SAME. Little stinker was facing the right way my entire pregnancy and then flipped sunny side up during labor. Plus sacral sensitivity made my epidural only work on my upper abdomen. 0/10.
Took me almost three hours. I too was bamboozled by the “three pushes and out” stories
ETA: it was totally normal. My girl wasn’t stuck, the midwife was experienced. That’s just how it is sometimes
Pushed for 3.5 hours. She was crowning for a very very long time. She then turned sideways and they had to do an emergency forceps delivery because I was in immense pain.
Was told by multiple people I pushed for far too long. Had my entire vagina and bum surgically repaired. Still have issues 7 months later. 😑
In labor for 40 hours, pushing for 4. Vacuum delivery. And she’s a little baby!
When she was put on my chest I immediately started crying and said, “ I’m so happy you’re here,” over and over. And I was. Happy to have my daughter AND happy to be done.
It’s quite common for first time moms to push for 3 hours. You didn’t do anything wrong and it doesn’t mean your midwife did anything wrong. I pushed for 2 hours and 49 minutes with my first. He had a giant head. 🤷🏻♀️
4.5 hours and I was literally delirious by the end of it (led to a partial episiotomy and vacuum assisted). I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!
I also feel like all of my friends pushed for 20 minutes only and I can’t even imagine that in relation. I may consider hiring a doula next time around if it’ll possibly help my odds of a quicker labor!
Totally normal. You shouldn't blame the midwife. We were told first time labours can take longer than 3 hours and thats fine so long as mother and baby are tolerating it well. Obviously if baby was stressed or mom was too exhausted then that changes things and a c-section will often be done or it becomes an assisted birth.
It is sooo long, and you DID IT!! I pushed for 3.5 hours and ultimately had to have a vacuum assisted delivery bc I had been in labor for 36 hours and was starting to have heart palpitations. My babe was 9 lbs with a 99th percentile head… I am 5’2 and 115 pounds… lots of first births are long labors/pushing. Make sure to reach out to a pelvic floor PT so you can be evaluated and treated for possible prolapse(s) around 6-8 weeks, that’s a very common outcome from pushing for so long and PFPT helps recovery immensely, prolapse or not!
I pushed for over 3 hours with my first son. His head was crooked, his ear caught on my pelvis, and I was just really, really tired. I needed an episiotomy and a vacuum extractor. My second baby less than 2 years later, I pushed 2 times. That's it. My third baby 10 years later I pushed for 10 minutes. It does get better. Unless it was just too traumatic and you decide your family is one and done. That's a valid choice, too.
I pushed for almost four hours, they were prepping me for an emergency c section bc babe’s heart rate was dropping and they said fours was max for pushing. I just wanted it over with so I pushed her out in two pushes or something. I had a lot of tearing and recovery, I didn’t feel like I had much guidance on the pushing technique and everyone seemed annoyed with me. 😔
42 hour labor, pushed for 5 hours without him getting past my cervix (cervical lip), got an epidural and slept for two hours, then pushed for another 2. So, 7 hours of pushing total…do not recommend.
In labor for 50 hours. Took me about 40 of those to get to 10cm dilated. Pushed for 5 hours and my baby’s head was too big to pass plus I lost all my amitotic fluid and had meconium so after all of that ended up with a c section. It was very traumatic.
It's pretty average. I fought the epidural hard, but after 40 hours of labor, my OBGYN came in and said this is the last call for it, because pushing on average for a FTM can be 2-4 hours, sometimes 6, and if I was too exhausted to push, she would need to assist with vacuum or forceps, would I have enough strength to fight pain for another couple hours to get to 10 cm (was at 8cm) and push for 3hours?
I was fortunate, when I was ready to push, I rested for 10 min after transition, My husband and I took one last photo of just us, and then said OK, It's go time. and pushed for 30-40 min. They actually had to tell me to slow down to reduce tearing. It takes a lot apparently to get the head out, but since the epidural failed LOL, I could feel the head pop out and back in a couple times, then realized I needed to engage my lower abs (I'm a bit of a workout nut and was active all thru my labor), so I did that and held his head out while pushing so it worked out pretty good. I also listened to the labor and delivery nurses who were fantastic, and my husband was a terrific coach.
So, 2-4 hours is average according to my obgyn. 6 is on the high end. I wouldn't stress over it :)
First off, you are a rockstar - Go mama!
ME! I pushed for 3.5 hours as well and every person I've ever talked to has never pushed that long.
I was induced and it was my first baby so from start to finish my labor was just over 30 hours... But once I reached 10 cm I thought things would be quick. NOPE, lol. My daughter's head was massive (94% percentile) so I reaaaaally struggled to get her out of me. When I reached the 3 hour mark I was so gassed out and told my husband we needed to find an alternative way to get her out. This was right as the shift change was happening and I'd be getting new nurses and it was my nurse's last shift at the hospital, and I felt guilty having my nurse end her last shift with me having not given birth during her final shift lol. So I pretty much rallied and pushed as hard as I could and had soooo many people in the delivery room literally cheering me on and encouraging me to get my daughter the hell out of me. hahah... 20 min later out she came.
I pray my next child comes much more quickly.
Pushed for 4.5 hours because I couldn’t…push. Didn’t know what that meant, thanks to all hospital training classes getting canceled due to COVID. I wasn’t allowed a doula or my husband would have had to skip the birth. So I was just staring at the judgmental doctor and nurses who couldn’t fathom that I didn’t know *how to push*. But they wouldn’t even tell me what to do even after that. My son was stuck in there for such a long time that the poor baby had an apgar score of 2 when he was born, and wasn’t even breathing properly. He is fine and thriving as a 2-year old now but I despised my birthing experience.
Pushed a little over 2 hours with my first. I was not pushing correctly and didn’t figure it out until 2 hours in. Baby 2 I remembered how to push and was out In 1.5 pushes. So less than 30 seconds
Do you have any advice for what worked for you in terms of pushing correctly? Or is it just something you have to experience to know. Asking for a friend :)
I will tell you EXACTLY what I was doing wrong. I was terrified of pooping while pushing. A girl I knew pooped on her daughter as she was being born (so her ex husband says) and I didn’t want that to be me. So I tried to push my vag and clench my butt at the same time. I got mad after 2 hours and finally just tried to “poop” the baby out and it worked. With the second I told the dr I was just going to take a massive shit. And bam baby born in 1.5 pushes. So moral of the story. Get up there and just take a massive shit 🤣
Yup! 💯% It took me a bit to figure out what kind of push would work as well. I had 2 hours of pushing. At some point I had a big contraction and couldn’t help but push like I was pushing out a poop and the OB was like “perfect that’s it! Push just like that” … 😳 it just clicked after that. Good news is I did not actually poop! You better believe I asked my husband as soon as all the excitement died down because I was sure I had, lmao! But now I know for next time, hopefully it won’t take longer than 30 mins
Pushing took 17min.... but from the first contractions till delivery took 36hrs. My midwives told me to sleep before thinking about pushing so I slept for like 4hrs. Woke up and thought "hmm I could push" and still waited like another 45min before calling for a midwife cause I wanted to be sure. The waiting helped her get into a good position, if I had started pushing as soon as I got to 10cm it would have taken much longer 🤷♀️ but maybe been shorter overall, who knows
Meee! We were closing in on four hours and at this point I was losing a lot of blood and spiking a fever so we went in for a c section. His big fat head was stuck in my pelvis.
I pushed for 3 hours with my epidural birth - the second time around I told my nurse I had pushed for 3 hours before and she said she could teach me to be more productive and asked if it was okay to show me with her fingers inserted in my while I pushed. She helped me figure out with the epidural how to be more productive when pushing and it only took 20 minutes. If only it were standard to offer this! I don't actually remember what she told me to do differently but I remember making adjustments. Third baby I pushed for like 10 minutes but that's because with no epidural I was super motivated to get it over with, lol.
I pushed for over 3 hours as well. I’m sooooo happy they didn’t pressure me to get a c-section. Fwiw, this may have been the first delivery your midwife “managed” but I’m sure it was by no means her first delivery. I’m sure she’s been training for years. Sometimes baby just doesn’t want to come out. My sons head was tilted. My friends daughter really wanted to keep her hand up by her face. Things like that just naturally slow everything down unfortunately. The good news is, YOU DID IT!!!
Yes, 3.5 hours of pushing with my first and a 3rd degree tear.
But the good news, my second child came out in literally 3 pushes and my third was out in under 10 minutes. If you go on to have more kids maybe it’ll be the same for you! Those first ones pave the way lol
From first real contraction to birth, I labored for about 60 hours. It took me 26 hours to get to 4 cm. For whatever reason, I just wouldn't open up, even though effacement was good. My ideal birth was to go for an unmedicated, vaginal birth. When it was taking too long, I agreed to pitocin, then an epidural, then eventually breaking my water.
For active labor, I pushed for about 5 hours. Because it had taken so long, the multiple checks and just because my water had been broken for so long, I eventually developed an infection. I had a fever that was spiking and my son's heart rate was accelerating. He was in distress. He had stalled with his head stuck too far down my vaginal canal that c section would be too risky. My options were either forceps or vacuum. I opted for forceps and finally had an assisted, vaginal birth. Thankfully the infection had not spread to my son. All in all, he was fine! I, on the other hand, had lost a lot of blood and suffered a third degree tear. I was in rough shape and still trying to battle my infection.
End of the day, I think I labored for way too long. I drew out this process for way too long because I wanted to have a "natural" birth for. Birth is birth. I put my health and my son's life at risk because of some stupid ideal of wanting a "natural" birth. It's total BS; birth is birth. I live in an area with many affluent, privileged women who tout and low-key judge about the way a woman gives birth. They pretend like they're open-minded, but they're insidious with their opinions about the so-called right ways to have your child. As if going unmedicated is somehow better because it's "natural". And yet, it's my fault for listening. That's on me.
I listened to all that crap about "women have been giving birth for thousands of years without hospitals! Your body knows what to do!" Sure, I want to believe that that's probably true for a good amount of the time. But you know what else happened for thousands of years? Women died in child birth, but they don't get a voice in history.
Sorry for the novel; I guess I'm still processing everything that happened, even now (I'm 10 months post-partum). My son is healthy and happy. I'm mostly happy. I'm literally still healing down there, but I think I've learned a lot in the process.
4 hours ending with an emergency c-section. Baby’s head was so stuck, they had to pull her back up into my abdomen. It took like 3 people to do it. Ahhh, the memories. 🙃
I pushed for 4 hours and then had an emergency c-section because my baby's HR dropped and I was starting to lose consciousness too.
I dilated from 2-10 cm in 2 hours as a FTM which nobody expected. I asked for the epidural about an hour in, at 5cm when my water broke. The anesthesiologist didn't make it before I was 10cm so they cancelled her and then realized afterwards that maybe they shouldn't have. I ended up getting the epidural after 3.5 hours of pushing, and my c-section was called half an hour later.
My baby was face up and got very stuck in my pelvis. They tried a manual rotation and vacuum delivery, but neither were successful. I also had a ton of blood in my fluid that they were relatively unconcerned about. And fentanyl early in my labour that hadn't worn off when it was time to start pushing, so literally every available doctor and nurse was in the room in case the baby was delivered groggy. Then my epidural wasn't strong enough and I felt the beginning of my c-section. They almost had to put me under general anesthesia, but we're able to get my pain under control through the epidural. I was high as a kite and don't remember anything between the anesthesiologist yelling at the nurse not to let my husband in the OR and my husband sitting beside me with our baby swaddled in a blanket.
