# Pushing with water bag intact



## scheelimama (Aug 2, 2003)

With my second, I never got the urge to push. After an hour or so of being complete, I started pushing anyway, and it took another hour at least before baby was born. My water was intact until she was crowning, just minutes before birth. I was GBS+ and refused antibiotics, so there was no option to break the water once I was complete. I have a few questions about this, since I am pregnant again. The pushing was the hardest part of my second birth experience and if possible, I'd like it to be a bit easier the next time around.

a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact? Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?

b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?

c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?

I will make it clear to my mw's that I wish to wait until the urge to push is there, but I know that when I'm in labor, it's harder to stick to my guns and I'm easily persuaded when the mw makes a convincing argument. And I'm also usually ready to get baby out by that point, but I don't want such a rough experience again. It certainly could have been worse, but my labor was so easy up until that point (and drastically easier in comparison to my first), I never expected pushing to take so long or be so hard for me. I was also physically exhausted and it was between 3-4 a.m., so I'm sure that made it much harder for me. So, thoughts or advice?

ETA: My first birth experience was an induction, had horrendous contractions, water broke on it's own at 4 cm, and I dialated rapidly after that and only had to push for 17 min. My body did not give me a choice on pushing that time and contractions were on top of each other. My second birth experience, contractions were nearly 5 min. apart through pushing. It was completely different.


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## SublimeBirthGirl (Sep 9, 2005)

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Originally Posted by *scheelimama* 
a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact? Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?

Sure you can. My water broke with my second when she was crowning but I'd still had an overwhelming urge. Some women never get an urge, and that's okay too. Even women in comas can have babies. Your uterus will push the baby out with or without your help. It might just take a little longer. If nobody knows you're fully dilated, nobody can mess with you.

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b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?
As for me, I am adamantly anti-AROM. I can't think of a single situation in which I'd consent to AROM.

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c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?
Until you get the urge. Birth has no time table though with the way obstetrics is managed in the US you'd never know it. Your body knows what it's doing; you should be allowed to listen to it.


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## jerawo (Jan 28, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scheelimama* 
a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact? Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?

I'm not sure. I, too, had an intact bag of water during most of my pushing and I never really felt the urge to push. Maybe they are related. I had PIH during my pregnancy, so I needed to get the baby out sooner than later which is why I pushed despite no urge.

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b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?
I personally think it's a bad idea to allow your water to break in any way than it naturally would. Even though pushing was hard for me, I think it's best to keep your bag of water intact for as long as possible. I know labor for me was easier and less painful because of the intact bag.

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c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?
As long as everything is normal, I think you can wait as long as you want until it feels right.

Now that I'm pregnant again, I am thinking about the next birth and yeah it would be nice if some things were different. Pushing was so hard for me, and it would be nice if it was easier. I really think that each birth is different, and I'm sure your next birth is going to be different (hopefully in good ways!) from your previous two.


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## bryonyvaughn (May 4, 2007)

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Originally Posted by *scheelimama* 
a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact?

Many do.

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Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?
I've never had the urge to push a baby out. I only pushed during my first at the MW direction. The baby wasn't going to come out uphill without additional effort. The other five I never pushed once... once on hands and knees and the other four upright positions.

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b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?
For some women it seems to speed things up and for others it slows things down. I personally wouldn't submit to a medical procedure unless there was a medical need that clearly outweighed the risk of the procedure.

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c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?
Well I've been waiting 9 1/2 years so far and I'm okay with it.









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I will make it clear to my mw's that I wish to wait until the urge to push is there, but I know that when I'm in labor, it's harder to stick to my guns and I'm easily persuaded when the mw makes a convincing argument. And I'm also usually ready to get baby out by that point, but I don't want such a rough experience again.
Have you considered getting a doula... someone there to support just you, not your midwife?

~BV


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## DoomaYula (Aug 22, 2006)

Just some anecdotal evidence: I had a client a few months ago who had the urge to push with her bag of water intact. Baby was born in the caul.


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## mama to 2 girls (Dec 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scheelimama* 
a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact? Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?

Oh yes! With dd2 I had an OVERWHELMING urge to push and my water broke right before I birthed her head.

I agree with the pp's who said that AROM is never a good idea....and there shouldn't be a time limit on how long you wait before you start pushing....it should be as long as it takes!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scheelimama* 

b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?

c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?

If you test positive with GBS and would like to avoid the antibiotics it is better to leave the bag of waters intact as long as they remain so. You don't know how long you'll push each time and the pressure to take antibiotics (and the risk) go up for longer time periods with the water broke... You can wait to push as long as you like, and your care provider SHOULD support that. You'd have to check and mention that you'd like to do so though.

The saying... "if it ain't broke- don't fix it" comes to mind here...


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## ishyfishie (Dec 20, 2006)

I don't know from personal experience, but my chiropractor Bradley instructor told us that if the bag of waters is intact, it will add a cushion between baby and pubic bone during pushing and said that's why it shouldn't be artificially broken.


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## kewpie-o (Jun 1, 2006)

I started pushing when I was complete around 10:00 PM, as advised by my midwife. I really didn't have the urge, so I'm not sure why I pushed. It was my first time giving birth, so I suppose I was just putting too much trust in the midwife. My water was artificially broken at around 11:30 PM. I didn't get a true urge to push until about 12:00 or 12:30 AM and didn't have the baby until 3:13 AM!







