What would happen if you didn't push?

[MarkStretch]

Just wondering.....

I 'breathed' my DD3 out. As I pushed the air out of my lungs with each contraction so she came down the birth canal. Didn't really know what i was doing, it just felt right at the time. Hadn't read a book on it or anything, just went with what I was feeling. Marslady said after I had a 'silent labour'. All I know is it was a wonderful birth and I smile from ear to ear when I think about it and have such happy lovely memories of that day.

People in comas have had babies naturally apparently.

I never had the urge to push, but that was because DD was so badly positioned that she wasn't really engaged with my cervix, which according to the midwife is what gives that urge. I did push though in an attempt to get her out - just gave myself piles instead.

I'm actually quite scared of the urge to push this time around, because the midwife told me that an uncontrollable urge is the biggest cause of tearing and I really need to protect my perineum this time around. I have been secretly practising slow panting and ha ha huffing (just hope that the neighbours can't hear ).

I thought I was pushing my first baby out, until I had overwhelming contractions that went on and on, and couldn't stop the pushing.

With DD2 I started to push (had sensation to) but KNEW something was wrong. It took 20 minutes to convince the midwife something wasn't right, and she examined me to find that I was only 4cms dilated because the cervical opening had slipped behind DDs head.

When I did get the urge to push again, 5 hours later, she was out in 5 minutes. But it was a sudden realisation that "I have to push this baby out", followed by two or three strong contractions.

I had such a strong spinal block that I couldn't feel a thing (I was handed my own legs to hold at one point and they felt like slabs of meat, the nastiest sensation I have ever had). So the monitor told the MW when I was having a contraction -and it's not rocket science, you can just look at your own belly growing hard. But they weren't strong enough so I had to be coached for the pushing:

MW: Push now TPL, puuussshh
DH: Yes PPPUUUUUUSSSSSSSHHHHHH TPL PPUUUUSSSSSHHH
ME: DH I am pushing, or do you think I am just pulling this face for the fun of it

But the registrar wrote "Good maternal effort" on my notes so I felt like a good girl afterwards. I have warned DH that if he yells PUSH at me this time I will not be responsible for my actions.

First time round the urge to push totally took over but then the contractions eased off, was given oxytocin (I think!) & I had to push when the pains came and the mw said so; would have much much preferred to go with the flow.

With my 2nd I had an lovely epidural so I was contracting but had no sensation of it, just lay there snoozing and talking to dh. The mw told me to start pushing & it took a fair bit of effort but it was very controlled. At the very end dd propelled herself out, no pushing on my part required.

I was knackered from pushing for soooo long (2 hours active pushing labour) and 36 hours no sleep with contractions etc So I kept falling asleep towards the end. My body kept waking me up with the contractions taking over and pushing for me. Its involuntary!
I kept dreaming I'd had the baby, and was so confused when I'd wake up and still be pushing him out! Maybe it was the gas and air...?!

Mimsy2000 - I mean, if your forebrain is really switched off, as nature intended, you really wouldn't register the urge to push - your body would just do it for you. So instead of consciously bearing down when the expulsive contractions come, your body would subconsciously push baby out and it would be much slower - conscious pushing increases the pressure and the speed IYSWIM.

Best friend didn't realise she was in labour with dd2 and had overwhelming urge to poo then realise at the last minute it was the baby coming. Luckily her dh got there in time to help deliver.

btw, i didn't know i was going to push. They told me i was 4cm dialated, but on my next contraction i pushed on my own, without actually knowing i was to push iykwim? It just happened.

I always wonder this! I had absolutely no urge to push when my midwife told me to start. After a while I did though. DS was born in 20 mins.

