10 hours of pushing. Yes, I said pushing. Anyone else have very prolonged 2nd stage??

[kawaii]

So - to preface, I posted my birth story on another site... and have not yet found a similar story. Pretty much I have gotten a lot of incredulity, and several people told me I am very lucky to have gotten a positive outcome. I am posting here because I thought I may find more opinions from natural minded mamas/midwives/care providers. Any similar stories? Should we have transferred, and at what point??

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This is going to be long, but I really want to get this off my chest and see if anyone else has faced something similar, and find out what things were like the next go round for others...

I had my first baby at home with my wonderful midwife in September.

I spent 12 hours in active labor from midnight on (birth pool = awesome) before I got to the pushing stage. Everything was going great and we all thought I'd have my peanut within an hour or two. Lo's vitals were great, positioning was perfect, and I was feeling pretty good. I'm a very athletic person and I was blessed with an easy pregnancy, so all signs pointed to a textbook delivery. After all, everyone knows the pushing stage means the end is in sight!

And then... I started pushing (following my urges). And kept pushing. And kept PUSHING! It was so immensely frustrating, you have no idea.

After about two hours I think my pushing contractions began to get a little erratic, so we started trying things to speed them up. I had been pushing in a standing position by our bed, so my DH and midwife coaxed me into moving around. (BTW, much easier even during transition than during pushing!) Pacing, up and down stairs, DH helping me rotate my hips, on hands and knees, directed pushing on bed, in shower, on toilet. Nipple stimulation to encourage contractions... just craziness. After about 6 hours of pushing (and no sleep the night before) - I was exhausted. And I mean bone weary, and discouraged - because baby was still so high I couldn't even feel the head by reaching in as far as I could with my fingers. At this point I was starting to feel afraid that I would have to go to the hospital, and I was no longer thinking very clearly. I told my midwife I did not want to go, but DH and midwife basically told me if things didn't change within an hour I was going. They called up the hospital and gave them a heads up... things looked bleak from my POV.

But I am a stubborn, determined person and I was not finished yet. My midwife told me I had no chance of delivering the baby at home unless I could regain some energy. So, I ate the most nauseating meal I have ever had in my life. A huge bowl of chicken soup with a slice of buttered bread, and as many tablespoons of honey as they could get in me. Gag (I had already thrown up twice, and was praying I could keep it down). I forced myself to eat every bite, while I held onto the table through pushes. Then back into the shower for more nipple stimulation, and out again for stair pacing. Within an hour the change was amazing, the food hit my system, pushing picked up - and suddenly baby dropped. I could feel her head!!

By this point I had been pushing for over 8.5 hours, and it was taking a toll. Pushes were coming hard and fast again, and I couldn't seem to keep up. So I laid on the bed to slow things down with DH supporting me from behind, which helped tons (love, love that man!). The last place I thought I'd have my baby was on the bed, on my back, with DH helping me pull my knees back - but that is where she was born because once she began crowning (took an hour of crowning) I could no longer move. Her shoulders got stuck at the end a bit, and had a second degree tear, but she was born! At home! Naturally!! After 12 hours of active labor, and 10.5 hours of pushing at 10:30 PM, a beautiful 8lb 4oz baby girl! Amazingly, with almost no moulding, and no bruising at all.

It was all a bit of a traumatic experience for me to be perfectly honest, even though I feel blessed that I was able to have her at home. I never expected things to go the way they did. My midwife said that in 400 births, she had only once seen another similar to mine. No clear indications as to why it took so long to push (no apparent malpositioning, fit mother, etc.), but it did. She told me I should be proud of myself for persevering through it all, but really... I'm just praying that if I have another it will be faster. And easier. Apparently my vaginal muscles were spasming when I pushed, so my body was kind of fighting the baby coming down for at least the last part of labor. My midwife suggested I may want to see a physical therapist before I have another to see if they have any suggestions...

So long story short, has anyone else had anything similar happen?? Had an extended pushing phase? Had another baby after with more normal pushing phase?

(BTW, keep in mind we were constantly checking baby's vitals the whole time and she never showed any signs of distress. If she had, I would have gone to the hospital in a heartbeat.)

 

[Sam Pearson]

Wow. Amazing story. It is curious that you were experiencing an urge to push without bub being engaged.

Most women report pushing urges as uncontrollable in the same way that heaving when vomiting is uncontrollable. Is that what it felt like for you or was it more a case of you feeling like you wanted to push? 'iom just wondering what might have happened if you had breathed through that time rather than pushing for all that time.

Also, I was a little confused as to why you said baby was in perfect positioning but then you said you felt her drop later which suggests that she wasn't in a position to be ready to be born earlier?

Congratulations on birthing your daughter at home naturally through all of that and yes, your partner sounds likehe was a wonderful support for you.

 

[kawaii]

I was fully dilated to 10cm right around 12:00. I was beginning to feel the urge to bear down, so I asked my midwife to check my dilation. She told me I could push if I was feeling the urge, but not to worry about pushing if I didn't feel ready yet. My body wanted to push - so I followed my instincts. There was actually one point where my midwife suggested I rest through a few pushing contractions, but it was like someone telling me not to throw up. It was excruciating, and I couldn't do it. My body convulsed into bearing down no matter how hard I tried to control the urge. So there was no question - the bearing down instinct was there and it was strong... although I truthfully can't tell you if it was like that the whole time. I think so? Maybe the first few pushes weren't that intense, but after a half hour of pushing urges my body definatley wanted to get started pushing - so I went with it. Pretty sure she was engaged, station just wasn't progressing quickly.

What I meant by the positioning thing was that she was in the ideal position for weeks prior to the birth, and during labor it seemed like she was rotating normally and moving down... until my pushing stalled. She could have been wedged funny in a way we couldn't tell from the outside, but it wasn't like she was sunny side up or had an arm by her face or anything.

 

[Cjackord]

My mom had a verrrry extended pushing stage with her first (my brother). I dont remember how long, but it was several hours (over 8 for sure). It was the 80s tho and her dr wasn't pro-csection. She was at a birthing center and transferred to the hospital where they gave her pit. Sadly, it was the wrong dose and didnt do anything but cause harsh contractions. Eventually she pushed him out (no drugs). For me and my sister, she said it was easy and quick, completely different. I think I was an 8 hour labor from start to finish and my sister was 4 from start to finish. Like you, both were fine. His hb never dipped and she was good.

I wouldn't stress about future kiddos. Pregnancy and birth are so different from child to child.

Congrats on your baby!

 

[NDH]

My second stage wasn't that prolonged (3 hours according to notes, and this was in hospital so i was very lucky not to have any interventions) and two hours before that the urge to push without being dilated enough. Not pushing when you feel the urge was the most excruciating thing I have ever experienced and i made more noise trying not to push than pushing and I nearly dislocated hubby's thumbs.
I can't imagine a 10 hour second stage you must have been exhausted!

 

[sunshinelds]

I know someone who had to push for 11 hours. very similar to your story...no progress, then after a nap- (and a lot of mental prep talk)- the baby came very shortly thereafter and no molding as well. I think a lot for her was mental baggage.

 

[ljo1984]

My friend had her baby the month before me and a ladie from one of her groups had a home water birth and was pushing for as long as you, there abouts! I can imagine it is exhausting but you did it girl, good on you. Xx