: Next time, I want to heed the wisdom of my body rather than someone else telling me when to push. That many hours of totally exhausted and fruitless pushing was NOT fun.

....doesn't answer your questions....just thought I'd commiserate with you.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

My first was born in the caul, and I had the urge to push from about 8cm on. Getting him to descend took some work though.
I tend to get a long lull in contractions between dilating and pushing. Things that help to get baby down far enough to trigger the pushing urge include:
blowing up balloons
running up and down stairs
sidling up and down the stairs like a crab
squatting
and so on. Your m/w probably has other suggestions (but the balloons is, afaik, a flapjack special. It works, though.)
And like PP's said, I don't see a reason for AROM unless you want to put yourself at greater risk of augmentation of labour and c-section.


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## michaelasmommy (Aug 2, 2005)

I'll be the voice of dissent on the breaking of the bag of waters.







: My first, the nurse broke it after I started pushing, between contractions, and it relieved so much pressure-everything was less painful. On my second baby, I asked them not to break it and let it break naturally. It broke while I was pushing, and the babys head was just coming out. It really hurt, and baby actually moved backward (probably from me flinching back in pain) I'm hoping it breaks naturally before I start pushing this time, but if it doesn't, I plan on having the midwife break it for me after I start pushing. I only pushed for 30 min with the first, and it was about an hour with the second. Just my personal experience.


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## BrooklynDoula (Oct 23, 2002)

I had AROM with ds1 and no urge to push but intact with ds2 and an overwhelming, amazing urge to push!


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## Redifer (Nov 25, 2006)

I had the immense urge to push with my water still intact. I started getting pushing urges, but small ones, around 5 am and 4 cm dilated. It just got stronger and stronger and stronger.

Finally, around 9 cm, the pressure was INSANE, and with the next contraction I had the unmistakable urge to push like my life depended on it. then my water broke as DD was crowning, and Oh Mylanta, the relief! Then it was smoooooth sailing for the next 15 minutes before she was fully out.


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## yeahwhat (Feb 10, 2007)

Another dissenter. I had a pushing urge, but could not move my last baby down at all and was getting frustrated, trying different positions and not making any progress. After about 20 minutes I said I wished the bow would break (since my previous 2 were born within 5 minutes of it breaking on its own). My midwife offered arom between contractions, and dd arrived with the first contraction that did not have the bow in the way (from approx. 0 station). For me, it was the right decision. I was gbs positive, but that less than 3 minutes with the bow broken did not concern me in terms of transmitting it to dd.


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## onelilguysmommy (May 11, 2005)

*a) Can you still get the urge to push even with the water intact? Do some people truly never get the urge to push, or does it just take several hours sometimes?*
yes
yes

b) If I manage to test GBS- this time, should I allow my water to be broke before beginning pushing? Would it make it easier?
i woouldnt
c) How long is okay to wait to start pushing once complete?
when you want to...

my first i had AROM about 7 hours before his birth, this time i had SROM about 2 mins before his head was born








i was feeling, felt a contraction, felt the bag and his head, nect one, i felt his bag bulging, nect one i pushed a TINY bit, it burst.
more of pressure than trying to push him out. the next i pushed and his head came out...
i was hoping it wouldnt break, but oh well...
i had the urge to push both times.

why do you think it would be easier to push with the water broken? it is supposed to speed up labor in some instances, but i cant see h ow it would be any easier to push without the bag intact unless its really big/bulging and hurting ou, but if youre pushing it most likelyt will break anyway...


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## scheelimama (Aug 2, 2003)

I guess I thought it would be easier to push without the water intact because my water broke at 4 cm the first time and pushing was the easier part of labor for me and only lasted 17 min. The second time, it did not break until minutes before dd was born and it took probably 1.5 hours to push her out. I waited awhile, but never really got the urge to push and I figure it was because her head was not pressing down into my cervix as much as the amniotic sac was. The bag was bulging, but they could not break it since I declined antibiotics. It's like pushing a squishy water balloon through a hole, vs. pushing a softball.

Thanks for all the replies. It's good to know there have been such a wide variety of experiences. I'm sure my 3rd experience will be different from either of my first two.


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## musicmomto5 (Feb 22, 2007)

Both of my twins' heads were born in the caul. After their heads came out, then the water broke both times. The 2nd baby had a nuchal hand, but I had no tearing, nicks or anything. I think it was because the water was still there. btw, I had a HUGE pushing urge with both babies.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Twins born in the caul? Wow, I've never heard of that before, but that's doubly cool- and probably, doubly lucky


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## P-chan (Jan 23, 2004)

For my second, I had an overwhelming desire to push in the hospital parking lot, but fortunately my waters waited to break on their own in the delivery room, during one of my first pushes.

I had also tested positive for GBS, but they didn't bother even asking about antibiotics because I walked in at 10 cm. My daughter was born after about 20 minutes of pushing and nobody was concerned about the lack of antibiotics.


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## *jeanine* (May 29, 2005)

Haven't read all the responses, but here is my experience:

Yes, you can definitely have the urge to push without the water being broken. With dd, I was pushing out an apple-sized "balloon" of the bag of water. They kept telling me not to push because the doctor wasn't there yet, and I was trying to not push, but sometimes it was overwhelming, and I couldn't help it and my body pushed even though I was trying not to. Once the doc got there they broke my water and it gushed out and she came right after.


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