came out?

Read up about back to back labour and see if it sounds familiar. It really helped me when I understood why my births were so different to the stories I'd read beforehand.

Ava50x · 24/06/2021 22:25

No, actually not for me!
With my first, the pushing was only ten minutes.
With my second, I was pushing for 26 minutes and felt like I was pushing against a brick wall- baby was just refusing to come! It wasn't that long in the end but it was definitely harder second time round.
Third was a breeze though- 2 pushes and out...

SockQueen · 25/06/2021 03:29

First - 1hr 15 mins.
Second - out in 4 contractions, so maybe 10-15 mins?

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