Labor and pushing (the vaginal kind)

[ohiowan]

Did you do coached pushing or spontaneous pushing? Either way, did you tear? Would you do it differently? 

[mrsjuleshs]

No coach, I just went with it. Thankfully it was really quick and I didn't have any tearing.

[Brie]

Both. In the beginning it was coached because I had an epi. Once that wore off I pushed whenever I felt the urge.

I pushed for 3.5 hours total though. He didn't drop at all until I did really.

ETA: I tore pretty badly AND had an episiotomy. His head was off the charts huge though.

[Jalapeñomel]

I just pushed. It happened quickly. No tearing.

[Deleted]

First time: coached. I didn't have any urge to push but my midwife wanted me to start. I pushed for 2 hours.

Second: spontaneous. I was in the tub and I suddenly felt like I had to push NOW. Then I just pushed every time I felt the urge and he was out in like 3 pushes.

[speckledfrog]

I did coached for the first (couldn't feel my contractions due to the epi) and spontaneous with my second (super short labor, no time for epi, pushed to combat the feeling of my ass exploding) and I had a 2nd degree tear both times.

My med free birth experience made it very clear that your body will absolutely tell you what to do.

[rex]

spontaneous i guess. i told them when i needed to, and then just...did it. the only part that was coached was when i had to stop mid-push so they could get the cord unwrapped from L's neck.

i only pushed 4 times though, with one minor tear. L contracted down a lot.

[mudslide]

I did both. They counted for me but I had the urge to push. I pushed between contractions because I felt like I could. They didn't tell me to do that. I did tear. Nothing bad. I plan to do the same thing again next time.

[balletofangels]

I had an epi so the nurse helped coach. I tore badly but my kid was kind of large.

[VeryViolet]

At first the nurse told me when to push then I could feel it and she would count for me. So I guess coached. I pushed for about an hour and tore some. I ended up with two stitches and the only bothersome part was some itching as the stitches healed.

[angelstar975]

I was coached. I had an epidural and had absolutely no idea when it was time to push, so I really didn't have a choice. I had a partial third degree tear. I still wouldn't change anything though. My epidural kept me comfortable through 11 hours of labor, and I only pushed for 20 minutes. I was pretty miserable after the epidural wore off, and I was really sore for a week after, but I'm 8 days postpartum now, and though I still have a lot of healing to do, I feel much better!

[kristie]

I couldn't feel anything my first time and I pushed for a million years, and tore horribly (babies shoulders got stuck)

I had them shut the epi off this time and refused to push until I actually could tell when I needed to. So then they did the counting thing, but I knew when I was having a contraction, felt some pressure, etc. I do think it is good to know when you need to push. Others might disagree

[circa1978]

Spontaneous. I couldn't stop my body from pushing. It was like throwing up. He was born super quickly - just a few real pushes. They kept saying to stop so I wouldn't tear and I was like "Tell me how!" I had a med-free birth. Not sure if that makes a difference.

[cookies]

I can't remember - I feel like they were telling me when to push because I was too freaked out to do it on my own. I was scared of all the pressure. I pushed for about an hour and didn't tear.

[motzie]

I had an epi but they couldn't tell me when to push, they just waited til I was ready and we tried again. I only had to push for 30 minutes or so. I had some slight tearing that required stitches on one side.

[rupertpenny]

Both I think? I was mostly directing, but the nurse was giving suggestions and counting for me.

I had a long induction with a lot of Cervadil so I never felt very definite contractions, my whole body from knees to armpits basically felt like it was on fire continuously.

[Deleted]

I don't even know what "coached" and "spontaneous" are.

I'm imagining a coxswain shouting at you to push instead of row? LOL.

[ohiowan]

I did medfree with o and needed to push, but was told not to because we were waiting for the doc. Once he got there, he told me how hard to push in percentages--push 25%, push 50%, okay, a little more, a little less, that sort of thing.

I don't know if that's the norm, or if I can request my ob do that. Should I ask what she usually does?

[papie]

Spontaneous I guess? Well with the first I had an epi so they had to coach me. With the other two I pushed because my vagina was exploding.

