What would happen if you didn't push?

[MarkStretch]

Just wondering.....

DD was back to back and I had an overwhelming urge to push from about 7cm dilated from the pressure. Of course I couldn't and being told not to push was like being told not to breath. Needless to say when the MW told me I could at last push, dd practically shot out

Seriously though, the urge is just so overwhelming...

The urge to push is overwhelming, and by pushing, all the pain of the contractions went away, which was wonderful, and unexpected.

I had no urge to push and indeed it was excruciatingly painful to do so. Arrived at hospital fully dilated. Instructed by Junior midwife to push, which I tried to do for over an hour. Sadly she had not checked that my waters had broken - which they had not (I did ask!).

Given lots of Syntometrine to increase strength of contractions - until the little thing they had monitoring them was no longer writing on the paper at all. Still no urge to push.

Tried Ventouse but Dr had never done them before and could not get them on.

More Syntometrine - still no urge to push and terrible pain if I did. I could not push through the pain.

Ds's heart rate started to fall on foetal heart rate monitor. Queue screaming by dh and I and immediate arrival of consultant who knew how to use Ventouse.

It took 6 hours for ds to be delivered even though I was supposed to be in third stage labour when I arrived.

For dd I was told to go in early (still 7cms) and still no urge to push but was given 4 epidurals and 2 spinals and so was able to make muscles contract in right way.

I couldn't Not push iykwim? My body just takes over and does it, I just go along with what its telling me to do! Not really any other choice!!

From my experience, as soon as I started pushing the pain of the contractions almost dissappeared!

PLUS, I wanted to push as i wanted it to be over!!!!

When I arrived at the hospital the midwife could already see the dd's head and I hadn't done any pushing. They kept telling me to push with the contractions, which I wasn't actually aware of (it just hurt all the time!!) so I just kept trying.

I think next time I wouldn't push unless I feel the urge as I think that's the reason that I tore and I do believe that she would have come out in her own time as she was already half way there!

(Sorry if the thread's changed by now - only read the OP.)

I didn't push, just "released" as I've done for all 3. Felt the head come down and out and just breathed through it. MWs said it was the most controlled delivery of a head they'd seen. i told them up front that i don't push and they respected that, they were fab. I think like a lot of folks on here, you just trust your body and don't force it - going with your natural "push" urge should do it. No significant tears with DCs one or two and none at all with number 3. The hypnobirthing book chapter on stage 2(sorry can't remember the author) is fab on this.

I remember in theatre after epidural being asked to push by the doctors. As I couldn't feel a thing, I sort of did a muscle memory movement and asked the doctor "Is this pushing?" Very surreal...

I had an epidural and was too scared to stop administering it to feel when to push. however, i felt a slight flutter in my tummy when i had a contraction, but the monitoring tells you anyway. couldn't have done it without the midwife though. all i wanted to do was push and get her out though as i hated the feeling of having a massive poo half in half out. sorry if that's a bit gross.

This is interesting..i had no urge to push i was out of it on gas and air and morphine when the new midwife on shift decided i needed to start pushing...i pushed and pushed until i was weeping saying 'i can't feel anything'...i think she just thought i was being lazy she even got DH to tell me to push but it was all for nothing..i ended up in theatre and had forceps delivery with stitches etc. and baby had the cord wrapped tightly around his neck twice...i am still narked at the midwife for yelling at me to push when i had zero urge to push....when midwife saw the bruising and swelling around my bum the day after she looked like she was going to pass out! I have never experienced such pain in my life but have lovely baby now...not sure if i will do it again but it is strange having never had the pushing sensation...

I had the irresistable urge while they were faffing about at the end of the bed - both my mum and I were screaming at the MWs "can I/she push yet". I still don't know what was going on. Once I did start pushing I asked her how long it would go on for and she said "oh this is nothing - it can take up to 2 hours" very encouraging. Luckily only took ten minutes.
To correct a post below, Abigail Witchalls was paralysed, not in a coma, but I guess the principle is similar.

it would stay in there forever of course.
can you imagine lighting first birthday candle and shoving it up there to blow out? not a good idea...

[lowers tone]

I was also told in antenatal classes that you could give birth whilst unconscious so I do think your body can do it all by itself.

With DS1 I had an epidural and so no urge to push and I was pushing with the contractions as they showed on the monitor for four hours with no real progress. He ended up being born with the help of forceps.

