Efficient Pushing (STMS)

cco42 · August 2012

I've delivered two babies naturally and both times (different hospitals) the L&D nurses who were assisting me told me that when I push, I should "bear down like your having a big bowel movement." Granted, I've never taken a birthing class and I've never read a birthing book, so maybe they tell you something else, but I found that I was using TOTALLY different muscles than when I have a BM! Both of my babies were out in 3-4 pushes (less than 3 minutes) but they were only 7 lb babies. So I'm just curious- how many moms out there were a) told to push like they were having a BM and b) found it was much more efficient to use different muscles. I know this may seem like a silly question but I'm really curious!

AmyRI · August 2012

I was told to push like I was having a BM.

I didn't believe them at first, and my first few attempts at pushing did almost nothing because of it. When I finally gave up the fear of having a BM by accident and pushed with the muscles they were telling me to use, I immediately felt him moving down. Had him out minutes later.

sschwege · August 2012

They didn't tell me to push that way, but I found that it was exactly the same as when I am pushing out a BM.

aylafsu88 · August 2012

AmyRI:
I was told to push like I was having a BM.

I didn't believe them at first, and my first few attempts at pushing did almost nothing because of it. When I finally gave up the fear of having a BM by accident and pushed with the muscles they were telling me to use, I immediately felt him moving down. Had him out minutes later.

The bold part. In our Bradley class we were told to push like we were having a bowel movement and I must say it felt like I was when I was pushing!

oliversmommy32912 · August 2012

I used the same muscles I use while making a BM. It felt exactly the same to me. I even kept telling my husband "I'm going to poop! It feels just like I'm going to poop! Am I pooping?" (Ahhh, the crazy things people say when they're having a baby. We laugh so hard about it now) I pushed him out in 15 minutes. First baby.

I've heard a lot of moms describe it differently. It must just be one of those things that is different for some people.

mick64 · August 2012

We learned in our Bradley class about curling your body around the baby and chin down and pushing like having a BM. That's what I did, although I couldn't say specifically if I was using the same muscles, it did feel somewhat like having a BM. I pushed for only about 30 minutes before he was out.

moshuya · August 2012

It didn't feel like a BM for me either, although I was told it would. I have no idea what muscles I did actually use, but my body pretty much figured it out on its own. I was getting the "urge" to push (read: involuntarily pushing) from about 9 cms on...Baby was out in less than a half hour.

Maybe it depends on your position? I ended up birthing on my hands & knees.

LollyBug18 · August 2012

I was told to push that way but I don't really remember if that's what I was doing or not. I'm sort of inclined to say it's not. But, last time I had an epi. DD was out after only a handful of pushes in less than 15 minutes though so whatever I was doing must have been pretty efficient!

RockyMtnMama · August 2012

I was told the same thing about a BM, but I also thought it was different. I don't really have to push my poop out...it just comes when I relax (TMI, I know!). I think that might be why it felt so different?! My pushes were more from the front than backish.

oliversmommy32912 · August 2012

moshuya:
It didn't feel like a BM for me either, although I was told it would. I have no idea what muscles I did actually use, but my body pretty much figured it out on its own. I was getting the "urge" to push (read: involuntarily pushing) from about 9 cms on...Baby was out in less than a half hour.

Maybe it depends on your position? I ended up birthing on my hands & knees.

That's a really good point. I was pushing on my back. I wonder if it would have felt different on hands and knees or squatting.

AshasaurusRex · August 2012

It took me a while to push out DS (1 hour 15 minutes) and I think one of the reasons was because I was afraid to poop. When I started pushing with DD I told myself, to suck it up and to (basically) push like I was trying to poop on the floor LOL, she was out in about 3 or 4 pushes.

perplexed59 · August 2012

I did my best pushing while sitting on the toilet. I think that it was easier not care if I pooped and that it was just a natural place to push that way. I pushed for 30 mins with no real progress, got on the toilet for a couple min and they made me rush back to the bed so I wouldn't deliver in the toilet.

pixieprincss · August 2012

W/ DS2 what my body did naturally felt exactly like a BM. What I contributed wasn't exactly the same, but I can't describe how it was different. I only pushed for 30 min, so I'd say that was efficient. I do think the natural breath-holding+bearing down that one does w/ a tough BM is a great way to explain how to breathe/hold/push (without purple-pushing) through it.

missmuffin87 · August 2012

I was told to BM push as well. But after I already had my DD I read something about how it's actually more like using the muscles that you use when doing crunches, so you should be pushing like your doing a hard core crunch. I'm going to try that next time.

cco42 · August 2012

rachelrm87:
I was told to BM push as well. But after I already had my DD I read something about how it's actually more like using the muscles that you use when doing crunches, so you should be pushing like your doing a hard core crunch. I'm going to try that next time.

Yes! I think that's exactly how I would describe what I'm trying to get at! It's more like doing crunches- like using your abs times a million but the effort put forth is a lot like having a BM. I don't know if that makes sense.... it's interesting how different everyone's responses and experiences have been.

Celyn · August 2012

I didn't use BM muscles much. Some people do.

They reason they tell you this is because most people they're coaching have an epidural. When you can't feel anything, they can at least get you to recall the muscle memory of pushing a BM to help get you focused on the right area. Most women with a epidural who can't feel anything only use that muscle group, since they can't feel to coordinate the others -- and thus it makes for a much more difficult and often physically damaging pushing experience, especially in regard to hemorrhoids.

lindsay.lou · August 2012

My OB massaged me perenium (sp?) and said "push right here" as he was massaging. I found that tremendously helpful because it gave me a focus point for my pushing. I found it to be very similar to bowel movement pushes, but not quite the same.

annabelle.27 · August 2012

I recall using different muscles as well. I always thought it was funny that they tell you "how" to push at all. In my experience, without an epidural, instinct takes over and there is no conscious decision on "how" to push. I remember with my first son (c-section after three hours of pushing) I heard them commenting while they were deciding to recommend csection that I was pushing properly and I remember thinking, of course I am, how many ways are there to do this? I think it is entirely unhelpful to direct you how to push. No one tells you "how" to vomit and in my experience it is the same type of uncontrollable urge.