Spontaneous pushing

NeonNoon

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with spontaneous pushing, particularly in a hospital setting.

Hospitals seem to prefer coached pushing since there's a protocol time limit they follow for second stage labor, after which they intervene (C-section, forceps etc).

TIA. 

AASykes

I was wondering this very thing

supersarah77

No! I actually keep hearing women I know talk about how their body just started pushing and they couldn't stop it. Like an overwhelming urge. I actually expected that to happen but for me it was more a feeling of "she's coming out!" whether I pushed or not. My doula coached me to have productive pushes that were sending the baby down vs exploding my own head. It was actually helpful to me.


I never felt pressure from the hospital to hurry up at all. They were totally supportive. My labor lasted 42 hour and I spent 33 hours of that at the hospital. I also wasn't rushed to leave the hospital after birth and we stayed two nights. I imagine whether you're rushed or not depends on the hospital.

NeonNoon

42 hours is crazy @supersarah77!  Were you medicated?

supersarah77

@NeonNoon‌ 39 hours were unmedicated. I got stuck at 9 cm for 10 hours and so I got a "whiff" of pitocin to nudge me over the finish line. If I had it to do over I'd get pitocin sooner because I had postpartum hemorrhaging from the long transition phase, and that was scary.

supersarah77

@NeonNoon‌ could that be why I didn't get that "spontaneous pushing"?

NeonNoon

What I've been told and read is that epidurals can slow/numb contractions, sometimes requiring Pitocin.  I can see epidurals dulling the pushing urge.  But you didn't have that, so who knows @supersarah77?  The hemorrhaging sounds pretty bad.  Glad you got through it.

cneiding

My body has always went crazy when it was time to push.  Like there was no denying or stopping it.  After I had my first 2 I would go from 4 cm to 10 in like under a minute. No joke. With my 6th I tried to warn the nurses on staff that would happen....they didn't really listen....It happened and my dr was not even called to come in yet.  The nurses were all in my room screaming at me NOT to push while my dr got out of bed and drove in.  My body was automatically pushing with each contraction.  I don't know why I tried to even listen to them.  It was a horrible experience.  Denying that urge getting yelled at! My dr made it. I won't do that again...next time I will push when I need to

topaz7777

I delivered in a hospital, and felt the pressure.  They had me hold off as much as I could until the doctor got there, but otherwise, they were pretty good about letting me push when I felt it.  They more coached me through it and I didn't feel rushed.  I was on a monitor and they did note that sometimes during pushing the baby would decelerate and they would encourage me to push a bit more or faster. 

niknak1208

I never experienced that with either of my kids so far. I'm not sure if that's because I had an epidural or not. I remember when I was in labor with my son (6 years ago), there were two physicians in the room with me and they kept saying.. tell us when you feel like you need to push.  I said well considering I can't feel anything .. you may need to tell me.  I literally could not feel the 'urge'.  I could feel pressure sort of but nothing that made me feel like I needed to push.  So they timed it and told me when I needed to and guided me through it.  

I was induced with pitocin with my daughter and I don't remember having the 'urge' then either. 

Sharon&Paul

I delivered at a hospital and could push whenever I felt the need. I had an epidural with all three, but could still feel the contractions enough to know when to push. They did have me hold off pushing with my second, because I was strep B positive and they were trying to get 4 hours of antibiotics in first. We were so close, so they ask me to hold off a bit. Since I had the epidural I did not mind.

mattandlora

I had an epidural but could still feel a little. I had coached pushing. Mostly they want to make sure you don't wear yourself out pushing before it is really time. They can also see the contraction start on the monitor a little bit before you feel it (or at least for me, with the epidural). Sometimes that extra time is what you need to get one extra push in with each set of contractions.

However, DS would not duck his chin, and his head got stuck on my pelvis. I pushed for 3+ hours. The OB was about to get out the vacuum. He's been stubborn ever since.