# Contractions stopped when baby crowned?



## terrabella (Oct 19, 2005)

Hello









I'm pregnant with my fourth child and would like to have a homebirth or possibly even unassisted.

However when my third was born just seven months ago: I had two pushing contractions, the first put her in the canal and ruptured the sac, and the second crowned her, but then they just stopped.

For the rest of the delivery and the placenta delivery as well, absolutely nothing. Pushing her out to a point where the nurse could get a hold of her to help me was SO difficult.

I'm wondering what may have caused this, and could it happen again? She was a posterior baby if that helps.

Both of my older boys delivered fine, and I pushed with contractions right through the placenta and everything.

Birth was completely intervention-free.

Just a fluke? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I don't really want to talk to a doctor _yet_, I would like to field things out on my own first.


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## terrabella (Oct 19, 2005)

Aw shucks! Ok, well thanks to all who looked anyway.









I've been thinking maybe it was because I was on my knees, but then the nurse needed me to lay back, and I *think* that may have been when and where they stopped. So perhaps pressure was applied to a nerve bundle or something?

Hmmm...


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## Boobiemama (Oct 2, 2002)

no contrax at all? how did the placenta deliver?


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## annethcz (Apr 1, 2004)

You know, I looked before, and I hoped that more people would answer, because a similar thing happened during my last birth. I'll tell you my experience, and what I think caused it...

I was really tired at the end of the labor for my 3rd child, but I was feeling pushy. Rather than pushing _with_ the contractions, my midwife encouraged me just to keep pushing. I was able to push DD's head out, and then I lost the urge to push. I was tired, and stopped feeling contractions. I did manage to push DD out (with considerable rah-rah coaching from my midwife). I have no idea if I was still having contractions when I pushed DD's body out, but if I was, I wasn't feeling them.

After the birth, I didn't feel any additional contractions. Apparently I was bleeding more than my midwife liked, and she encouraged me push out the placenta ASAP. I still wasn't feeling any contractions. My uterus WAS contracting, my midwife could feel it tightening when she put her hand on my belly, I just couldn't feel it. But with more coaching, more pushing on my part, and the midwife tugging on the cord (UGH), the placenta did come out after quite awhile.

My theory about this chain of events? It started when I was ready to push on my hands and knees. This is how I had birthed my previous babe, attended by the same midwife. But my midwife said that she didn't think that was a good position for me, and told me she thought I should lay down on my side. This was SO uncomfortable for me, someone had to hold my leg. It just didn't feel *right* kwim? But by that time I was very suggestable and was too tired to try and fight. So I did what I was told. Again with the placenta, I was trying to nurse the baby, and half lying down. The midwife wanted me to give the baby to DH to hold, and lay down to push out the placenta. It felt weird, but I was exhausted, and figured my midwife knew what she was talking about.

So by description, you can probably guess that I felt that my midwife was a bit of a hinderance during that birth. When she suggested position changes and coached my pushing efforts, the result was that I lost my ability to follow my instincts. I do believe that if I had stayed in the position that felt best to me, and I was able to truly follow my pushing urges, the birth would've been much different.

BTW, this was my 2nd homebirth, attended by a DEM who is reputed to be one of the most 'hands-off' midwives in my area.

I'm pregnant now, due in October. I'm planning a UC. Although my previous birth experience influenced my decision, that's not why I'm choosing UC. Honestly, I've always wanted a UC, but in the past I was willing to have a midwife present as a concession to my DH. But this time, it's just not worth it to me. I don't want this baby's birth to be messed with or managed. I think my babe deserves better.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Changing positions did two things (sure this has already been covered, just want to get my guess out there before I see if it's confirmed by reading the rest of the thread) it took you out of the optimal position for you to birth your baby and it "snapped you back to reality" and basically told your body that it was no longer a safe place to give birth since there was something else you had to pay attention to--must be danger.


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## terrabella (Oct 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Boobiemama*
no contrax at all? how did the placenta deliver?

Massage, traction, and lots of hard pushing on my side. I just barely missed getting a lovely pitocin shot







.

Thanks Annethcz and Saphirechan. Yeah, now that I think about it, I think that being face-up and already crowned, when I changed positions right then, I basically pressed somthing I shouldn't have.

Sorry about your experience Annethcz. See my issue was that my nurse was the only person on duty, my doctor hadn't arrived, and this was only the second baby that she (nurse) had delivered. She was going to deliver her just the way I was, however she just really couldn't seem to get good access because of where I was when the urges came upon me, so I was more than willing when she asked me, poor thing







, she did awesome though. She was a great labor coach too.

Thanks for the input!


