Maybe silly question for 17 weeks but my SIL just gave birth and I keep reading birth stories on other boards bc #babyfever but are you REALLY supposed to wait til you are exactly 10cm to push? Both times I got the urge right after they checked me and said I was 7/8 ish and they let me start...maybe I just bridged the gap and fully dialated super quick and they just didn't tell me but I was wondering what everyone else did, lol. I did push for quite awhile both times.
@smashjam I got to 10 cm and was like okay finally lets get this thing outta me. And then the doctor came in and was like baby is still high, I want you to sit up and wait for baby to drop. I was sooo mad lol. They made me wait around an hour or more once I was 10 to get him to drop, and I was miserable and pissed at the time but now I'm really glad they did that. I only ended up pushing for about an hour, and it prob would have been a couple hours of pushing if I hadn't waited.
@SmashJam I know they wanted me to do practice pushes with ds1, could that have been it and then you ended up dialating fast? My knowledge was baby cant come out if there’s even a lip left of your cervix.
@SmashJam I was a full 10 when I pushed with both. I pushed for like 30 min with DS and only 1.5 pushes with DD. I also had an epidural though so I was comfortable enough to wait that long.
I also waited until I was fully dilated to push, and I had an epidural for #2 that helped me stay comfortable enough to wait for DS to drop down more between pushing sessions. He came out quickly after that waiting period. My OB barely arrived in time actually, but I didn't care---i figured there were enough nurses around to catch baby lol
Oh man, I don't think I would even want to think about pushing before a 10. My baby's head was big! I ended up pushing about an hour, which my doc said was normal for a FTM. She's expecting it to be much shorter this time, as well as my labor in general. Good thing we only live 8 minutes from the hospital now instead of 30!
I didn’t push until 10cm although I felt like I should as early as 6cm. The midwife said it is because the sac was bulging and I could feel that pressure. She didn’t break my water right away and even gave the option not to at all because she said it helps things along and widens the birth canal ahead of baby.
editing to say I pushed for three LONG hours with my first. Third time moms (or more) did you find that the second birth was faster?
wow thanks for the feedback guys! I wonder if it was my water bulging the second time-it never broke baby girl was born in the unbroken sack. Crazy! My push time was probably half as long with the second, but still over an hour. I did tear both times but not super bad. Literally no one ever told me not to push! I must have gotten closer to the 10 or they just figured pushing would help the babies down?
@kissableviv that is what my midwife said! I told her not to break the water because my contractions were already so shitty and close together and she was like, if I break it you might speed up! No thanks, lol.
Oh man, I'm pretty sure at a 6-7 I was still having the urge to poop, not push. And I didn't get an epi until I was 8-9 so it wasn't because of that! Hahahaha.
@MichelleAG05 You brought up my worst fear with pushing...pooping...I know this is a common thing to happen in labor. However, I do not want to accidentally poop while giving birth. Just...no.
I wasn’t going to bring up poop but since someone else did... My midwife said to do an enema during labor to make sure I didn’t poop,especially in the birth tub. I started labor by pooping my guts out. The doula said I probably didn’t need one because my body automatically did it. Well at hour 2 of pushing, I pooped on the bed. I have know idea how to get the timing right on that one. Anyone else give themselves and enema? Sorry for tmi...
Maybe I've been watching too much Call the Midwife, however they did an enema on every woman in labor...Don't get me wrong, I LOVE pooping because it's one of the greatest reliefs, however, I don't want to do it in front of others.
I both pooped and puked my guts out before I got to the hospital.. I don’t think there was anything left in me, but I still remember one of the first questions I asked the doctors was if I pooped.
My body rejected all food once I started early labor (hours before actual pushing time). The advice to eat small snacks while in labor does NOT work for me, haha. My body is like, we are trying to get things out not put them in! In the couple of days before both labors I would have lots of loose stool. In the end, my husband swears that I did NOT poop during either pushing stage, even my 3.5hr first time for DD. I hope it's the same again this time! Oh yeah, I did end up with a catheter both times tho (epidural) and definitely needed it!
@SmashJam that is amazing that you delivered her in the sac! Hrmm...third time delivery goals? I got an infection in the fluid after they broke my sac last time so I could use that as an excuse.
I feel like pooping during labor is a worry of like 90% of women! I supposedly didn't, but like I said - I definitely emptied before we were pushing. I feel like if I had gotten an epi earlier that I wouldn't' have been able to and it would have come then.
@SmashJam I had the urge to push at like 7-8, but then I went to 10 within a matter of minutes both times. Also, both deliveries I pushed 2x in less than 5 minutes and it was a done deal.
Also, I really couldn't have cared less if there was any poop lol. Is it really that worse than ALLLLLLL the blood? The healthcare professionals really don't care and my husband wasn't looking south of the border. I asked my husband if he thought I pooped and he said no, but I think it's because there was literally nothing left to come out after laboring. Is that the same for everyone in labor.... plenty of toilet time? Or just me?
@js8812 PLENTY of pooping time before pushing time. Early labor can take hours (or more) and the latter half of active labor usually happens at the hospital before pushing. I got sent home for each baby because I was still in early labor, labored for SEVERAL more hours at home and then went back and still labored for a few more hours at the hospital before pushing. I think that's the case for more people than not.