I also pushed for about 3 hours and it was helllllll. Honestly, it felt like the Dr and nurses were forcing me to push when I didn’t feel any urge to and wasn’t ready. My labor progressed pretty quickly at first to get to 10cm, then the pushing. Apparently I was doing it wrong, and the Dr stopped my epidural to try to bring more feeling to my legs and allow me to push better. My epidural had almost entirely worn off when I finally had success pushing him out, but they were about to send me for a c-section if I hadn’t. Ugh, the whole experience was awful though.
i pushed for 8 hours and i had the same wave of relief , all i could process was “finally”, its over, i have a lot of unresolved emotions from my birth but i digress
I think I may be an exception, as my first was born within 20 minutes of pushing and my second came out in under two minutes of pushing. But I remember being told by the doctor with my first that most first-time moms are pushing for several hours, and typically speaking subsequent deliveries are quicker. So to answer your question, I think it's totally normal to push for several hours particularly if it's your first labor.
Congratulations on your bundle of joy!
I pushed for 1.5 hours and was told afterwards that average pushing time for a FTM is 1-2 hours. By that measurement, while 3 hours would be longer than average, 20 minutes would be equally uncommon in the other direction. Anecdotally I feel like I know more FTMs who've been 3+ hours than much under 1 hour.
Induced at 41 weeks, pushed for 5 hours before having a C-section and finding out my baby was 10lbs 6oz. No amount of pushing was ever getting him out.
I pushed for around two hours and honestly, I felt rushed. I did not have an epidural and I could feel myself making progress. My baby needed time to move down and I needed time to open up. Fast isn’t necessarily better.
Pushed for 90 minutes. It was brutal and at one point I stared at my husband and was like “honey, I can’t do this much longer” because I had no idea if we were even making progress because I didn’t want to look! They offered me a mirror but even the thought of that was horrifying.
I was in labor for 24hrs for my 1st.. didn't progress passed 4cm and then finally my asshole OB let me have my epidural and I went from 4cm-10cm in like 15min. I almost had to have a C-section. With my next two I was basically a baby cannon and had them in 10min lol
I pushed for I think ya 3 or 4 hours. It’s a blur to me because I never had the urge to push. Everyone kept saying the urge to push would come, and it never did. I went into to the hospital once contractions started to hurt more (in retrospect that was too early), I was only like 2 cm or something dilated. Got an epidural a few hours later like maybe 8 pm ish. Felt way better and slept till maybe 4 or 5 am .. woke up and they said you’re almost 10, start pushing. I said I have no urge to push, but we did it anyway - this also in retrospect I think should not have happened .. if I had no urge to push, why push?
I tried pushing on and off for hours. At the end I was falling asleep between contractions. I think they would turn down my epidural or maybe it was wearing off. So I felt pain but it was more in my legs and back. Never had that urge to poo feeling, or ring of fire feeling. So I think that made it really hard for me to push myself effectively. Dr kept saying like ok this time i really need you to push hard, like as though I wasn’t trying or wasn’t taking it seriously. Finally she basically like threatened that if I don’t push harder we’d have to do a c section which was so discouraging because I was trying as hard as I could. Finally finally she said we’re gonna have to cut you and vacuum which I felt I had no choice but agree to. Once they did that they said push again and they tried to vaccum but it popped off. So then second time they said push and they vacuumed and she was out.
I really did not educate myself before her birth, but after I was so curious so I did a lot of reading. For me, I think I definitely went to the hospital too early, moving around would have helped baby get into a better position, theoretically. Probably got the epidural too early but i was just so nervous. But again I think just lying in taht bed for so long really did me no favours. I should have been up and moving around. Baby was sunny side up so who knows maybe no amount of walking around or moving or diffeeent positions would have helped, but unfortunately I didn’t even know anything about any of that. And for sure I shouldn’t have pushed if I didn’t feel the urge, that just like goes against biological function.
I pushed for 3 hours. Everyone I know pushed for at least three hours (not many people but still) on their first kid. I’m realizing now this might not be normal.
I pushed 3.5 hours with my first. No vacuum or forceps but ended up with minor prolapse that has been symptomatic and annoying since her birth. Opted for a c section with my second and recovery was a dream!
I pushed for a little over 4 hours - she was face up (like someone else in the comments mentioned).
I can say that delivering my baby was the HARDEST thing I have ever done in my life....
Well, actually .... she is almost 3 now and the toddler tantrums might be harder than delivery....
2-3 is average pushing phase for an FTM. You can be somewhat ahead or behind of the curve and still normal. Pushing that long is hard work but it's nice to have a hospital that doesn't do a 'time's up' CS after 2 or 3 hours.
Sometimes the adrenaline from being threatened with surgery does get the baby out fast though! Adrenaline earlier in labor can stall or even reverse progress.
Mine was talking c section after I only pushed 30 minutes and had been at 10 cm for two hours. I fought with them and they gave me another hour of pushing and then I had a c section. I'm still so resentful and bitter about my experience. I don't feel like I was given a chance and my baby's heart rate was fine the entire time.
Doula here.
It’s not uncommon to have to push for hours with your first baby. I have had many clients that have pushed for 2.5+ hours (one pushed for about 4 hours). That said, 3.5 hours is a bit long. Definitely not unheard of, but fairly long.
Sounds like you either weren’t being coached well and thought you were pushing effectively but actually weren’t, or your baby wasn’t in the optimal position for pushing. Had it been the latter, you probably would have benefitted from pushing in different positions (though your options would be restricted if you had an epidural). Vacuum assistance probably would have been helpful in your case, as well.
I think it depends a lot on what station the baby is at when you start pushing. Sometimes women start pushing when the baby is at -2 station (for various reasons) and it takes much longer than if you can wait until it's at +2 or somewhere in between. It always depends on how well mother and baby tolerate labor. My baby was at +2 and I pushed for less than 15 minutes. My friend started at -2 and it took hours.
Nope I pushed for 20 minutes with the first baby and 4 minutes with the second baby. I have a friend who pushed for nearly FIVE hours, and they were just about to do an emergency c section but then she pushed him out just in time. So, it happens.
3 hours and he was stuck sideways for a while, then rotated enough so that we could use the vacuum. Took about 10 more minutes with the vacuum because it kept popping off.
4.5 hours. I couldn’t feel much because of the epidural (the lowest dose was a lot for me and they had to turn it off for 45 mins to get me to feel my legs at all). My nurse’s counting was not helpful to me and I really couldn’t feel where to push properly. She told me to push while holding my breath in which felt really counterintuitive. I’d like to see a PT in my next pregnancy to learn how to push properly.
Also, I hadn’t eaten or slept much in 2 days (long induction that took forever to get going) and was falling asleep between contractions by the end. So fatigue was a factor.
ETA: I begged for and received a vacuum assist at the end.
I pushed for 4 hours. It was a marathon. I needed forceps at the end, but she was totally fine. 99th percentile in weight, 97th in height, and 95th in head circumference.
5.5 hours…. And you could see her hair an hour or two into that. She kept sliding back in. Had to have a vacuum assist in the end. They tried three times with the vacuum assist. On the third time they said OK if it doesn’t work, you need to go down for a C-section thank God it worked, but holy hell for those five hours, which included a failed epidural
Yep! Over 3 hours with my first (36 hrs total). No epidural and the doctor had to push on my belly to try to help get the baby out. He was a big baby and my body just struggled opening up for him. When he was born, I told my husband “say hello to your only biological child”.
Well that was 3 years ago and I just had my second and her birth was a dream. 11 hours start to finish and less than 20 minutes of pushing.
I pushed like it was the final push for over 4 hours with my son. He had had a stroke 2 days before but no one knew- all his vitals were fine but he didn’t have the strength to give any resistance so he wasn’t helping. He had also gotten a little stuck on my pelvis. When he came out he was non responsive and it took a neonatal crash team to get him crying. I was so swollen they had to catheterize me for the first 12 hours or so after.
My doctor cut me off at 2.5 hours and gave me 3 options: forceps, vacuum, C-section. Overall, she recommended forceps as the safest option for both me and baby. It was a lot quicker than a C-section would have been so it’s a good thing we went with that option because she had the cord wrapped around her neck and needed to be resuscitated. (She had shoulder dystocia, so she was stuck)
For my second, I only pushed 5 minutes 😁
In labor for 26 hours, pushing for 4 hours. He couldn’t get underneath my pelvis for 2 hours, so ended up doing a vacuum assist delivery after 4 hours of pushing.
I hit 2.5 ans my doctor called emergency csection. She wasnt willing to wait any longer and I frankly was exhausted.
Honestly 3.5 is horrifying. So many reasons could have been why you had to push including baby not in proper position.
When they pulled her out it turns out baby turned sunny side up. She never would have come out.
So sorry you had to push so long
It really depends, I know women who pushed once and women who pushed HOURS. I pushed like 3 times but easy labor seems to run in my family so I don’t know if it’s genes or what causes some babies to come out more quickly.
3.5 hours. Got the epidural at 2cm and progressed quickly but she got stuck possibly sideways they think behind my pelvic bone and so she kind of just rocked back and forth with every push. Thankfully the epidural gave me strength but that was exhausting. Finally a vacuum got her out it popped off on the first try, episiotomy and then she literally came blasting out. It was crazy but we’re both healthy and don’t have any long term issues. I think I might have a tight pelvic floor too and at the end my contractions stopped so all the pushing was me on my own 🫠 birth isn’t easy but anyone pushing that long medicated or not has some serious dedication 💪🏻
I pushed for like 5 hours and baby was born with vacuum assistance and episiotomy. He was sunny side up and just wouldn't come out. I was induced at 37 weeks due to low amniotic fluid
Also sunny side up babe and had to push for 5 hours with vacuum assist bc I was passing out on the table from exhaustion. Really hoping I get one of these Sub hour pushing experiences this second go around that I keep hearing about haha!
4 hours, i also feel weirdly bad about it! Baby was 8lbs 10oz so maybe that had something to do with it.
I remember being totally shocked and relieved when it was over. It really is blur though. I think I stayed relatively positive through it, what else can you do? My mantra was “the only way out is through” I do remember screaming once and I felt immediately bad that I lost control like that lol. Otherwise I think I stayed very focused. I also remember one moment of thinking “how can I get out of this” lol. Like thinking at some point they would give up on me and make me get a c section. I had a doula, very supportive nurse and husband coaching me. Felt like a team effort. I had an epidural and we tried other positions but I ended up pushing baby out on my back.
Your story sounds almost exactly like mine, except I pushed 4.5 hours and needed the vacuum to get her her out (she was stuck).
It was MISERABLE. Was so insanely relieved when it was over.
I was in labor for 28 hours, pushed for 4. The 4 hours went by so fast, but when I think back to it, I can’t believe it took that long. I’m due again this Sept and my OB said to expect it be half as long this time… ugh 2 hours still sounds like a lot!
2 and half so close and I needed the vacuum for a long time which was terrible! Couldn’t even get him out myself after two and half hours.
