Spontaneous vs Coached Pushing

beapea · January 2015

Hi! I've been lurking about a few discussions on Natural Birth & you guys are really knowledge about alternative birth choices. I'm a FTM due March 2015 & am putting together my birth plan. While there is lots of advice on the net etc from different medical experts I'm most interested in real mom's experiences since you guys actually know what it feels like to go through labour!

I was wondering what your experiences of spontaneous versus coached pushing were?

sschwege · January 2015

Basically I was just told to give it three good pushes and then to rest even if the contraction was not over. With my first I pushed for an hour and DH would just tell me after 3 pushes, "Rest baby!". There was encouragement from the nurse and MW and DH, "You're doing great! A little bit more!, etc." But no counting, nobody told me when to push or to push harder. I think spontaneous pushing is particularly easy when you are not being consistently monitored because they have no machines to watch your contraction pattern, so you let them know when you want to push, not the other way around. Plus without an epi you probably won't need much coaching.

mandi195 · January 2015

I did a mix of both. As I grew tired my nurse would say "ok, get ready to push" and also there were two times my OB told me not to push (so he could get the cord off my son's neck and also to turn him).

KateLouise · January 2015

I just pushed as and when I felt the need.

At one point my mw told me I was wasting energy making noise (I was kind of growling in my throat, I had a crazy sore throat the next day) and when I concentrated on just pushing I made more progress.

MW and OB would both say encouraging things like, "keep going, keep going" but they didn't tell me when to push.

Also towards the very end just after my waters broke, my mw told me to put my chin on my chest and really push. I've often wondered in hindsight if perhaps there was meconium in the water, but I never thought to ask at the time.

With DD2 she was birthed at home with just me and DH, so I just did what I did.

MitoRachel · January 2015

I had coached pushing with my first. Of course I was so focused that I had zero clue what they were actually saying! With my second the nurse told me to stop pushing once the contraction stopped. I needed that reminder, but everything else my body was going to do whether I was told to or not.

britneyfaye · January 2015

I announced when I felt it was time to push and my doula coached me through pushing. Once my OB arrived, he just cheered me on. I was squatting, so he stood at the foot of the bed and just told me I was doing great. Once I turned to my back (natural instinct for me), he coached me and my doula spoke words of affirmation. I did a mix of both, but I mainly wanted to be coached.

stephl3055 · January 2015

A bit of both I guess? I pushed when I felt a contraction starting (and announced it to the nurses so they would know). They had me push for 10 seconds (they counted) and then let me rest until the next contraction started. I never felt the urge to push. The nurses and doula would give me tips and cheer me on.

JCWhitey · January 2015

My doctor just told me to push with the contractions. If you try to push at other times you won't accomplish much other than exhausting yourself. So I for one am a fan of spontaneous pushing. My body REALLY wanted to push and it felt great to do so! People did try counting during my first push but I yelled at everyone to STFU when I was done and the next person to shout a number into my ear had to leave the room. The nurse told me that pushes are most effective if you push for at least 10 seconds, which I kept in mind, but I didn't stress it if I had a short contraction and would keep pushing if I had a longer one. I only pushed for 45 minutes and didn't tear so I'm guessing what I did was effective. *shrug*

jinnymb · January 2015

Yeah I told them when I was pushing. I start to feel the urge at like 9cm. I try not to push until the doctor gives me the okay and then it's really just me pushing and everyone cheering me on. For me it felt like throwing up, I couldn't help it and it felt good. They do try to get me to slow down not to tear, but that has not worked so far.

+lisamarie+ · January 2015

Well I had coached pushing with my first and had several third degree tears. My second I let my body do most of the work (your body will automatically start pushing when it's time!) without any tearing with a baby that was the same size. My third was a whole pound bigger than my last two and I pushed when I wanted to and again had no tearing. Your body knows what it's doing and will push when ready, just go with it!!

malisaann · February 2015

Once I hit 10 cm, my midwife said I could start pushing whenever I wanted to, when I felt the contractions. Nobody counted or told me when to push, which was nice. I didn't really feel like I had a good rhythm, though. I didn't get a strong urge to push with the contraction, so it felt a bit awkward to me, but I pushed my baby out in about 30 minutes so it all worked out!