My husband also watched DD come out and said it was horrifying haha. He just said..."there were so many colors!"
@flockofmoosen3 me too! I puked more in labour than I did the whole rest of my pregnancy. My nurse kept encouraging me to eat and drink small amounts since they were trying to stop my labour so I nibblebd on a plain bagel and black tea but I couldn't keep anything down. I gave up lol.
Re pooping while pushing...I completely could not have cared less, I know I did it, and I am pretty sure the vast majority of women do. It means you're doing it right! I have a theory that most doctors or husbands who tell women they didn't, are lying (or husbands just didn't notice).
That's interesting though about not wanting to poop during a water delivery, I hadn't even thought of that. I am trying for a water birth or at least laboring in the tub this time, I'll have to remember to ask the midwife about that. @chaser61
DH somehow got my c section on video (nurses fault) and got a slight peek of my guts as he went to cut the cord on the other side of room. Almost two years later and i still haven’t gotten the guts to watch it.
@zande2016 The reason the midwife brought up the enema is because they want to avoid poop in the birth tub. I can’t quite remember but I think she said they will have you get out of the tub because they don’t want you laboring in poop if it happens. I labored in the tub for 1.5 hours and gave up on it because I wanted the midwife to confirm I was making progress pushing as I was so tired at the end. I pooped after I got out of the tub.
And no, at the time I didn’t care at all that I pooped in front of people. I think it is afterwards that it bothers you! I knew exactly when it happened and the midwife just quietly cleaned it up.
I couldn't even watch when my baby was crowning. My doctor told me to peek and I looked for a split second and that was enough for me! I couldn't imagine seeing my own guts, @wildtot
I pooped in the tub @zande2016 my hospital didn't do deliveries in the tub but would do labor and pushing (weird) so maybe that's why no one cared. They did fish it out with one of those nets they use to catch fish at pet stores it was pretty funny watching them try to catch it ( I mean, it would have been funny if I wasn't in so much pain).
@SmashJam LOL nurses fishing out poop with a goldfish net. What an image
I didn’t (and I don’t think DH) expected to be literally holding my leg back during pushing. He always says there’s things he can’t unsee lol. I didn’t get to look (not that I would want to). But they made me feel his head coming out- so weird!
Thank you ladies for all the colorful commentary about poop and war zones, etc. Its a rough day and I can't help but laugh at some of this because its something that normally people wouldn't talk about.
DH already said he'd rather stay north of the border, and I told him that was just fine. It's just funny because in all the years he dealt with blood and guts and injuries on the fire line, he didn't care, but somehow witnessing a person coming out of his wife makes him all sorts of squeamish.
I bought a Doppler from someone off Facebook recently...it didn't come with any gel though. HAs anyone ever used lotion with one and still been able to hear the heartbeat?
Re: Questions week of 2/12
editing to say I pushed for three LONG hours with my first. Third time moms (or more) did you find that the second birth was faster?
of pushing, I pooped on the bed. I have know idea how to get the timing right on that one. Anyone else give themselves and enema? Sorry for tmi...
@SmashJam You made me lol! Thank you!
In the couple of days before both labors I would have lots of loose stool. In the end, my husband swears that I did NOT poop during either pushing stage, even my 3.5hr first time for DD. I hope it's the same again this time!
Oh yeah, I did end up with a catheter both times tho (epidural) and definitely needed it!
@SmashJam that is amazing that you delivered her in the sac! Hrmm...third time delivery goals? I got an infection in the fluid after they broke my sac last time so I could use that as an excuse.
Also, I really couldn't have cared less if there was any poop lol. Is it really that worse than ALLLLLLL the blood? The healthcare professionals really don't care and my husband wasn't looking south of the border. I asked my husband if he thought I pooped and he said no, but I think it's because there was literally nothing left to come out after laboring. Is that the same for everyone in labor.... plenty of toilet time? Or just me?
My husband also watched DD come out and said it was horrifying haha. He just said..."there were so many colors!"
That's interesting though about not wanting to poop during a water delivery, I hadn't even thought of that. I am trying for a water birth or at least laboring in the tub this time, I'll have to remember to ask the midwife about that. @chaser61
And no, at the time I didn’t care at all that I pooped in front of people. I think it is afterwards that it bothers you! I knew exactly when it happened and the midwife just quietly cleaned it up.
@flockofmoosen3 Lol-ing at the "so many colors" comment.
I couldn't even watch when my baby was crowning. My doctor told me to peek and I looked for a split second and that was enough for me! I couldn't imagine seeing my own guts, @wildtot
@SmashJam LOL nurses fishing out poop with a goldfish net. What an image
I didn’t (and I don’t think DH) expected to be literally holding my leg back during pushing. He always says there’s things he can’t unsee lol.
I didn’t get to look (not that I would want to). But they made me feel his head coming out- so weird!
DH already said he'd rather stay north of the border, and I told him that was just fine. It's just funny because in all the years he dealt with blood and guts and injuries on the fire line, he didn't care, but somehow witnessing a person coming out of his wife makes him all sorts of squeamish.