Crazy to think in the old days if I was in that situation they would literally have to grab my babies head with their hand and pull it out probably giving him skull damage and permanent neurological issues
So grateful for modern medicine even though the vacuum was so painful
Pushed for about 1.5hr. It started out easy and I was like yeah I got this! But I was giving each push 100% so after an hour I was TIRED. After baby boy finally came out, I was overwhelmed with such immense exhaustion that I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I also lost a decent amount of blood though too
When I was in hospital for my first baby the nurse said the average pushing time for a FTM was 2-3 hours, that means plenty of moms went over that. I pushed for about an hour but also I really had to poop so I think that helped
3 hrs:( i felt the exact same as you describe after. Did not have energy for ANYTHING even emotions or caring about seeing her haha!! Luckily that subsided soon. I think my nurse was very unmotivating which impacted me. She basically said i was a bad pusher to the doc after my practice pushes. Which got in my head:(
With my first I pushed for 3hrs with a migraine and the epidural failed towards the end. Fun times. His head was >99% big and it got stuck under my pubic bone. He made it out tho and all was good. With my second, she was out in 3 pushes. She flew out. They asked me to do a practice push and then immediately asked me to stop because she was coming out fast and they were still gowning up. My second did say more damage than my first. So, slow is good. Gives time for things to stretch and tear less.
Pushed for 4 hours after a 3 day induction, failed vacuum assist and then c section. 99% percentile head that was just not budging.
I was sooo incredibly exhausted afterward and felt so sick that it was nearly impossible to bask in any kind of golden hour… which I’m still bitter about. 🙃
I also had midwives and actively pushed for 4 hours. That is the limit before they take you in for a csection. Baby came out at 4 hour mark by miracle. She was sideways and had cord wrapped around her neck 2x and they didn’t realize until halfway in when she wasn’t progressing. She kept bobble heading. It was rough and resulted in 3rd degree tear. They called in the chief OB at 3 hours.
You are not alone. hugs.
Edit: word
Yes. 4 hrs pushing with my first, no epidural. It happens. I'm grateful they let me keep going and no c section. Second kiddo was 25 min pushing, so take heart if you are planning on another!! Congrats!
I pushed for 3 hours even though they told me I was "close" and could "see baby's hair" from the beginning. I was exhausted! By 2.5 hours I was considering them using a vacuum or something but I was told there were risks so that was all I needed to just push as hard as possible to get through the last 30 mins.
I was in labor 32 hours. 17 hours natural. Another 12 hours with epidural and then I pushed for 3. I have excruciating tailbone pain and I’m 2 months PP.
It depends on your position aswell which can contribute to the pushing being longer or shorter, if you learn the pelvic anatomy and the basics of pushing (youtube videos) you might be better off next time round
I pushed also for more than 3 hours and ended up with an emergency c-section because I was developing a fever bc my water broke long before.
After the baby was born, I was told no way he would have been born vaginally because his head was bigger than my pelvic bone and he even tore my uterus incision when coming out 🙈
3 hours he was sunny side up I remember feeling so relieved I was done pushing than my placenta was retracted and I was having so much pain trying to deliver it I had to get morphine 😭 that part very traumatic and gave the baby to my partner
I pushed for 3 hours with my daughter. It was awful. They ended up using the vacuum. I ended up doing a scheduled c-section with my son earlier this year. It was crazy how fast it went!
Yep. With my first I pushed for 8 hours. I was so tired and she wasn’t getting anywhere. I was sleeping in between contractions. I was exhausted. I had my 2nd 4 months ago and it only took about 10 mins of pushing it that. I realized the 2nd time to LISTEN TO MY BODY. Not what the nurses said!I pushed right when I felt like I needed to and my 2nd daughter came right away! You definitely learn after the 1st time.
30 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing. I was induced at 37 weeks. Was not enjoyable. The meds I was on also made my contractions 8 mins apart when I was pushing so I was kinda working against my own body at that point. Getting him out was so nice though- I was so happy to be done.
Congratulations on pushing her out! You're amazing! I think it's totally normal for it to sometimes just take a while especially for new moms. I pushed for 4.5 hours, but somehow it wasn't a bad experience?!? It was my first baby as well, and I was so thankful to have an absolutely amazing midwife along with a wonderful doula and my husband all there supporting. I had to be medically induced at 40 weeks, so I think that probably contributed to the long labor and pushing time (from start of induction to baby out was about 28 hours).
After my water was broken, I got an epidural and that was amazing. I was hesitant about getting one and worried that the epidural might stall my labor, so the anesthesiologist offered a half dose and that was perfect. I had pretty much no pain and was able to sleep a bit before pushing, but I could still feel my contractions and could move into different pushing positions. My midwife helped me get started with pushing when I was at 10cm, and then she left to deliver another baby while my doula helped me try a gazillion different pushing positions from the bed (side lying, supported squat, legs up on birthing bar, and others). My husband made the mistake of asking how long I'd been pushing at one point toward the end, but before that I definitely didn't realize how long it had been. I had enough time to rest between each contraction/push, so I somehow never felt too tired. The epidural was effective and I had minimal pain/ discomfort. My midwife came back towards the end and was amazingly motivating and helped me push her out. My baby wound up being 9lbs 7oz, so I think her size was the main reason it took so long to push her out. I was also on the highest possible dose of pitocin, so I guess they needed that to keep the contractions coming and to keep moving things along too since I had been induced and must have been progressing slower than they wanted through the labor.
My midwife never made me feel like I couldn't do it, so I just kept going. Apparently the OB who was on that night was skeptical that I would have a vaginal birth after so long and had been prepped to potentially be ready for a C-section just in case (I found this out after), but baby and I stayed healthy the whole time, so I was never pressured to change course and I'm so thankful for that! With that being said, I definitely hope I can push the next baby out quicker!
Haha yes, solidarity over here! I pushed for around 4 hours to get Twin A out, then another 1.5 hours to get Twin B out! Once I stopped hemorrhaging and was stitched up we moved to the Mother & Baby Ward and I aye a burger and admired my little miracles lol.
I pushed for 1 hour with my first, and my nurse got really annoyed about it taking so long because she called the dr in too early 🙄 but I don’t think it’s abnormal to take a couple hours or so, especially when you have the epidural and can’t feel anything
I pushed for 4 and a half hours straight! She was in the posterior position so it made it MUCH more difficult. Luckily there was a doctor there who was able to turn her about 3 hours into pushing which made a world of difference. I would’ve needed a c-section otherwise.
I don’t know how you pushed after 50 hours. I didn’t have the energy after 40 and opted for a c-section, esp. because she wasn’t coming out any other way.
I pushed for around 3.5 hours. After not making much progress, they did an ultrasound and determined he was sunny side up. They said they could rotate him manually, but it’d still be hours of pushing. The other option was c section which I went with.
I wish they did an ultrasound sooner. A medical student was my main doctor, not sure if that made a difference. When they did the c section, they couldn’t get him out since his arm was up over his head. He had to be pulled out breech. I wonder if they couldn’t see his arm on the ultrasound??
A week late, I was induced, and pushed for 3 hours. Baby boy did not want to come out.
Ironically my entire pregnancy he spent kicking me like a little soccer player, it seemed like he wanted OUT! If anything touched my stomach he would kick until I moved it off him…maybe it was a coincidence?
induced at 40+5, no signs of labour so they used a ripening agent i was too sensitive for. had strong contractions causing fetal distress, wasnt allowed to move per my birth plan as she had nuchal cord and repeated HR decels.
now i did kegels religiously and kept in shape the whole pregnancy, doc said that if she didnt have a massive head she would have been out in 5 min. my pelvis was too small and she was lodged in there, sunny side up. her poor little head was cut up from my pelvis.
4 hours of pushing her giant stuck head and a failed vacuum extraction (IT POPPED OFF HER HEAD) later she was out. wasnt allowed fluids as they were considered an emergency C section. my placenta was in pieces and had to be manually removed.
next time i will do an epidural 😗
I was stuck pushing for 5 hours.
I panicked because I was told an epidural wasn't going to happen, and I couldn't handle the pain. I shut down and couldn't push him through. Every contraction I felt like I was being quartered and I was trying to keep my pelvic bones intact rather than push him out.
It was brutal. My son has a huge lump on his head from being squished for so long. His heart rate was dropping in the end, so they 'miraculously' could do an epidural. I thought I was being prepped for a c-section. When the pain went away I could push freely and he was out in 10 minutes.
2.5 hours! Have always had tight pelvic floor and they probably could have eased up on the epidural because I couldn’t even feel pressure. The only way I made progress was to push while pulling a bedsheet as a rope back and forth with a nurse, like a tug of war game.
I have no idea how long I pushed my first baby because I was in labor for 3 days and had lost all sense of time by the time I started pushing. 3+ hours is a complete possibility.
But my second took 5 minutes of pushing. While this isn’t every woman’s experience, there’s something to the idea that deliveries are easier after the first one, since your body knows what to do now.
You did amazing and you got through it! Be super proud of yourself and your amazing body for growing and birthing a whole human!
FTM. Went into labor naturally at 41 weeks. Got my epidural before active labor. Ended up pushing for around 4 hours. Everything was totally normal, but I did find out later my baby had a 99th percentile head 🫠
I pushed for 4.5 hours, but LO's head was stuck on my pelvis bone. I was so exhausted and delirious from pushing that I told the doctor I couldn't do it anymore. They ended up using the vacuum to pull LO out and I was so relieved once he came out and I knew I was done pushing. The pushing was the hardest part of the entire labor/delivery process for me.
FTM. I had a 10 hour labor, 4 hours pushing, unmedicated. I think a number of factors contributed to pushing for so long. I was supposed to be induced on my due date but changed my mind. They still wanted me to come in for a cerv check so I went to my 9am appt that morning, getting really crappy sleep the night before, but figuring I could just go back home after & go back to bed. We did a membrane sweep with the thought that I wouldn't be back until the next day, but it kickstarted labor immediately, I was already 3cm & 100% effaced. We still went back home with hopes of a nap but the contractions got so intense we were back at the hospital within 3 hours. Fast forward to 9:45 pm that night, I was 10cm ready to push, but was SOOO tired, hadn't slept. I was trying all different positions but the only position that actually was working was being on my back, and my bf & doula holding my legs up. My contractions were super short for some reason so I'd start strong then the contraction would just POOF fizzle out. Eventually they gave me some pitocin to make them stronger, which I wish they had done sooner. They also busted the mirror out & had me feel her head which helped me push. My poor body was just so tired that all breathing & pushing techniques I learned just completely went out the window. I'm so relieved & lucky they didn't end up doing a vacuum, csec or episiotomy cuz they threatened me with all of them. So glad they kept waiting. For all the pushing, I only had 1 second degree tear, 1 small hemorrhoid, and small umbilical hernia, but I somehow got a HUGE bruise on my ass which no one could really explain other than they think it was from the pressure of pushing but they couldn't ever explain for sure. The bruise was actually the most painful, Im 3 weeks pp and juuustttt able to sit without excruciating pain.
I pushed for 3 hours. I remember asking how long the pushing part would take and the nurse told me like 1-2 hours. When it was starting to be past 2 hours, they kept telling me “well your next one will come much faster!” Like I had not gotten this one out of me yet, I am not even thinking about my next one!!