[Stingyshark]

I had an epi, I couldn't feel contractions but I could feel everything else. Shit was bad.

The nurse was telling me when to push and for how long.

I pushed for 2.5hrs. At about hour 2 they finally saw her head, or something, and said "oh, that's why she's not coming down, she's sunny side up"

Fuckme. I had some internal tearing. .... I would do a lot of things differently.

[ohiowan]

Aug 19, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I don't even know what "coached" and "spontaneous" are.

I'm imagining a coxswain shouting at you to push instead of row? LOL.

"coached or directed pushing, in which you're directed to begin pushing as soon as you're fully dilated, whether or not you feel an urge to bear down. You're also given instructions for how to push.

The alternative approach, often favored by midwives, is known as spontaneous pushing. This method calls for you to follow your body's natural urges, pushing when and if you feel ready, and in whatever way feels right to you."

from babycenter

I thought all pushing was kind of a mix between the two until today. 

[HiC]

I couldn't feel a thing, so the doctor told me when to push. It was Heaven. I didn't tear.

[eb777888]

I took the (very generic) L&D class and I didn't really feel that it helped. I just went for it. And yes, I had a bad tear, 3rd degree. I did end up delivering vaginally, which was what I really wanted at the time.

[ohiowan]

Aug 19, 2014 19:33:49 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

I took the (very generic) L&D class and I didn't really feel that it helped. I just went for it. And yes, I had a bad tear, 3rd degree. I did end up delivering vaginally, which was what I really wanted at the time.

In hindsight, do you wish you would have done it differently? 

[BaliHai]

Started out coached and ended up spontaneous. My contractions were right on top of each other, pretty much, and the doctor almost didn't make it in time. She basically sat down and L was out in three more pushes. I had a second degree tear, but I didn't think it was that bad.

Eta- I had an epidural, but I felt a lot anyway. The pressure was so intense I thought I was going to have the hemorrhoid of my life. I also felt "the ring of fire" when she came out, so I'm pretty sure the epidural was wearing off by then.

[fezzik]

I went med-free and pushed spontaneously since I felt like my body knew exactly when to push. I pushed for 3 hours (L was OP) and I surprisingly didn't tear.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2014 19:34:59 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Mother-led? Lol, why does everything related to babies have to have a touchy-feely name these days.

Fathers are called motherfuckers.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2014 19:32:30 GMT -5 ohiowan said:

Aug 19, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I don't even know what "coached" and "spontaneous" are.

I'm imagining a coxswain shouting at you to push instead of row? LOL.

"coached or directed pushing, in which you're directed to begin pushing as soon as you're fully dilated, whether or not you feel an urge to bear down. You're also given instructions for how to push.

The alternative approach, often favored by midwives, is known as spontaneous pushing. This method calls for you to follow your body's natural urges, pushing when and if you feel ready, and in whatever way feels right to you."

from babycenter

I thought all pushing was kind of a mix between the two until today. 

I pushed when I was told to. I guess I was coached.

I thought that was great. Fuck if I had any idea what I was doing.

[lolo]

I pushed for about three hours. It was so hard. Until the very end, I just spontaneously pushed. Toward the end when the ring of fire was getting to me, my doula very gently told me that the baby was pushing, and would I push with it?

I had a second degree tear and countless stitches. She was a bigger baby.

[eb777888]

Aug 19, 2014 19:35:25 GMT -5 ohiowan said:

Aug 19, 2014 19:33:49 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

I took the (very generic) L&D class and I didn't really feel that it helped. I just went for it. And yes, I had a bad tear, 3rd degree. I did end up delivering vaginally, which was what I really wanted at the time.

In hindsight, do you wish you would have done it differently? 

Not really, it worked out well for me. The tear was really bad but healed fast and I felt I had a really good birth experience. I do think next time I'll be way more laid back about a c-section. I read so many articles and was somehow terrified my milk wouldn't come in fast enough if I didn't deliver vaginally (I have no idea if this is true but I was a very anxious pregnant person and read this one time and it really stuck with me because I wanted to breastfeed so badly), which was why I was so worried I'd end up with a c-section.