What a fascinating thread!

sorry I pushed DS out in 20 mins

no urge to push at all

2 hrs of being told to push, complete scary nightmare.

spd, and on my back, too.

dd shot out suddenly, hence tearing and grazes.

i can't understand the term 'push' at all..

it was a complete earthquake, explosion, happening in my body all by itself.. an almighty roar of power and my body felt like it was splitting in half.. the most intense experience of my life..

but so empowering.. i could feel baby's head descending down birth canal and so knew exactly what was happening.. therefore no tears as i could control how quickly/slowly baby came out and landed on planet earth xxx

praying that all goes well for baby no. 2 due in ten weeks xxx

THis thread is very interesting. It seems that these days womean are being told to push as soon as they reach 10cm, when they may have no urge to push, as they are probably in transition.

Surely the woman should be allowed to wait until they need to push, rather than pusinhg fruitlessly while their body is not ready.

I was lucky enough to have quick labours and definitely had a need to push.

It does seem a shame that they try to rush things so much in hospitals now though, instead of letting things happen as they should

Very interesting thread I had DD3 6 weeks ago and I would say I didn't push her out she was expelled from my body, my body and the baby did it with me as a bystander. It was as someone described, waters went first then I had some bloody painful contractions helped by the lovely gas and air (homebirth too). It was so strange MWs left me to get on with it as I wanted but all of a sudden I came to as it were opened my eyes and the room was spinning then it stopped (probably G&A wearing off) and I just KNEW the baby was coming and shouted "this baby is coming so MWs said go ahead push but I didn't push more like TMI a huge poo coming out next thing head was out cue everyone rushing to catch next minute body. I think my body didn't catch up for a while as I had horrendous afterpains. My labour was 1 hour 35 mins from waters breaking to baby out.

The two labours before were more of the same but I was less in control and didn't have that moment of clarity that she was coming, I also felt her coming down and crowning more than the other two.

With DD I had no urge to push (was exhausted and just needed a rest) and was given syntosomething to get contractions going again. Pushed strenuously for 2.5 hours before DD was ventoused out.
With DS 2 years later, I just got an overwhelming ejection feeling...and DS was breathed out during a couple of contractions. But certainly no pushing involved.

I was epidural-ed up to my eyeballs in my first labour, had to be told when to push and it was a long, hard 3 hours that felt like it would never end, resulting in an episiotomy and a butcher sewing me back up again.

With ds2 it was completely different, I had an unmedicated labour, was not confined to a bed or on continuous monitoring and the midwives allowed me to follow the urges my body was giving me. I did get the overwhelming urge to push, but rather than the "you must push at least 3 times per contraction for a count of 10 each time", I was left to do what i felt was right. I did push, but not in a blood vessle bursting, purple in the face way, more like a push just enough to ease the urge slightly. DS2 was born after just 39 minutes of gentle pushing, which in my books was very quick, making a whole labour of just 1.5 hours.

I am hoping to have ds3 at home in 8.5 weeks time and will definately try the breathing method, it sounds so peaceful.

this is interesting. i had such a powerful urge to push/expel but was totally freaked out by it and actually tried to wait to push because it hurt way worse than the contractions. however i didnt' have any choice and ds was born after about two good pushes. but god the pain of it. i found it the worst of the entire labour expreience. am i the only one?

having said all that i would not want to be without that urge to push b/c it was the clearest signal from my body that things were happening.

I hated the pushing too Mimsy2000, it hurt like a bastard! I felt the urge to push but lied and said i didn't because i had been asking for an epidural since i was 5cm and still hadn't got one I knew if i needed to push then i had to do it without pain relief.

the stupid consultant woman kept saying i wasn't pushing hard enough because i got the uncontrollable urge to push but then tensed up each time as it was so painful. I hated her.

I ended up with a ventouse delivery in the end because apparently I wasn't trying hard enough. Yeah, because I just didn't want the wonder that is labour to end did I?

yeah, i wanted an epidural too. never got one. i'm still pissed off about that, but also begrudgingly acknowledge that it prob made things go faster for me...but the pain argh.... i'm 32 weeks with my second and it's all coming back to me now

With ds1 and twins I had no urge to push and didn't really do it even when told to - just wailed, begged them to make it stop and thrashed about a lot - they all came out anyway!