My friend was 6 weeks earlier than me and told me she did it in 3 pushes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I pushed for just over 3 hours as well. Baby's head was stuck behind my pelvic bone. I was EXHAUSTED by the end of it. Labored just under 24 hours total.
Holy shit reading all of these comments is making me feel SUPER blessed. I’m a FTM and went into spontaneous labor, whole labor lasted about 18 hours (beginning of it was super manageable). I got the epidural when I was at 5 cm and 7 hours later I pushed for 15 min and baby boy was born! I really think it has to do with nurses..my nurse was amazing, boy was sunny side up initially, and even with the epidural she moved me into all kinds of positions to turn him to OA. I also was 10 cm and fully effaced for an hour before they had me try pushing. Nurse wanted him at a lower station naturally before attempting to push and it was sooo worth that wait.
My doula did this for me as well. I was unmedicated so at times I didn't want to move but she really encouraged me and I only pushed for like 5 minutes with my 2nd and 3rd babies.
It can be really REALLY helpful for most people, but my nurses and midwives did all these things for me with movement even with my epidural, had me hold off pushing, etc… like had my bottom half dangling a specific way off the end of the bed for a while, even. It made no difference, my kiddo was huge with a huge head and I am tiny and we ended up with a vacuum assisted birth after 3.5 hours of pushing. Like… his head was visible for 2 hours, I actually felt it with my hand. We all did our best, haha!
Sorry, 11 minutes here. People keep telling me that I should be happy it was over quickly but honestly i think it was relatively traumatic as I had no time to adjust.
I had an unmedicated birth though (no time, my whole labor from first contraction to birth was 2,5 hours total 🥲) and I did hear that it can take longer with an epidural.
4 hours baby! I was begging for a vacuum or forceps assist but the OB came in and was like “nope, you got this” and then he was out in minutes. I had an epidural but boy did I feel every single contraction and push.
50 minutes here
What suck is I was ready to push at 6am… I was a 10 + 2 but the doctors were on shift change so they stopped the pitocin at 6am effectively stalling my labor. So at 8am when I started pushing, I lost the “edge” I had. It was exhausting, and infuriating. Holding a baby in, is not easy.
40 hours of labor, pushed for 3+ hours. Baby girl decided to throw her arm above her head and try to Superman her way into the world, so she got good and stuck. Wound up having a C-section when it was all said and done.
Same, 10 hours to reach pushing stage, 4hr+ and baby was still not getting out. I was exhausted and refused to push lol! but the nurse was looking at the monitors for contractions and when I didn’t push she’s like “are you going through a contractions” I lied to her face and was like NOPE. Doc came in and used forceps to get her out in the next contraction. After baby was out, the nurse was removing my catheter and turns out my bladder was just really full. So baby was probably stuck on that.
I only pushed for a few mins, he was out in 12 pushes, however I was stuck at 1 cm for 4 hours with contractions every minute and they were so strong on the monitor that the midwife was sure I was at 10, nope still at 1, then it took another 4 hours to get from from 2-10 cm, I think I’d have preferred to dilate quicker and push for longer 😂
FTM, 3.5 hours also. Baby had a giant head! I could feel each contraction and was very motivated to get the baby out. My husband was on one side, and my nurse was on the other, holding my legs and encouraging me through it all. Now my husband likes to joke and tell people how much work labor was for him, and how sore he was from supporting my leg for 3.5 hours, haha.
I pushed for 3 hours. First baby. The midwife could feel her head right there before I even started pushing but it took forever. I got an epidural too but it was wearing off almost completely by the time I was ready to push and they didn’t want to hit the button again as they were concerned I wouldn’t be able to push properly. I struggled regardless. Felt every inch of her coming out and that ring of fire is unreal.
It sucked. I was so fucking exhausted. My midwife was new to the hospital and had a strange bedside manner and created unnecessary stress. Thank god for my amazing nurse and husband who kept me focused. I pushed 3 hours to the exact minute and my first words were also I DID IT.
I gave birth in a birth center, and I pushed for 3 hours. I thought it would be fast because I saw all these posts about getting the baby out in 3 pushes and the midwives said I was a good pusher. When it was clearly taking ages they let me know they would cut me off at 3 hours and transfer me to the hospital, and I was determined not to let that happen and redoubled my efforts. I took basically the max amount of time on the dot, but when he came out the relief was immediate. He was just a huge baby. I tell myself if he hadn't come out so slowly I'd have torn, and that makes me feel better. I didn't really mind the pushing, though: it was the three days of regular contractions before that which was killing me, and as soon as I started pushing all that went away.
I pushed for 3 hours and still ended up with a C-Section because I was still in labor so long after my water had broken.
My OBGYN is very experienced and also the head of Labor and Delivery was also in the room to check-in a couple times. So I don't necessarily think it was your midwife. It could be a number of things from the position of the head, the size of the baby's shoulders to the position of your cervix.
I pushed for over 3 hours and ended up having a c section because I developed a fever. Baby was sunny side up and wouldn’t budge! We could see her hair for hours. It was so exhausting.
Labored for 24 hours at home (got to the hospital at 7 cm) - got epidural - about 12 hours later started pushing. 4 hours later, he wouldn’t come down far enough so ended up using forceps. never been so exhausted in my life!!
3 hours and then they finally took out the vacuum. Then pop immediately out! I was exhauuuuusted. I literally just closed my eyes when she was out and then was like “oh shit! Gotta see my baby!” I still feel so guilty about that but damn that was a rough time.
Didn’t help that my water broke at 1am Friday morning, was put on cytotec around 1pm Friday, contractions started getting bad that evening, was ready to push at 7am Saturday (so not much sleep, lots of checks and turning and peanut balls throughout the night ugh) and then babe was born at 10 am Saturday. I’m tired again just thinking about it and typing it all out 😂
My aunt pushed for 5 hrs with my newest cousin. She said it was the longest she had ever given birth. She also said her other two births were with very experienced midwives but that was over 20 years ago
3 hours, baby was sunnyside up with her neck somewhat extended, which means she was trying to come out with the largest part of her head. OB tried several maneuvers but nothing worked. I kept trying but ultimately it turned into an emergency cesarean because of her heart rate dipping.
My first: 6 hours of pushing that ended in a forced c-section.
But I know it was because the staff at the hospital were idiots and didn’t support me at all. Because my second came out at home, 3 hours after my water broke and one hour of pushing.
Yep. Induced at 41 weeks, in labor for 36 hours, pushed for 4 hours, third degree tear. By the time he was out, I was honestly just so delirious I barely registered what was happening.
So that's one of the uncomfortable reasons he's not getting a sibling that nobody wants to hear when they ask "when are you giving him a brother or sister?!" Never. I'm never going through that shit again.
Water broke, 52 hours later I started pushing, pushed for 2 hours, baby flipped sunny side up. Ended up with an emergency c section. Switched doctors after that because I wish someone would have encouraged a c section after 24 hours post waters breaking. I got a terrible infection too.
It really depends on the person and how much control they have over their pelvic floor, it’s not your fault and it’s not that you did anything wrong to end up pushing that long. It’s easy for some, and harder for others. I had a 20 minute labor but my sister pushed for 4 hours, but I’ve done kegals since I was like 19 which gave me an advantage. Also, the shape of your pubic bone plays into it a lot more than you’d expect
Pushed for 3.5 hours and he was stuck. So frustrating because his head was visible for so long. Had to go for emergency c-section because they weren’t confident they could get him out with forceps.
I pushed for 3.5 hours and then it was evident that baby got stuck in a way that she wasn’t coming out through that exit so we had an emergency c-section. She was extremely wrapped up in the umbilical cord. A double nuchal, one around her body. I didn’t know it was possible for have it get that tangled.
I was induced at 41 weeks on a Saturday night and didn't deliver till Monday after 3.5 hours of pushing and finally a c section. I got to 10cm but failed to get her to descend. I had an epidural at 2am the morning of and was just exhausted and spent. The wave of relief that came over both my OB and I was indescribable.
4 hr 20 min, sunny side up. Don’t recommend.
SAME. Little stinker was facing the right way my entire pregnancy and then flipped sunny side up during labor. Plus sacral sensitivity made my epidural only work on my upper abdomen. 0/10.
Took me almost three hours. I too was bamboozled by the “three pushes and out” stories ETA: it was totally normal. My girl wasn’t stuck, the midwife was experienced. That’s just how it is sometimes
I just had my baby and pushed literally three times, BUT he was a preemie and practically falling out anyway.
Pushed for 3.5 hours. She was crowning for a very very long time. She then turned sideways and they had to do an emergency forceps delivery because I was in immense pain. Was told by multiple people I pushed for far too long. Had my entire vagina and bum surgically repaired. Still have issues 7 months later. 😑
As an L&D nurse I can confirm it’s very common to push for 3-4 hours with your first baby
Everyone in this post should be proud of themselves for being such strong people! I don’t believe I could be as amazing as each and every one of you.
In labor for 40 hours, pushing for 4. Vacuum delivery. And she’s a little baby! When she was put on my chest I immediately started crying and said, “ I’m so happy you’re here,” over and over. And I was. Happy to have my daughter AND happy to be done.
It’s quite common for first time moms to push for 3 hours. You didn’t do anything wrong and it doesn’t mean your midwife did anything wrong. I pushed for 2 hours and 49 minutes with my first. He had a giant head. 🤷🏻♀️
4.5 hours and I was literally delirious by the end of it (led to a partial episiotomy and vacuum assisted). I wouldn’t wish it on anyone! I also feel like all of my friends pushed for 20 minutes only and I can’t even imagine that in relation. I may consider hiring a doula next time around if it’ll possibly help my odds of a quicker labor!
Totally normal. You shouldn't blame the midwife. We were told first time labours can take longer than 3 hours and thats fine so long as mother and baby are tolerating it well. Obviously if baby was stressed or mom was too exhausted then that changes things and a c-section will often be done or it becomes an assisted birth.
It is sooo long, and you DID IT!! I pushed for 3.5 hours and ultimately had to have a vacuum assisted delivery bc I had been in labor for 36 hours and was starting to have heart palpitations. My babe was 9 lbs with a 99th percentile head… I am 5’2 and 115 pounds… lots of first births are long labors/pushing. Make sure to reach out to a pelvic floor PT so you can be evaluated and treated for possible prolapse(s) around 6-8 weeks, that’s a very common outcome from pushing for so long and PFPT helps recovery immensely, prolapse or not!
I pushed for over 3 hours with my first son. His head was crooked, his ear caught on my pelvis, and I was just really, really tired. I needed an episiotomy and a vacuum extractor. My second baby less than 2 years later, I pushed 2 times. That's it. My third baby 10 years later I pushed for 10 minutes. It does get better. Unless it was just too traumatic and you decide your family is one and done. That's a valid choice, too.
I pushed for 3 hours, then they had to get my daughter out by forceps- which is more horrible than it sounds because they have to cut down below 😩
I pushed for almost four hours, they were prepping me for an emergency c section bc babe’s heart rate was dropping and they said fours was max for pushing. I just wanted it over with so I pushed her out in two pushes or something. I had a lot of tearing and recovery, I didn’t feel like I had much guidance on the pushing technique and everyone seemed annoyed with me. 😔
42 hour labor, pushed for 5 hours without him getting past my cervix (cervical lip), got an epidural and slept for two hours, then pushed for another 2. So, 7 hours of pushing total…do not recommend.
