A question for midwives

[Haliborange]

I was wondering when during labour a baby should start to descend.

I have 2 children, both born by emcs. My first just didn't come out and forceps couldn't evict her. My second became distressed in the second stage and even though it was a good hour before they finally did the caesarean she hadn't descended at all (was above the spines so really a section was the only option).

So how should labour work, ideally? Do babies descend before you get pushy contractions? do they come down past the spines before the woman is fully dilated? I say a MW on the tv the other day saying a mother was "feeling pressure" so the baby was coming down. But I was feeling pressure and my body was pushing but the baby stayed put. What is the norm?

The norm is for baby to be descending steadily throughout labour. So when a woman is not in labour, I would expect her baby to be 2 cm above spines, then 1cm above as active labour progresses, getting to spines at some point during late first stage, then her feeling pushy when baby is just below spines (or maybe further down) and it all really kicking in when baby is 1cm below spines. That is a massive generalisation of course - some women start labour with the head at or just below spines, some have the head up in the gods until they are fully dilated and then it descends very quickly. It depends on pelvis shape, the position of baby's head and the room in the pelvis.

Thanks. I just couldn't visualise how it is meant to go!
I think there must be something wrong with my pelvis that means I get all the way there and then the babies can't turn (out of LOT) and enter my pelvis properly. Flipping annoying, though. I'd love to have a baby without being sliced open.