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

I don't remember having contractions at crowning, either (I've had three natural births). Unless you count the uncontrollable urge to push.







But by then the abdominal contrax had ended. Placenta came out, but just "bloop" on its own. I was having, I guess, something more like afterpains than contractions.


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## terrabella (Oct 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beansavi*
I don't remember having contractions at crowning, either (I've had three natural births). Unless you count the uncontrollable urge to push.







But by then the abdominal contrax had ended. Placenta came out, but just "bloop" on its own. I was having, I guess, something more like afterpains than contractions.

Mmhm, see for me this time it all just stopped. I had no contractions, no pushes, not even afterpains until she nursed like nine hours later. Thank heavens I didn't start bleeding. She just had no urge to nurse at all. It was just like I was suddenly done!

Another thing about possible compression in a bad spot, is that I was white *down there* for a good two weeks. Now this didn't happen with my previous births, both times pink and healthy. In fact my first birth was an episiotomy, and it had healed perfectly, no scar, or scar tissue, etc, in just four days flat. To this day you can't tell I had one, and it was fair-sized too. But this time around I was just white all throughout there, and my two whopping skid marks took nearly four weeks to heal. That's just very odd for me...


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## Patchfire (Dec 11, 2001)

My contractions stopped for a bit when ds crowned, and never really gained any intensity. The last one I actually felt (until afterpains!) was the one where his head was fully born. I had a very hands-off midwife, honestly, but after a minute she was like, uh, the head's just sitting here (ds was already crying, so we knew he was doing fine!), so, uh... and I decided just to go ahead and push after a bit. I was tired of pushing and wanted to find out if it was a boy or girl already!









I know my uterus kept contracting, because the placenta detached (felt that - what a weird feeling!) and slid on out, and like I said above, within an hour, I had afterpains. It was still strange that after the head was out, I didn't really have another contraction that I could feel. I barely remember if there was one after crowning, but I guess something pushed the head out.


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## mama_at_home (Apr 27, 2004)

I think that kind of happened to me. My labors tend to be very putzy anyway, never really getting consistant, strong contractions. Anyway, after my baby A's (Jazmin) head was born my contractions stopped. We waited and waited and she was just there with her head out in the water and her body in me. Finally after about 5 minutes they started up again but not super strong ones. Almost another hour before they started up again for baby B (Noah). I don't remember feeling intense contractions during pushing at all and I remember asking my midwives if I should push or not because I didn't really feel contractions. I had to push really hard with both of their births because it seemed like my contractions fizzled out. It's hard to explain and things are kind of fuzzy anyway. Also, I think my skin was pretty white down there for awhile, too. I wonder if that was due to her being partially birthed for 5 minutes? Who knows.


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## cottonwood (Nov 20, 2001)

Well, I think you're beginning to answer your own question. You _didn't_ have an intervention-free birth.









As for contractions stopping, there are so many reasons this can happen. Probably in your case it was a combination of things. Like a PP implied, it's hormonal -- tweak the environment in such a way that undermines the mother's instincts or breaks throught the "birth bubble" awareness, and the body regards that as trouble and so stops sending out labor hormones so it can focus its strength on sending reserves to help you get away from that trouble. Probably also changing position to something completely non-conducive to birth threw things out of whack and your body was not able to recover in the time frame allowed. Another possible factor is that when your baby crowned, she moved down fast enough to leave a space behind in your uterus, and your body had to adjust to that before beginning to work on pushing the baby out again. This is called the "rest and be thankful stage". I had this stage for an _hour_ with my last birth. (And let me tell you, it really was something to be thankful for.)

Anyway, you're definitely on the right track to question how the labor was managed rather than just assuming your body failed you.

And welcome to MDC!


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## terrabella (Oct 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fourlittlebirds*
Another possible factor is that when your baby crowned, she moved down fast enough to leave a space behind in your uterus, and your body had to adjust to that before beginning to work on pushing the baby out again. This is called the "rest and be thankful stage". I had this stage for an _hour_ with my last birth. (And let me tell you, it really was something to be thankful for.)

Anyway, you're definitely on the right track to question how the labor was managed rather than just assuming your body failed you.

And welcome to MDC!









Hmmm, she came down VERY fast actually. Yeah, I feel more confident now that it was not "my body". And yet, I moved around a lot with my boys, I remember standing up on the bed after my second crowned actually. Oh, well. Overall I feel better now. Thanks!


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## Stayathomemommy (Jun 7, 2002)

i didnt have contraction stop but once i started pushing i never stopped even in between contractions. i just wanted that baby out!!! i remember pushing with all my babies when i didnt feel the urge. i wouldnt worry about it. if it happens again you know that you can still push your baby out.


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