No urge to push?

When I had both my daughters I had very straight forward pregnancy and labor however I never felt the urge to push. I just remember the mw telling me I was fully dialated and it was time to push so I did. I also felt no contractions whilst in the 2nd stage. The mw would say with the next contraction push... but i felt nothing and just pushed. Am I weird or is this quite common? I was expecting this overwelming need to push but it never happened? I only had gas and air with both so no epidural before anyone asks that!

Can I ask what position you delivered them in. I imagine you were in a semi-recumbant position on the bed.
KS x

__________________
Kentish Spitfire
Moderator, Student Services
------------------------------------------------
"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

I was. I was 18 at the time of the first one and to be honest the only experience I had had of labor was tv programmes. And back then (10yrs ago) most of the programmes showed women delivering on their back. I was never advised to move into a different position.

Aha! That explains that! We are encouraged to try ambulation, positioning, water, pretty much anything to get you going before the synto comes out....! Shame that that wasnt common practice 10 years ago.....

__________________
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
(George Eliot, 1860)

Hmmm they also ruptured my membranes on both occasions roughly at about 6 cm dialated? Is that common practice now? Also gave me the 3rd stage injection without even explaining what it was for. Do you think that I was treated this way because of my age? My mw was senior to say the least!

I am only in my first year and only seen a few births but there has to be a strong rationale behind a ROM (your Waters being broken) normally if your not progressing and your dilatation is not corresponding well with hours etc(see on a partogram). It was common practice to intervene in this way15+ years however now we are going back to the traditional approach and natural way. Syntometrine is the drug used in the 3rd stage, I have only seen it given when a mother requests it because of prev history of problems or just a fear of leaving a placenta in for too long after baby is born.

I doubt you would have been treated with his because of your age, midwifery was much more clinical and almost a autopilot then where as now the mother opinion is so highly listened too. Homebirths were very low then as childbirth lost its natural appeal and was a medical thing rather than a natural one. I am not sure if that answers much of your question.

__________________

Hi, I didn't have an urge to push on my second birth. It was only two years ago and it was all natural, but not only did I not feel the urge to push but I felt really strongly felt like I should just keep breathing through contractons and let the baby come out naturally. The midwife was having none of this though and kept shouting at me to push so I obliged.

However, since having read Marie Mongon's Hypnobirthing method I wish I'd stuck to my guns and not pushed. She claims that pushing is not natural and we are conditioned into having the urge to push, she says forced pushing is counterproductive as it only tenses the muscles of the birth path (that's what she calls it) ahead of the baby and hypnobirthing advocates breathing the baby out.

I'd be really interested in what you student midwives and RMs thought about this theory.

__________________
Throughout the ages, the rainbow has been the symbol of hope, a promise of better things to come. The ancients greeks personified the rainbow as the goddess Iris.
Student Midwife!!
Moderator
SMNet University Student Representative


Do you want to write for the newsletter?? PM me, Karrierbag or Butterfly, opportunity is knocking.........

Wow thats really interesting Rachael! I may have to find that book and read it!

Thanks Sarah for your reply. I wasn't sure if it was an age thing or because midwifery has changed so much even in only 10yrs

well there was all brand new policys in 2003 and 2007.
I had a lady in the pool this week and the midwife was encouraging her to start pushing even tho she didnt have the urge. I asked her when we left the room why, why cant we leave her to do it naturally. She said because we are a birthing centre she was approaching her cut off point(7hours) to "go up the road". (the main hospital) This would also mean no water birth and one to one with your midw. We have boundries all over the place...

__________________

That is sad, everything seems to revlolve around the clock. Why would she have had to go 'up the road' if everything was progressing normally? I can understand it if there were problems, but not if both mum & baby are fine.

Did she deliver in the birth centre in the end?

__________________
Midwifemissy x

Student Midwife 2007
Student uni rep
Educational Resources Manager

PAB Support Worker