"Wouldn't let me push"

AndromedaEclipse · June 2012

I see a lot of birth stories where they say that the nurses wouldn't let the woman push for up to an hour or more. DH and I have talked about this and can't imagine trying to not push. If I feel the need, I'm going to push. Is anyone else going to deliver the baby, doctor or not?

snicksnack · June 2012

I am not really sure why they would tell you not to. When I had DD once I was ready they told me too I did not feel the need to before. I guess if you had a really fast labor, or cord was wrapped and you were needing a c you may be told not too but other than that can?t think of any reason. Worse case you have the on-call doc if your doc is not at the hospital in time.

cchill01 · June 2012

Yeah, sometimes they want you to "labor down." I guess it's usually that the baby is not fully descended. I think they're trying to prevent you from tearing or having the baby in a bad position or pushing for no reason.

With DD, I probably started pushing too soon. I had the urge, but it wasn't overwhelming. This time, I'm going to wait until I urgently need to push.

AndromedaEclipse · June 2012

cchill01:
Yeah, sometimes they want you to "labor down." I guess it's usually that the baby is not fully descended. I think they're trying to prevent you from tearing or having the baby in a bad position or pushing for no reason.

With DD, I probably started pushing too soon. I had the urge, but it wasn't overwhelming. This time, I'm going to wait until I urgently need to push.

That's the one that I mean. I've read a number of them where they said they were almost crying they wanted to push so bad. I understand the cord around the neck issue. I understand saying "wait 5 minutes, he's washing his hands". But it's not fair to leave a woman at that point for SO long.

mylittlesunshine · June 2012

cchill01:

Yeah, sometimes they want you to "labor down." I guess it's usually that the baby is not fully descended. I think they're trying to prevent you from tearing or having the baby in a bad position or pushing for no reason.

This.

I "labored down" with DD1. It sucked not being able to push, but I think it saved me pushing time as I only pushed for maybe 30 minutes and she was out. Even though I had an epi, I used the breathing techniques they taught us in our child birth class and they helped a little through the urge to push.

SummerMama12 · June 2012

It's ridiculously hard NOT to push when it's time. With DS, I had to wait 25 minutes to push because DH had gone home to feed our cats (we thought we had WAYYYY more time as he left when I was 2cm and I shot to 10 in 30 minutes), and the whole time I waited for him to get back, my body shook trying to hold back the pushing.

gatsbygirl · June 2012

It is possible to feel the urge to push even when your body isn't quite ready. With DD, I felt an uncontrollable need to push and begged the midwives to let me. They checked me, but I was only at 7cm.

They explained to me that pushing too early can lead your cervix to swell and actually cause your dialation to regress. I had to pant and try to hold off pushing for over an hour. It was horrible and I was shaking from trying not to push.

They finally let me give it a try when I was at 9cm, but I think it was still too early. I pushed for over an hour but DD never completely crowned. In the end, I had to have forceps plus an episotomy before she finally came out.

LoveBug0516 · June 2012

I was told to slow down the pushing or "just give a little push" while the juries tried to figure out why the OB was not there yet. It was incredibly frustrating since I experienced awful back labor and needed to push to feel relief. MH and I could see the concerned looks on the nurses faces and it freaked us out. I told the lead nurse she would have to deliver the baby for me!

kincaid44 · June 2012

A friend of mine said that her OB told her not to push yet, and she did anyway, which resulted in her having 3rd degree tears. She said that she regrets not listening to him. But I don't know what I will do in that situation...I guess we will find out soon!

Gismo123 · June 2012

AndromedaEclipse:
cchill01:
Yeah, sometimes they want you to "labor down." I guess it's usually that the baby is not fully descended. I think they're trying to prevent you from tearing or having the baby in a bad position or pushing for no reason.

With DD, I probably started pushing too soon. I had the urge, but it wasn't overwhelming. This time, I'm going to wait until I urgently need to push.
That's the one that I mean. I've read a number of them where they said they were almost crying they wanted to push so bad. I understand the cord around the neck issue. I understand saying "wait 5 minutes, he's washing his hands". But it's not fair to leave a woman at that point for SO long.

I was never told not to push. The nurses did say I didn't "have" to push for a couple contractions since I was so exhausted after being in labor for 18 1/2 hours and pushing for 2, but they never told me I couldn't push.

CaitlinJ22 · June 2012

I never got the urge to push with DS, but with DD I did. They told me to try to push and I did twice..they told me to stop. I had to wait for the doc to come in, it was maybe 3 mins of waiting and was SO hard not to. I have a picture of my face when I was trying to hold back and it is comical.

I can say I had 2 hours of pushing with DS and I wish they had let me labor down and not just go by the fact that I was 10 cm...I had no urge to push and I had a horrible experience, 2 hrs of pushing, vacuum, I was cut and DS had jaundice from the vacuum bruise on his head.

DD it was 5 pushes...I felt the urge.

AndromedaEclipse · June 2012

Like I said, I'm not saying I wouldn't resist pushing if the doctor was warning me about tearing. It's when the doctor is busy with someone else for an hour or so that bothers me.

ToastieSimons · June 2012

If you have an epidural, you may not feel the need to push. I never did. And sometimes they wont' let you push because you have a lip of cervix left and they want you labor down so the baby finishes dilating you. Or they may be waiting on the doctor.

kdjudd · June 2012

My doctor told me that I was complete, but made me wait an hour to push. It was very hard and extremely frustrating. They said the reason they do that is because it usually takes FTMs awhile to push and so they want to give the baby as much opportunity as possible to move down the birth canal. I don't know if that was just an excuse or what, but I was not in a good mood about it.

AliciaS1411 · June 2012

Sometimes they tell you not to push because you're at risk for a severe tear and they want a little time to put some gel on you and support your perineum as LO comes out.

charlie6112 · June 2012

Strange, there must have been a reason to not push (safety of the baby I'm sure). My OB told me to let the nurse know when I felt "rectal pressure"; I had an epidural so I'm not sure what the "urge to push" normally feels like. So when I had a contraction and I felt like I really "had to go" I ended up being 10cm at that point. When it came to actual pushing I pushed every other contraction to let me and the baby have a rest. They didn't want to put too much stress on the baby.

laoch101 · June 2012

I was told when you feel the urge to push, have them check you. If your not full or have a lip left hold your head back and breath deep. If you have to push, don't push with all you might. Slightly push and it can help the baby move down.

I plan on doing this. If my baby is crowned then I'm pushing. The big thing is if you push use self guiding techniques. Don't let them do the count for you. You will know when you need to push. Plus remember you WILL need to take a break and breath. This is so you don't have a massive tear.

But yeah all the nurses on the floor should know how to deliver a baby.

EMurphree · June 2012

Hi I'm lurking ( from the April board) but I was complete at 10cm and couldn't push for an hour because the doctor was performing a Csection and didn't want me to deliver without him there. It was the LONGEST hour of my life. I had an epidural but it had completely worn off and I had a humongous urge to push and to be honest I was kind of pushing in the bed, I mean you CANNOT help but do it. I was crying and telling the nurse I was about to have the baby with or without the dang doctor. There is a backup doctor apparently who can deliver babies in instances like this and my nurse almost called him but my doctor showed up just before she was about to. The only good thing was that I pushed for 15 minutes and my baby was here.

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