Rgriffin91 · February 2015

I did a bit of both. I rested in between my contractions (literally fell asleep between them) so my OB would tell me to prepare to push. But, he didn't limit me to 3 pushes per contraction. I just told him I still felt the contraction and I wanted to push. He really let me take charge of the birth.

gingerlime44 · February 2015

With my first I had been in labor for a really long time and I think when I started to feel "pushy" i thought it meant i had to start pushing. I wound up pushing forever and I felt like I never really got the hang of it. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had "rushed it" and it had backfired. I vaguely recall my doctor not thinking i was really ready so i don't know if that influenced it? She (and others) did offer a lot of coaching.

The second time, my goal was to try and stay as relaxed as possible and wait for my body to start pushing on it's own. I focused only on staying limp and relaxed and it totally worked! It was crazy, pushing was nothing like i had thought it was and my body totally showed it to me. Once the bed was broken down and the baby was almost out, the nurse gave us some tips for how to be more efficient in my pushing (how my husband should hold my legs, etc) but it wasn't really coaching. Baby was out in minutes. Totally different experience.

You can read my whole birth story here:

https://www.pickinglimes.com/birth-story-2013

JessieJa · February 2015

Spontaneous pushing was on my birth preference list. But I ended up with coached pushing, because my contractions were so slow and hardly distinguishable and they lasted for more than 2 hours. I was so exhausted that I didn't mind coached pushing.

WDDCH · March 2015

With my first two births I had epidurals. I had to be told when to push because I couldn't feel anything. I didn't like it. I actually burst out laughing at the nurse who was screaming as she counted to 10. Just struck me as funny.

With my third I didn't have an epidural or CFM. No one had to tell me when to push and there were no contractions on a monitor. I kept dozing between contractions and had a really long break right before this amazingly powerful urge to bear down took over. My midwife heard me bear down and immediately reacted by getting her clothes covered and grabbing what she needed (bulb syringe, towel, whatever else). There was no need to count to ten or tell me what to do. My body just did what it needed. No one told me to stop and wait for them but even if they had I honestly don't think I could have stopped.

Fourth and fifth birth were very similar to my third. I definitely prefer to push on my own and without meds. I don't need to be told how to push when I can feel it all because my body just knows what to do.

TrendyTina · March 2015

With my first I had coached pushing once I reached 10cm (epidural and hospital birth). I pushed for an hour because they started me too early.

With my second, I pushed once (unmedicated water birth) and pushed the whole baby out. No one knew I was about to push (including me!) and BAM she was out! It was a very primal experience.

kyleholykat · April 2015

With my daughter, I was told to push when I felt the need to. I would announce that I was going to push and would push. There were a few times my OB told me not to push, but for the most part, I was in control of it.

gigglesgufaw · April 2015

When I was ready to push, it was VERY obvious. My body told me emphatically it was time. Think of a time when you urgently needed to eliminate #2 waste and it was somewhat similar.

The MW checked and she told me that it was safe to start and with every contraction, I beared down and kept doing that until my daughter's head appeared and then the room was flooded with medical personnel ready to "catch" her.

There wasn't a need to coach, my body took control and I rolled with it.

jenjenbrassard · May 2015

I had my baby boy without drugs and I was encouraged to push whenever I felt the urge. And I actually felt my body automatically pushing for me most of the time! I'm pretty sure that was why I delivered without tearing because I just let my body do what it needed to do. I would definitely want to do it that way again!

Spontaneous vs Coached Pushing

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Proud mom of two boys - July 2010 and November 2013
Hypnosis made my births painless and drug-free! Check out my website to learn more: www.pickinglimes.com

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Spontaneous vs Coached Pushing

Re: Spontaneous vs Coached Pushing

Proud mom of two boys - July 2010 and November 2013Hypnosis made my births painless and drug-free! Check out my website to learn more: www.pickinglimes.com

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Proud mom of two boys - July 2010 and November 2013
Hypnosis made my births painless and drug-free! Check out my website to learn more: www.pickinglimes.com