DS2 was completely different. I didn't push him out at all as I was waiting for an ambulance to arrive (was at home) and my body took over. I made no effort, except one half heart attempt to see if pushing really did relieve the pain of contractions a bit like I had read (made no difference though) and he was born in about 20 minutes from when I think the second stage started. I could feel that the contractions had changed from squeeze to a more downward pressure but with no help from me at all. Was amazing though.

Actually think the 'urge' to push doesn't hit everyone.

I had a totally straight forward delivery - was on gas and air but nothing else.

I was sitting on the birthing ball and felt something bearing down, down below! But no urge to push!

I told midwife and she got me up on the bed and sure enough she said the head was almost showing!

So SHE told me to push with the contractions.

I must say i had a lovely midwife. I pushed at first not knowing what I was doing, then she gave me the best advice ever, and DS was born quite soon after I knew HOW to push.

For those who are wondering....
She said to imagine you are about to have the biggest poo ever! And just push it out!

It worked!

I had my baby sat on the toilet (!). I certainly didn't make any concious effort to push at all - well I wouldn't because we had no medical assistance there (midwife and ambulance both arrived 5 minutes after the birth). But the baby most certainly came out anyway, with labour lasting an hour and 40 minutes in total from a standing start.

I found that a sensation not unlike what happens when you are sick overtook me - i.e. you don't conciously decide to retch, it's completley automatic, you muscles do it for you, and you can't stop it.

I guess you do need to be upright for that to suceed in birthing the baby though. Not sure what would happen if you were flat on your back?

Personally I can't abide the idea of someone standing there shouting 'push' at me. So I've written into my birth plan this time round that I will ONLY push if/when I feel the urge, and do NOT want to be 'encourgaged' to push before that!

Julie

I didn't push at all, she just slithered out.

Though I had no clue I was even pregnant until the paramedics arrived, so my experience is clearly not the norm.

Wow - my experience with DD2 was much like juliegillard - she narrowly avoided being born down the toilet but arrived on the hall floor, caught by DH after 30 min labour. No pushing involved, in fact I was trying to hold her in! I wonder how common it is to not have to push? My 2 both had small heads, maybe that's why they came out so easily!

i have this desire to talk about my experience of giving birth to whoever will listen- is this part of the process of getting over it?? I found it slightly traumatic to say the least :-)

Sarahpo, it depends on how you are feeling about the birth. If you are feeling quite traumatised by it it can be a sign of a form of PTSD called Birth Trauma. I get that, I have an almost uncontrollable urge to talk all the time about Tink's birth and even Lily-Hope's. It's not doing much for my social life!

I agree with those who have said that pushing is involuntary. When I had my first I arrived at hospital screamed for 20 minutes mainly for an aneasthetist. Then my body shuddered twice and my daughter was born. Those shudders were 'pushes' and were completely out of my control, there is no way I could have resisted. Had a similar thing but a lot longer with second.

Your body would push baby out without you actively pushing.

I had an epidural with my last pregnancy and thought I needed to push, MW dismissed this suggestion without checking me and told me that it was too soon.

When DS's heartrate kept dropping they decided to put an internal monitor on his head. They lifted the sheet to find that he was crowning without any help from me.

I just did the last few pushes to get him out due to his low HR

I was worried that I wouldn't feel the urge to push with my first baby, but everyone said I would. I didn't. I had to put a foot on each of the midwives' hips and push off them. It didn't help. I thought I was pushing but they kept telling me I wasn't. In hindsight, I think I was just tightening up all my muscles - in effect, I think I was "pulling"!

With my second, the urge couldn't have been greater! I just had huge, almost involuntary spasms and out popped my little boy! I could feel him being ejected.

Having experienced the second birth, I realised how entirely absent the urge/reflex to push had been with the first. She came out somehow, but not with a conscious or unconscious push from me!

Weird, isn't it? My sis-in-law said afterwards that she'd been exactly the same with her 1st then 2nd. We'd both had pethidine with the our first but not our second. Don't know if that had anything to do with it.

television shows have certainly make giving birth a traumatic experience. there's no need for all that yelling. geezes!

i have watched some birthing videos on youtube and some woman, honestly, look like they are not pushing. or just barely. i'm pregnant with my first and going for the less is more attitude with my home birth. hopefully, fingers crossed.