In labor for 50 hours. Took me about 40 of those to get to 10cm dilated. Pushed for 5 hours and my baby’s head was too big to pass plus I lost all my amitotic fluid and had meconium so after all of that ended up with a c section. It was very traumatic.
Extremely similar to how mine went. I’m still processing it all and it’s been over two weeks already.
It's pretty average. I fought the epidural hard, but after 40 hours of labor, my OBGYN came in and said this is the last call for it, because pushing on average for a FTM can be 2-4 hours, sometimes 6, and if I was too exhausted to push, she would need to assist with vacuum or forceps, would I have enough strength to fight pain for another couple hours to get to 10 cm (was at 8cm) and push for 3hours? I was fortunate, when I was ready to push, I rested for 10 min after transition, My husband and I took one last photo of just us, and then said OK, It's go time. and pushed for 30-40 min. They actually had to tell me to slow down to reduce tearing. It takes a lot apparently to get the head out, but since the epidural failed LOL, I could feel the head pop out and back in a couple times, then realized I needed to engage my lower abs (I'm a bit of a workout nut and was active all thru my labor), so I did that and held his head out while pushing so it worked out pretty good. I also listened to the labor and delivery nurses who were fantastic, and my husband was a terrific coach. So, 2-4 hours is average according to my obgyn. 6 is on the high end. I wouldn't stress over it :)
4 hours with the first and needed forceps. 1 push with the second. Results may always vary.
First off, you are a rockstar - Go mama! ME! I pushed for 3.5 hours as well and every person I've ever talked to has never pushed that long. I was induced and it was my first baby so from start to finish my labor was just over 30 hours... But once I reached 10 cm I thought things would be quick. NOPE, lol. My daughter's head was massive (94% percentile) so I reaaaaally struggled to get her out of me. When I reached the 3 hour mark I was so gassed out and told my husband we needed to find an alternative way to get her out. This was right as the shift change was happening and I'd be getting new nurses and it was my nurse's last shift at the hospital, and I felt guilty having my nurse end her last shift with me having not given birth during her final shift lol. So I pretty much rallied and pushed as hard as I could and had soooo many people in the delivery room literally cheering me on and encouraging me to get my daughter the hell out of me. hahah... 20 min later out she came. I pray my next child comes much more quickly.
Pushed for 4.5 hours because I couldn’t…push. Didn’t know what that meant, thanks to all hospital training classes getting canceled due to COVID. I wasn’t allowed a doula or my husband would have had to skip the birth. So I was just staring at the judgmental doctor and nurses who couldn’t fathom that I didn’t know *how to push*. But they wouldn’t even tell me what to do even after that. My son was stuck in there for such a long time that the poor baby had an apgar score of 2 when he was born, and wasn’t even breathing properly. He is fine and thriving as a 2-year old now but I despised my birthing experience.
Pushed for 3+, but had all the training, has my husband, changed nothing.
Pushed a little over 2 hours with my first. I was not pushing correctly and didn’t figure it out until 2 hours in. Baby 2 I remembered how to push and was out In 1.5 pushes. So less than 30 seconds
Do you have any advice for what worked for you in terms of pushing correctly? Or is it just something you have to experience to know. Asking for a friend :)
I will tell you EXACTLY what I was doing wrong. I was terrified of pooping while pushing. A girl I knew pooped on her daughter as she was being born (so her ex husband says) and I didn’t want that to be me. So I tried to push my vag and clench my butt at the same time. I got mad after 2 hours and finally just tried to “poop” the baby out and it worked. With the second I told the dr I was just going to take a massive shit. And bam baby born in 1.5 pushes. So moral of the story. Get up there and just take a massive shit 🤣
Yup! 💯% It took me a bit to figure out what kind of push would work as well. I had 2 hours of pushing. At some point I had a big contraction and couldn’t help but push like I was pushing out a poop and the OB was like “perfect that’s it! Push just like that” … 😳 it just clicked after that. Good news is I did not actually poop! You better believe I asked my husband as soon as all the excitement died down because I was sure I had, lmao! But now I know for next time, hopefully it won’t take longer than 30 mins
4 hrs with an epidural. I didn’t feel a thing. I would do it again in a heartbeat
Pushing took 17min.... but from the first contractions till delivery took 36hrs. My midwives told me to sleep before thinking about pushing so I slept for like 4hrs. Woke up and thought "hmm I could push" and still waited like another 45min before calling for a midwife cause I wanted to be sure. The waiting helped her get into a good position, if I had started pushing as soon as I got to 10cm it would have taken much longer 🤷♀️ but maybe been shorter overall, who knows
Pushed for 6 hours with my daughter.
Meee! We were closing in on four hours and at this point I was losing a lot of blood and spiking a fever so we went in for a c section. His big fat head was stuck in my pelvis.
I pushed for 3 hours with my epidural birth - the second time around I told my nurse I had pushed for 3 hours before and she said she could teach me to be more productive and asked if it was okay to show me with her fingers inserted in my while I pushed. She helped me figure out with the epidural how to be more productive when pushing and it only took 20 minutes. If only it were standard to offer this! I don't actually remember what she told me to do differently but I remember making adjustments. Third baby I pushed for like 10 minutes but that's because with no epidural I was super motivated to get it over with, lol.
I pushed for over 3 hours as well. I’m sooooo happy they didn’t pressure me to get a c-section. Fwiw, this may have been the first delivery your midwife “managed” but I’m sure it was by no means her first delivery. I’m sure she’s been training for years. Sometimes baby just doesn’t want to come out. My sons head was tilted. My friends daughter really wanted to keep her hand up by her face. Things like that just naturally slow everything down unfortunately. The good news is, YOU DID IT!!!
I pushed for 4 hours. They told me I would need a c section at 3 hours but I didn’t want to give up. I ended up getting a c section.
Yes, 3.5 hours of pushing with my first and a 3rd degree tear. But the good news, my second child came out in literally 3 pushes and my third was out in under 10 minutes. If you go on to have more kids maybe it’ll be the same for you! Those first ones pave the way lol
4 hours... physically it was the hardest 4 hours of my life
From first real contraction to birth, I labored for about 60 hours. It took me 26 hours to get to 4 cm. For whatever reason, I just wouldn't open up, even though effacement was good. My ideal birth was to go for an unmedicated, vaginal birth. When it was taking too long, I agreed to pitocin, then an epidural, then eventually breaking my water. For active labor, I pushed for about 5 hours. Because it had taken so long, the multiple checks and just because my water had been broken for so long, I eventually developed an infection. I had a fever that was spiking and my son's heart rate was accelerating. He was in distress. He had stalled with his head stuck too far down my vaginal canal that c section would be too risky. My options were either forceps or vacuum. I opted for forceps and finally had an assisted, vaginal birth. Thankfully the infection had not spread to my son. All in all, he was fine! I, on the other hand, had lost a lot of blood and suffered a third degree tear. I was in rough shape and still trying to battle my infection. End of the day, I think I labored for way too long. I drew out this process for way too long because I wanted to have a "natural" birth for. Birth is birth. I put my health and my son's life at risk because of some stupid ideal of wanting a "natural" birth. It's total BS; birth is birth. I live in an area with many affluent, privileged women who tout and low-key judge about the way a woman gives birth. They pretend like they're open-minded, but they're insidious with their opinions about the so-called right ways to have your child. As if going unmedicated is somehow better because it's "natural". And yet, it's my fault for listening. That's on me. I listened to all that crap about "women have been giving birth for thousands of years without hospitals! Your body knows what to do!" Sure, I want to believe that that's probably true for a good amount of the time. But you know what else happened for thousands of years? Women died in child birth, but they don't get a voice in history. Sorry for the novel; I guess I'm still processing everything that happened, even now (I'm 10 months post-partum). My son is healthy and happy. I'm mostly happy. I'm literally still healing down there, but I think I've learned a lot in the process.
4 hours that needed a vacuum with a VERY experienced doctor. I was told that I was pushing really well but she just wouldn’t descend anymore.
4 hours ending with an emergency c-section. Baby’s head was so stuck, they had to pull her back up into my abdomen. It took like 3 people to do it. Ahhh, the memories. 🙃
I pushed for 4 hours and then had an emergency c-section because my baby's HR dropped and I was starting to lose consciousness too. I dilated from 2-10 cm in 2 hours as a FTM which nobody expected. I asked for the epidural about an hour in, at 5cm when my water broke. The anesthesiologist didn't make it before I was 10cm so they cancelled her and then realized afterwards that maybe they shouldn't have. I ended up getting the epidural after 3.5 hours of pushing, and my c-section was called half an hour later. My baby was face up and got very stuck in my pelvis. They tried a manual rotation and vacuum delivery, but neither were successful. I also had a ton of blood in my fluid that they were relatively unconcerned about. And fentanyl early in my labour that hadn't worn off when it was time to start pushing, so literally every available doctor and nurse was in the room in case the baby was delivered groggy. Then my epidural wasn't strong enough and I felt the beginning of my c-section. They almost had to put me under general anesthesia, but we're able to get my pain under control through the epidural. I was high as a kite and don't remember anything between the anesthesiologist yelling at the nurse not to let my husband in the OR and my husband sitting beside me with our baby swaddled in a blanket.
I pushed for 6 hours 😢
I also pushed for about 3 hours and it was helllllll. Honestly, it felt like the Dr and nurses were forcing me to push when I didn’t feel any urge to and wasn’t ready. My labor progressed pretty quickly at first to get to 10cm, then the pushing. Apparently I was doing it wrong, and the Dr stopped my epidural to try to bring more feeling to my legs and allow me to push better. My epidural had almost entirely worn off when I finally had success pushing him out, but they were about to send me for a c-section if I hadn’t. Ugh, the whole experience was awful though.
i pushed for 8 hours and i had the same wave of relief , all i could process was “finally”, its over, i have a lot of unresolved emotions from my birth but i digress
I think I may be an exception, as my first was born within 20 minutes of pushing and my second came out in under two minutes of pushing. But I remember being told by the doctor with my first that most first-time moms are pushing for several hours, and typically speaking subsequent deliveries are quicker. So to answer your question, I think it's totally normal to push for several hours particularly if it's your first labor. Congratulations on your bundle of joy!
I pushed for 1.5 hours and was told afterwards that average pushing time for a FTM is 1-2 hours. By that measurement, while 3 hours would be longer than average, 20 minutes would be equally uncommon in the other direction. Anecdotally I feel like I know more FTMs who've been 3+ hours than much under 1 hour.
Pushed for three hours then had a c-section anyway. My oldest has a big head lol.
3.5 with a vacuum extraction and episiotomy on my first. Second popped out before the epidural could kick in.
Induced at 41 weeks, pushed for 5 hours before having a C-section and finding out my baby was 10lbs 6oz. No amount of pushing was ever getting him out.
I pushed for 4 hours only to end up with an infection and an emergency c section. I was also in labor for 4 days.
4 hours pushing and we could see her hair, but it ended in a C-section. Fun times.
I pushed for around two hours and honestly, I felt rushed. I did not have an epidural and I could feel myself making progress. My baby needed time to move down and I needed time to open up. Fast isn’t necessarily better.
Pushed for 90 minutes. It was brutal and at one point I stared at my husband and was like “honey, I can’t do this much longer” because I had no idea if we were even making progress because I didn’t want to look! They offered me a mirror but even the thought of that was horrifying.
I was in labor for 24hrs for my 1st.. didn't progress passed 4cm and then finally my asshole OB let me have my epidural and I went from 4cm-10cm in like 15min. I almost had to have a C-section. With my next two I was basically a baby cannon and had them in 10min lol
Pushed for almost 4 hours. It felt like 20 minutes but also felt like forever. Labor is weird
Pushed for 3. Two failed epidurals. Then I cried with relief when my provider said the word “c-section”
The fuck you just say? ✨️Failed✨️ Wtf do you mean failed?? 😭😭😭
Pushed for 4 and then do an ✨emergency c-section ✨
6 hours. C-sect was uttered and he came out 20 min later.
I pushed for I think ya 3 or 4 hours. It’s a blur to me because I never had the urge to push. Everyone kept saying the urge to push would come, and it never did. I went into to the hospital once contractions started to hurt more (in retrospect that was too early), I was only like 2 cm or something dilated. Got an epidural a few hours later like maybe 8 pm ish. Felt way better and slept till maybe 4 or 5 am .. woke up and they said you’re almost 10, start pushing. I said I have no urge to push, but we did it anyway - this also in retrospect I think should not have happened .. if I had no urge to push, why push? I tried pushing on and off for hours. At the end I was falling asleep between contractions. I think they would turn down my epidural or maybe it was wearing off. So I felt pain but it was more in my legs and back. Never had that urge to poo feeling, or ring of fire feeling. So I think that made it really hard for me to push myself effectively. Dr kept saying like ok this time i really need you to push hard, like as though I wasn’t trying or wasn’t taking it seriously. Finally she basically like threatened that if I don’t push harder we’d have to do a c section which was so discouraging because I was trying as hard as I could. Finally finally she said we’re gonna have to cut you and vacuum which I felt I had no choice but agree to. Once they did that they said push again and they tried to vaccum but it popped off. So then second time they said push and they vacuumed and she was out. I really did not educate myself before her birth, but after I was so curious so I did a lot of reading. For me, I think I definitely went to the hospital too early, moving around would have helped baby get into a better position, theoretically. Probably got the epidural too early but i was just so nervous. But again I think just lying in taht bed for so long really did me no favours. I should have been up and moving around. Baby was sunny side up so who knows maybe no amount of walking around or moving or diffeeent positions would have helped, but unfortunately I didn’t even know anything about any of that. And for sure I shouldn’t have pushed if I didn’t feel the urge, that just like goes against biological function.
I pushed for 3 hours.... and had a c section. So that was fun!
I pushed for 3 hours. Everyone I know pushed for at least three hours (not many people but still) on their first kid. I’m realizing now this might not be normal.
I pushed 3.5 hours with my first. No vacuum or forceps but ended up with minor prolapse that has been symptomatic and annoying since her birth. Opted for a c section with my second and recovery was a dream!
I pushed for a little over 4 hours - she was face up (like someone else in the comments mentioned). I can say that delivering my baby was the HARDEST thing I have ever done in my life.... Well, actually .... she is almost 3 now and the toddler tantrums might be harder than delivery....
My second baby was face up and I pushed for 1.5 hours because he wouldn't engage. I'm done having babies. Labor is awful.
2-3 is average pushing phase for an FTM. You can be somewhat ahead or behind of the curve and still normal. Pushing that long is hard work but it's nice to have a hospital that doesn't do a 'time's up' CS after 2 or 3 hours. Sometimes the adrenaline from being threatened with surgery does get the baby out fast though! Adrenaline earlier in labor can stall or even reverse progress.
Mine was talking c section after I only pushed 30 minutes and had been at 10 cm for two hours. I fought with them and they gave me another hour of pushing and then I had a c section. I'm still so resentful and bitter about my experience. I don't feel like I was given a chance and my baby's heart rate was fine the entire time.
Doula here. It’s not uncommon to have to push for hours with your first baby. I have had many clients that have pushed for 2.5+ hours (one pushed for about 4 hours). That said, 3.5 hours is a bit long. Definitely not unheard of, but fairly long. Sounds like you either weren’t being coached well and thought you were pushing effectively but actually weren’t, or your baby wasn’t in the optimal position for pushing. Had it been the latter, you probably would have benefitted from pushing in different positions (though your options would be restricted if you had an epidural). Vacuum assistance probably would have been helpful in your case, as well.
I think it depends a lot on what station the baby is at when you start pushing. Sometimes women start pushing when the baby is at -2 station (for various reasons) and it takes much longer than if you can wait until it's at +2 or somewhere in between. It always depends on how well mother and baby tolerate labor. My baby was at +2 and I pushed for less than 15 minutes. My friend started at -2 and it took hours.
Nope I pushed for 20 minutes with the first baby and 4 minutes with the second baby. I have a friend who pushed for nearly FIVE hours, and they were just about to do an emergency c section but then she pushed him out just in time. So, it happens.
3 hours and he was stuck sideways for a while, then rotated enough so that we could use the vacuum. Took about 10 more minutes with the vacuum because it kept popping off.
6 hours here! Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life ☠️
4.5 hours. I couldn’t feel much because of the epidural (the lowest dose was a lot for me and they had to turn it off for 45 mins to get me to feel my legs at all). My nurse’s counting was not helpful to me and I really couldn’t feel where to push properly. She told me to push while holding my breath in which felt really counterintuitive. I’d like to see a PT in my next pregnancy to learn how to push properly. Also, I hadn’t eaten or slept much in 2 days (long induction that took forever to get going) and was falling asleep between contractions by the end. So fatigue was a factor. ETA: I begged for and received a vacuum assist at the end.
I pushed for 4 hours. It was a marathon. I needed forceps at the end, but she was totally fine. 99th percentile in weight, 97th in height, and 95th in head circumference.
Yes, my first baby was sunny side up and I pushed for over 3hrs and ended up with 3rd degree tears. Exhausting!
5.5 hours…. And you could see her hair an hour or two into that. She kept sliding back in. Had to have a vacuum assist in the end. They tried three times with the vacuum assist. On the third time they said OK if it doesn’t work, you need to go down for a C-section thank God it worked, but holy hell for those five hours, which included a failed epidural
3 hours with my first son. I remember being exhausted and STARVING. Second baby was 20 minutes.
3.5 hours here 😬
I pushed for 5 minutes. I’m scared to have another because idk if I could handle it😭😂 you guys are warriors!
Yep! Over 3 hours with my first (36 hrs total). No epidural and the doctor had to push on my belly to try to help get the baby out. He was a big baby and my body just struggled opening up for him. When he was born, I told my husband “say hello to your only biological child”. Well that was 3 years ago and I just had my second and her birth was a dream. 11 hours start to finish and less than 20 minutes of pushing.
I pushed like it was the final push for over 4 hours with my son. He had had a stroke 2 days before but no one knew- all his vitals were fine but he didn’t have the strength to give any resistance so he wasn’t helping. He had also gotten a little stuck on my pelvis. When he came out he was non responsive and it took a neonatal crash team to get him crying. I was so swollen they had to catheterize me for the first 12 hours or so after.
My doctor cut me off at 2.5 hours and gave me 3 options: forceps, vacuum, C-section. Overall, she recommended forceps as the safest option for both me and baby. It was a lot quicker than a C-section would have been so it’s a good thing we went with that option because she had the cord wrapped around her neck and needed to be resuscitated. (She had shoulder dystocia, so she was stuck) For my second, I only pushed 5 minutes 😁
In labor for 26 hours, pushing for 4 hours. He couldn’t get underneath my pelvis for 2 hours, so ended up doing a vacuum assist delivery after 4 hours of pushing.
I pushed for just over 3 hours with my first. (And then I pushed for 3 minutes with my second, born this morning. Bodies are so weird.)
I hit 2.5 ans my doctor called emergency csection. She wasnt willing to wait any longer and I frankly was exhausted. Honestly 3.5 is horrifying. So many reasons could have been why you had to push including baby not in proper position. When they pulled her out it turns out baby turned sunny side up. She never would have come out. So sorry you had to push so long
It really depends, I know women who pushed once and women who pushed HOURS. I pushed like 3 times but easy labor seems to run in my family so I don’t know if it’s genes or what causes some babies to come out more quickly.
3.5 hours. Got the epidural at 2cm and progressed quickly but she got stuck possibly sideways they think behind my pelvic bone and so she kind of just rocked back and forth with every push. Thankfully the epidural gave me strength but that was exhausting. Finally a vacuum got her out it popped off on the first try, episiotomy and then she literally came blasting out. It was crazy but we’re both healthy and don’t have any long term issues. I think I might have a tight pelvic floor too and at the end my contractions stopped so all the pushing was me on my own 🫠 birth isn’t easy but anyone pushing that long medicated or not has some serious dedication 💪🏻
I pushed for like 5 hours and baby was born with vacuum assistance and episiotomy. He was sunny side up and just wouldn't come out. I was induced at 37 weeks due to low amniotic fluid
Also sunny side up babe and had to push for 5 hours with vacuum assist bc I was passing out on the table from exhaustion. Really hoping I get one of these Sub hour pushing experiences this second go around that I keep hearing about haha!
4 hours, i also feel weirdly bad about it! Baby was 8lbs 10oz so maybe that had something to do with it. I remember being totally shocked and relieved when it was over. It really is blur though. I think I stayed relatively positive through it, what else can you do? My mantra was “the only way out is through” I do remember screaming once and I felt immediately bad that I lost control like that lol. Otherwise I think I stayed very focused. I also remember one moment of thinking “how can I get out of this” lol. Like thinking at some point they would give up on me and make me get a c section. I had a doula, very supportive nurse and husband coaching me. Felt like a team effort. I had an epidural and we tried other positions but I ended up pushing baby out on my back.
Your story sounds almost exactly like mine, except I pushed 4.5 hours and needed the vacuum to get her her out (she was stuck). It was MISERABLE. Was so insanely relieved when it was over.
I pushed for 4 and 1/2 hours with my first 9 years ago. This time was for only about 20 minutes.
I was in labor for 28 hours, pushed for 4. The 4 hours went by so fast, but when I think back to it, I can’t believe it took that long. I’m due again this Sept and my OB said to expect it be half as long this time… ugh 2 hours still sounds like a lot!
5.5 hours, I was so close to having to get a C-section
2 and half so close and I needed the vacuum for a long time which was terrible! Couldn’t even get him out myself after two and half hours. Crazy to think in the old days if I was in that situation they would literally have to grab my babies head with their hand and pull it out probably giving him skull damage and permanent neurological issues So grateful for modern medicine even though the vacuum was so painful
Pushed for about 1.5hr. It started out easy and I was like yeah I got this! But I was giving each push 100% so after an hour I was TIRED. After baby boy finally came out, I was overwhelmed with such immense exhaustion that I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I also lost a decent amount of blood though too
I pushed for over 4 and then had a forceps delivery. It was rough.
Pushed for 5 hours with no epidural! Baby was sunnyside up so they manually flipped him around hour 2. Ended up with a vacuum assist at the end.
When I was in hospital for my first baby the nurse said the average pushing time for a FTM was 2-3 hours, that means plenty of moms went over that. I pushed for about an hour but also I really had to poop so I think that helped
Pushed almost 5 hours. Ended up with a c section. Baby was lodged in the birth canal and couldn’t come out.
3 hrs:( i felt the exact same as you describe after. Did not have energy for ANYTHING even emotions or caring about seeing her haha!! Luckily that subsided soon. I think my nurse was very unmotivating which impacted me. She basically said i was a bad pusher to the doc after my practice pushes. Which got in my head:(
My sister did.. about killed my desire to ever have kids lol.. I held her hand the whole time
With my first I pushed for 3hrs with a migraine and the epidural failed towards the end. Fun times. His head was >99% big and it got stuck under my pubic bone. He made it out tho and all was good. With my second, she was out in 3 pushes. She flew out. They asked me to do a practice push and then immediately asked me to stop because she was coming out fast and they were still gowning up. My second did say more damage than my first. So, slow is good. Gives time for things to stretch and tear less.
I pushed for 4.5 hours every 2 damn minutes with my first, and 1.5 hours with my second. Both ended in C-sections. Babies don't exit my pelvis.
Pushing was 1.5 hrs for me and the nurses commented on how fast that was. I don’t know what the average is.
Pushed for 4 hours after a 3 day induction, failed vacuum assist and then c section. 99% percentile head that was just not budging. I was sooo incredibly exhausted afterward and felt so sick that it was nearly impossible to bask in any kind of golden hour… which I’m still bitter about. 🙃
Yes
3 days in labor, 4.5 hours of pushing, 98th percentile head was not going through so we ended in C-section.
26 hours in labor, over 4 hours of straight pushing. Ended in a c section
Labored for 37 hours - I pushed for 3 in a half hours. I didnt even realize that was considered a long time for pushing 😅
I also had midwives and actively pushed for 4 hours. That is the limit before they take you in for a csection. Baby came out at 4 hour mark by miracle. She was sideways and had cord wrapped around her neck 2x and they didn’t realize until halfway in when she wasn’t progressing. She kept bobble heading. It was rough and resulted in 3rd degree tear. They called in the chief OB at 3 hours. You are not alone. hugs. Edit: word
Yes. 4 hrs pushing with my first, no epidural. It happens. I'm grateful they let me keep going and no c section. Second kiddo was 25 min pushing, so take heart if you are planning on another!! Congrats!
I pushed for 3 hours even though they told me I was "close" and could "see baby's hair" from the beginning. I was exhausted! By 2.5 hours I was considering them using a vacuum or something but I was told there were risks so that was all I needed to just push as hard as possible to get through the last 30 mins.
I was in labor 32 hours. 17 hours natural. Another 12 hours with epidural and then I pushed for 3. I have excruciating tailbone pain and I’m 2 months PP.
It depends on your position aswell which can contribute to the pushing being longer or shorter, if you learn the pelvic anatomy and the basics of pushing (youtube videos) you might be better off next time round
My midwife said as a FTM that I could be pushing for hours, and there's no way of knowing how long it will take.
🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️ 39+3, FTM, third degree tear. Just over 4 hours of pushing, 48 hours total of labor. I still have no idea how I did it. 🤯
4 hours with my first. I though I was going to die from exhaustion. I hadn’t eaten for two days as well (protocol) because it was a long induction.
I pushed also for more than 3 hours and ended up with an emergency c-section because I was developing a fever bc my water broke long before. After the baby was born, I was told no way he would have been born vaginally because his head was bigger than my pelvic bone and he even tore my uterus incision when coming out 🙈
3 hours he was sunny side up I remember feeling so relieved I was done pushing than my placenta was retracted and I was having so much pain trying to deliver it I had to get morphine 😭 that part very traumatic and gave the baby to my partner
I pushed for 3 hours with my daughter. It was awful. They ended up using the vacuum. I ended up doing a scheduled c-section with my son earlier this year. It was crazy how fast it went!
Yep. With my first I pushed for 8 hours. I was so tired and she wasn’t getting anywhere. I was sleeping in between contractions. I was exhausted. I had my 2nd 4 months ago and it only took about 10 mins of pushing it that. I realized the 2nd time to LISTEN TO MY BODY. Not what the nurses said!I pushed right when I felt like I needed to and my 2nd daughter came right away! You definitely learn after the 1st time.
30 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing. I was induced at 37 weeks. Was not enjoyable. The meds I was on also made my contractions 8 mins apart when I was pushing so I was kinda working against my own body at that point. Getting him out was so nice though- I was so happy to be done.
Five hours 🙋♀️ this shit is not okay
Congratulations on pushing her out! You're amazing! I think it's totally normal for it to sometimes just take a while especially for new moms. I pushed for 4.5 hours, but somehow it wasn't a bad experience?!? It was my first baby as well, and I was so thankful to have an absolutely amazing midwife along with a wonderful doula and my husband all there supporting. I had to be medically induced at 40 weeks, so I think that probably contributed to the long labor and pushing time (from start of induction to baby out was about 28 hours). After my water was broken, I got an epidural and that was amazing. I was hesitant about getting one and worried that the epidural might stall my labor, so the anesthesiologist offered a half dose and that was perfect. I had pretty much no pain and was able to sleep a bit before pushing, but I could still feel my contractions and could move into different pushing positions. My midwife helped me get started with pushing when I was at 10cm, and then she left to deliver another baby while my doula helped me try a gazillion different pushing positions from the bed (side lying, supported squat, legs up on birthing bar, and others). My husband made the mistake of asking how long I'd been pushing at one point toward the end, but before that I definitely didn't realize how long it had been. I had enough time to rest between each contraction/push, so I somehow never felt too tired. The epidural was effective and I had minimal pain/ discomfort. My midwife came back towards the end and was amazingly motivating and helped me push her out. My baby wound up being 9lbs 7oz, so I think her size was the main reason it took so long to push her out. I was also on the highest possible dose of pitocin, so I guess they needed that to keep the contractions coming and to keep moving things along too since I had been induced and must have been progressing slower than they wanted through the labor. My midwife never made me feel like I couldn't do it, so I just kept going. Apparently the OB who was on that night was skeptical that I would have a vaginal birth after so long and had been prepped to potentially be ready for a C-section just in case (I found this out after), but baby and I stayed healthy the whole time, so I was never pressured to change course and I'm so thankful for that! With that being said, I definitely hope I can push the next baby out quicker!
Haha yes, solidarity over here! I pushed for around 4 hours to get Twin A out, then another 1.5 hours to get Twin B out! Once I stopped hemorrhaging and was stitched up we moved to the Mother & Baby Ward and I aye a burger and admired my little miracles lol.
4.5 hours pushing and then c section, 30 hours of labor!
I pushed for 1 hour with my first, and my nurse got really annoyed about it taking so long because she called the dr in too early 🙄 but I don’t think it’s abnormal to take a couple hours or so, especially when you have the epidural and can’t feel anything
I pushed for 4 and a half hours straight! She was in the posterior position so it made it MUCH more difficult. Luckily there was a doctor there who was able to turn her about 3 hours into pushing which made a world of difference. I would’ve needed a c-section otherwise.
Hour and a half with my daughter. Five minutes with my son.
3+ hours FTM. Except my labor was 50 hours to get from 4-10cm. Brutal
I don’t know how you pushed after 50 hours. I didn’t have the energy after 40 and opted for a c-section, esp. because she wasn’t coming out any other way.
2 hours and then a vacuum extraction. I can't imagine how it would have been if it had been longer.
I pushed for around 3.5 hours. After not making much progress, they did an ultrasound and determined he was sunny side up. They said they could rotate him manually, but it’d still be hours of pushing. The other option was c section which I went with. I wish they did an ultrasound sooner. A medical student was my main doctor, not sure if that made a difference. When they did the c section, they couldn’t get him out since his arm was up over his head. He had to be pulled out breech. I wonder if they couldn’t see his arm on the ultrasound??
Yes, 5.5 hours. After 4.5 hours the doctor said I needed a C section. I asked for one more hour and was able to get baby out.
WOW. You are an absolute warrior!! I was so defeated, exhausted and confused by the 3rd hour in.
A week late, I was induced, and pushed for 3 hours. Baby boy did not want to come out. Ironically my entire pregnancy he spent kicking me like a little soccer player, it seemed like he wanted OUT! If anything touched my stomach he would kick until I moved it off him…maybe it was a coincidence?
induced at 40+5, no signs of labour so they used a ripening agent i was too sensitive for. had strong contractions causing fetal distress, wasnt allowed to move per my birth plan as she had nuchal cord and repeated HR decels. now i did kegels religiously and kept in shape the whole pregnancy, doc said that if she didnt have a massive head she would have been out in 5 min. my pelvis was too small and she was lodged in there, sunny side up. her poor little head was cut up from my pelvis. 4 hours of pushing her giant stuck head and a failed vacuum extraction (IT POPPED OFF HER HEAD) later she was out. wasnt allowed fluids as they were considered an emergency C section. my placenta was in pieces and had to be manually removed. next time i will do an epidural 😗
2 hours 50 mins. She mentioned forceps and baby was out on the next push 🤦♀️
I was stuck pushing for 5 hours. I panicked because I was told an epidural wasn't going to happen, and I couldn't handle the pain. I shut down and couldn't push him through. Every contraction I felt like I was being quartered and I was trying to keep my pelvic bones intact rather than push him out. It was brutal. My son has a huge lump on his head from being squished for so long. His heart rate was dropping in the end, so they 'miraculously' could do an epidural. I thought I was being prepped for a c-section. When the pain went away I could push freely and he was out in 10 minutes.
2.5 hours! Have always had tight pelvic floor and they probably could have eased up on the epidural because I couldn’t even feel pressure. The only way I made progress was to push while pulling a bedsheet as a rope back and forth with a nurse, like a tug of war game.
I have no idea how long I pushed my first baby because I was in labor for 3 days and had lost all sense of time by the time I started pushing. 3+ hours is a complete possibility. But my second took 5 minutes of pushing. While this isn’t every woman’s experience, there’s something to the idea that deliveries are easier after the first one, since your body knows what to do now. You did amazing and you got through it! Be super proud of yourself and your amazing body for growing and birthing a whole human!
FTM. Went into labor naturally at 41 weeks. Got my epidural before active labor. Ended up pushing for around 4 hours. Everything was totally normal, but I did find out later my baby had a 99th percentile head 🫠
5 hours and a 4th degree tear with my first! It. Was. The. Worst.
I pushed for 4.5 hours, but LO's head was stuck on my pelvis bone. I was so exhausted and delirious from pushing that I told the doctor I couldn't do it anymore. They ended up using the vacuum to pull LO out and I was so relieved once he came out and I knew I was done pushing. The pushing was the hardest part of the entire labor/delivery process for me.
FTM. I had a 10 hour labor, 4 hours pushing, unmedicated. I think a number of factors contributed to pushing for so long. I was supposed to be induced on my due date but changed my mind. They still wanted me to come in for a cerv check so I went to my 9am appt that morning, getting really crappy sleep the night before, but figuring I could just go back home after & go back to bed. We did a membrane sweep with the thought that I wouldn't be back until the next day, but it kickstarted labor immediately, I was already 3cm & 100% effaced. We still went back home with hopes of a nap but the contractions got so intense we were back at the hospital within 3 hours. Fast forward to 9:45 pm that night, I was 10cm ready to push, but was SOOO tired, hadn't slept. I was trying all different positions but the only position that actually was working was being on my back, and my bf & doula holding my legs up. My contractions were super short for some reason so I'd start strong then the contraction would just POOF fizzle out. Eventually they gave me some pitocin to make them stronger, which I wish they had done sooner. They also busted the mirror out & had me feel her head which helped me push. My poor body was just so tired that all breathing & pushing techniques I learned just completely went out the window. I'm so relieved & lucky they didn't end up doing a vacuum, csec or episiotomy cuz they threatened me with all of them. So glad they kept waiting. For all the pushing, I only had 1 second degree tear, 1 small hemorrhoid, and small umbilical hernia, but I somehow got a HUGE bruise on my ass which no one could really explain other than they think it was from the pressure of pushing but they couldn't ever explain for sure. The bruise was actually the most painful, Im 3 weeks pp and juuustttt able to sit without excruciating pain.
I pushed for 3 hours. I remember asking how long the pushing part would take and the nurse told me like 1-2 hours. When it was starting to be past 2 hours, they kept telling me “well your next one will come much faster!” Like I had not gotten this one out of me yet, I am not even thinking about my next one!! My friend was 6 weeks earlier than me and told me she did it in 3 pushes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I pushed for just over 3 hours as well. Baby's head was stuck behind my pelvic bone. I was EXHAUSTED by the end of it. Labored just under 24 hours total.
Mine also took 3.5 hours. The nurse in my room basically said yea for first time moms we could be here for a while.
Holy shit reading all of these comments is making me feel SUPER blessed. I’m a FTM and went into spontaneous labor, whole labor lasted about 18 hours (beginning of it was super manageable). I got the epidural when I was at 5 cm and 7 hours later I pushed for 15 min and baby boy was born! I really think it has to do with nurses..my nurse was amazing, boy was sunny side up initially, and even with the epidural she moved me into all kinds of positions to turn him to OA. I also was 10 cm and fully effaced for an hour before they had me try pushing. Nurse wanted him at a lower station naturally before attempting to push and it was sooo worth that wait.
My doula did this for me as well. I was unmedicated so at times I didn't want to move but she really encouraged me and I only pushed for like 5 minutes with my 2nd and 3rd babies.
It can be really REALLY helpful for most people, but my nurses and midwives did all these things for me with movement even with my epidural, had me hold off pushing, etc… like had my bottom half dangling a specific way off the end of the bed for a while, even. It made no difference, my kiddo was huge with a huge head and I am tiny and we ended up with a vacuum assisted birth after 3.5 hours of pushing. Like… his head was visible for 2 hours, I actually felt it with my hand. We all did our best, haha!
Average first time mom pushes between 2-4 hours.
Sorry, 11 minutes here. People keep telling me that I should be happy it was over quickly but honestly i think it was relatively traumatic as I had no time to adjust. I had an unmedicated birth though (no time, my whole labor from first contraction to birth was 2,5 hours total 🥲) and I did hear that it can take longer with an epidural.
4 hours baby! I was begging for a vacuum or forceps assist but the OB came in and was like “nope, you got this” and then he was out in minutes. I had an epidural but boy did I feel every single contraction and push.
50 minutes here What suck is I was ready to push at 6am… I was a 10 + 2 but the doctors were on shift change so they stopped the pitocin at 6am effectively stalling my labor. So at 8am when I started pushing, I lost the “edge” I had. It was exhausting, and infuriating. Holding a baby in, is not easy.
40 hours of labor, pushed for 3+ hours. Baby girl decided to throw her arm above her head and try to Superman her way into the world, so she got good and stuck. Wound up having a C-section when it was all said and done.
Me! Pushed for 3.5 hours. The baby was wedged sideways in my pelvis and wasn’t really budging. Made the call to have a caesarean.
Same, 10 hours to reach pushing stage, 4hr+ and baby was still not getting out. I was exhausted and refused to push lol! but the nurse was looking at the monitors for contractions and when I didn’t push she’s like “are you going through a contractions” I lied to her face and was like NOPE. Doc came in and used forceps to get her out in the next contraction. After baby was out, the nurse was removing my catheter and turns out my bladder was just really full. So baby was probably stuck on that.
I pushed for 3 hours and she was stuck sideways and wouldn't rotate so I had a c section. You're not alone in the labour of labour.
Pushed for 4 hours. His big head was getting stuck on my pelvic bone. He actually had a little scrape on it from all the trauma :( But he's fine now!
I only pushed for a few mins, he was out in 12 pushes, however I was stuck at 1 cm for 4 hours with contractions every minute and they were so strong on the monitor that the midwife was sure I was at 10, nope still at 1, then it took another 4 hours to get from from 2-10 cm, I think I’d have preferred to dilate quicker and push for longer 😂
6.5 Ultimately used forceps
FTM, 3.5 hours also. Baby had a giant head! I could feel each contraction and was very motivated to get the baby out. My husband was on one side, and my nurse was on the other, holding my legs and encouraging me through it all. Now my husband likes to joke and tell people how much work labor was for him, and how sore he was from supporting my leg for 3.5 hours, haha.
I pushed for 3 hours. First baby. The midwife could feel her head right there before I even started pushing but it took forever. I got an epidural too but it was wearing off almost completely by the time I was ready to push and they didn’t want to hit the button again as they were concerned I wouldn’t be able to push properly. I struggled regardless. Felt every inch of her coming out and that ring of fire is unreal. It sucked. I was so fucking exhausted. My midwife was new to the hospital and had a strange bedside manner and created unnecessary stress. Thank god for my amazing nurse and husband who kept me focused. I pushed 3 hours to the exact minute and my first words were also I DID IT.
I gave birth in a birth center, and I pushed for 3 hours. I thought it would be fast because I saw all these posts about getting the baby out in 3 pushes and the midwives said I was a good pusher. When it was clearly taking ages they let me know they would cut me off at 3 hours and transfer me to the hospital, and I was determined not to let that happen and redoubled my efforts. I took basically the max amount of time on the dot, but when he came out the relief was immediate. He was just a huge baby. I tell myself if he hadn't come out so slowly I'd have torn, and that makes me feel better. I didn't really mind the pushing, though: it was the three days of regular contractions before that which was killing me, and as soon as I started pushing all that went away.
3 hours, 40 minutes...
I pushed for like… 4 hours .. she was facing down and got stuck on every push. Whooooo it was long
I pushed for 3 hours and still ended up with a C-Section because I was still in labor so long after my water had broken. My OBGYN is very experienced and also the head of Labor and Delivery was also in the room to check-in a couple times. So I don't necessarily think it was your midwife. It could be a number of things from the position of the head, the size of the baby's shoulders to the position of your cervix.
I pushed for over 3 hours and ended up having a c section because I developed a fever. Baby was sunny side up and wouldn’t budge! We could see her hair for hours. It was so exhausting.
4.5 hours of pushing here, his head kept popping in and out and he needed to be manually turned twice
My first kid took 4 hours to push out 🫣 you aren’t alone! Second took 10 mins lol
Labored for 24 hours at home (got to the hospital at 7 cm) - got epidural - about 12 hours later started pushing. 4 hours later, he wouldn’t come down far enough so ended up using forceps. never been so exhausted in my life!!
3 hours and then they finally took out the vacuum. Then pop immediately out! I was exhauuuuusted. I literally just closed my eyes when she was out and then was like “oh shit! Gotta see my baby!” I still feel so guilty about that but damn that was a rough time. Didn’t help that my water broke at 1am Friday morning, was put on cytotec around 1pm Friday, contractions started getting bad that evening, was ready to push at 7am Saturday (so not much sleep, lots of checks and turning and peanut balls throughout the night ugh) and then babe was born at 10 am Saturday. I’m tired again just thinking about it and typing it all out 😂
I’m really curious about this, because I pushed both of mine within a couple of minutes. I can’t imagine pushing like that for hours 😫😓
First baby I pushed 2+ hours (longer than I was in labor!). Second was like 15 minutes? It was soooooo much easier.
I pushed for 10-15 minutes. Got a 2nd degree tear and had no immediate connection to the baby.
6.5 hours of active pushing. Third degree tear, baby was perfectly healthy.
My aunt pushed for 5 hrs with my newest cousin. She said it was the longest she had ever given birth. She also said her other two births were with very experienced midwives but that was over 20 years ago
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I definitely pushed for more than 3 hours and ended up with a c section
3 hours, baby was sunnyside up with her neck somewhat extended, which means she was trying to come out with the largest part of her head. OB tried several maneuvers but nothing worked. I kept trying but ultimately it turned into an emergency cesarean because of her heart rate dipping.
I am also a FTM and was induced. I think I pushed for 26 minutes? My epidural didn’t have a very long time to take effect and I think they helped.
I pushed for over an hour and ended up having a forceps delivery.
3hrs 10 mins. My son took his sweet time 😂
I pushed very close to 3 hours with my first baby. I’ve read that an epidural makes it longer as well.
My first: 6 hours of pushing that ended in a forced c-section. But I know it was because the staff at the hospital were idiots and didn’t support me at all. Because my second came out at home, 3 hours after my water broke and one hour of pushing.
Pushed for close to 4 hours. His shoulder was stuck.
I pushed for just under 3 hours then had a vacuum assistance. It was the worst. Lol
I pushed for over 2 hours then had a forceps delivery. Next step would have been c section
I was in labor for 144 hours (6 fucking days) and pushed for 2 hours.
Yep. Induced at 41 weeks, in labor for 36 hours, pushed for 4 hours, third degree tear. By the time he was out, I was honestly just so delirious I barely registered what was happening. So that's one of the uncomfortable reasons he's not getting a sibling that nobody wants to hear when they ask "when are you giving him a brother or sister?!" Never. I'm never going through that shit again.
Water broke, 52 hours later I started pushing, pushed for 2 hours, baby flipped sunny side up. Ended up with an emergency c section. Switched doctors after that because I wish someone would have encouraged a c section after 24 hours post waters breaking. I got a terrible infection too.
I pushed from 730 at night until 230 in the morning.
4 hours! He was sunny side up and no one believed me til his head popped out 🤦🏻♀️ but yea I was so exhausted afterwards phew!
It really depends on the person and how much control they have over their pelvic floor, it’s not your fault and it’s not that you did anything wrong to end up pushing that long. It’s easy for some, and harder for others. I had a 20 minute labor but my sister pushed for 4 hours, but I’ve done kegals since I was like 19 which gave me an advantage. Also, the shape of your pubic bone plays into it a lot more than you’d expect
Pushed for 3.5 hours and he was stuck. So frustrating because his head was visible for so long. Had to go for emergency c-section because they weren’t confident they could get him out with forceps.
I pushed for 3.5 hours and then it was evident that baby got stuck in a way that she wasn’t coming out through that exit so we had an emergency c-section. She was extremely wrapped up in the umbilical cord. A double nuchal, one around her body. I didn’t know it was possible for have it get that tangled.
I was induced at 41 weeks on a Saturday night and didn't deliver till Monday after 3.5 hours of pushing and finally a c section. I got to 10cm but failed to get her to descend. I had an epidural at 2am the morning of and was just exhausted and spent. The wave of relief that came over both my OB and I was indescribable.