# Do pushing phases get shorter with each baby?



## JFTB1177 (Sep 9, 2008)

I am hoping and praying the answer is YES! lol

My first baby was a "failed induction"







where I had too many interventions (AROM very early, pitocin, OP baby etc), pushed for 3 or 3.5 hours before doc on call gave me the choice between forceps or C-section, and I chose the C-section.

Baby #2 was a planned HBAC, I went to 42 weeks and 3 days when my MW stripped my membranes, went into labor very next day. Labor was about 36 hours and pushed for 6 hours!!! Baby born healthy and I had 2 small tears, but the LONG pushing phase was exhausting & I know that would never have been allowed in a hospital.

This time I am planning a hospital VBAC (long story about why & don't wanna really get into it on this thread) with a very supportive VBAC-friendly OB who is going to let me push up tp 4 hours and go to 42 weeks (plan is to strip membranes to get labor started as that is what got it started last time). BUT because it IS going to be a hospital birth (and I remember exactly what that is like) I am hoping and praying my pushng phase is nice and short this time. Do you think it could be faster this time since I have had one vaginal birth already? I'm so scared I'll be pushing forever again and worse, end up with a c/s.


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## kitkat5505 (Feb 22, 2005)

I think a lot of it just depends on the babies position. With #1 I pushed for 2hrs before having a c/s. His head was asynclitic and just wouldn't descend (and at that time I had no idea about how to move around to try to get him in better position). #2 lined up great and came out after about 30mins of pushing. #3 I pushed over 2hrs before emergency c/s. He would not have been able to come out no matter how long I pushed (at least without really damaging him or me) because it turned out his arm was wedged elbow first in front of his head.


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## JFTB1177 (Sep 9, 2008)

Hey Kara, thanks for sharing! I know DS1 was OP. I think DS2 may have been OP too but he turned (I guess I should contact the MW who delivered him to find out).

I would LOVE to push for only 30 min! Are you planning on a VBAC with your twins or a RCS?


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## kitkat5505 (Feb 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JFTB1177* 
Hey Kara, thanks for sharing! I know DS1 was OP. I think DS2 may have been OP too but he turned (I guess I should contact the MW who delivered him to find out).

I would LOVE to push for only 30 min! Are you planning on a VBAC with your twins or a RCS?

I'm hoping for a vba2c. We will have to see what positions they are in, how big they are, etc but as long as everything looks good my OB is willing to give it a try. I feel very lucky to have a hospital nearby that is supportive of stuff like that.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Twenty minutes with first baby in supported squat.

Three pushes







with second baby standing up. Midwife sat cross legged on floor to catch him. It was awesome. I gave birth smiling. Gravity really helps.


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## homemademom (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm not sure they do with EACH birth, but definitely, after the first birth, mine were all much faster. I pushed for 1.5 hours with #1 and from 10-20 minutes with the other 3 babies.


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## Hey Mama! (Dec 27, 2003)

My first was an induction so if she had come on her own I may have pushed for a shorter amount of time. I pushed 1.5 hours with her. With the second I had a natural birth and the pushing stage for her was less than 10 minutes. My third birth was also natural/drug free but she was not positioned correctly so I pushed for about an hour with her. She was born facing to the left side of my body.


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## cappuccinosmom (Dec 28, 2003)

Depends on baby's position, your position, your pelvis, the labor, and the interventions going on.

Mine have all been very short. Like 15 minutes short. But I went into labor on my own, past 42 weeks, with no interventions, no rupture of membranes, nothing. Just intermittent monitoring.

I have wondered if aside from my body being really, really ready, the intact membranes through most of the labor played a part in the way it went. I know on the baby TV shows they always like to break the waters to make it go faster







but I'm not sure that's necessarily the best thing.

ETA: My brain is mush. That was my second and third babies. The first one, the water was broken when I was about 7-8 cm ("to make it go faster"). I pushed longer with him, but it was still under an hour.


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## mylilmonkeys (Oct 15, 2010)

I have had really long pushing stages, too. With #2, I pushed 4 hours. She was in a terrible position with asynclitic head. With #3, I pushed when I started feeling an urge, but it wasn't very strong. Swollen lip, huge baby, bad combination. We transfered to hospital after 6 hours of pushing, got one dose of epi meds in my spine, then tried again when it wore off. The baby had moved up enough to allow the doctor to push the lip back. I think I still pushed another 45 min or so, even though I was squatting, his head was just so big!

After that, I learned about the fetus ejection reflex and determined I would not push at all until I couldn't NOT push anymore. That baby was born in 3 pushes, the next in 2 (with midwife asking me to wait, while I was rolling off the bed onto hands and knees), and the last in 1 push (while midwife asked me to wait while she pulled down my underwear, slapped a chux underneath and pulled some gloves on).

So, yes, pushing can get shorter! The trick in the hospital would be to keep them from checking you and pronouncing you complete and initiating pushing before you can't resist the urge any longer!


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## nadia105 (Jul 16, 2003)

Yes, for the most part







.

#1 was about an hour of pushing, she had been posterior during labor but turned during pushing.

#2 I didn't have to push, he was literally flying out on his own.

#3 I don't remember exactly how long I had to push, but at least a half hour -- he had a fist up on his cheek and that slowed things WAY down.


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

OP, with your first two babies, were you pushing because you felt a strong urge to push?

Were you ten centimeters and they decided it was time to push?

Are you doing any work on fetal positioning this time to try and get baby into an OA position?


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## JFTB1177 (Sep 9, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *phathui5* 
OP, with your first two babies, were you pushing because you felt a strong urge to push?

Were you ten centimeters and they decided it was time to push?

Are you doing any work on fetal positioning this time to try and get baby into an OA position?

With my 2nd I felt a strong urge to push and was definitely 10 cm... that was a natural childbirth so I felt everything!

My first was a failed induction and I had an epi so felt nothing except pressure, and I was also 10 cm as well.

I was told when I could push both times but I did def feel the urge with #2!

Do you think it could be something with my pelvic bone?


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## rparker (Jul 15, 2008)

For me, the answer is "yes."

#1: 20 minute 2nd stage, lithomy position, most of that being told not to push (no medical indication for this, doctor hadn't arrived), 10 cm dilated.

#2: 3 pushes (max? maybe?), standing leaning slightly forward, no coached pushing, began pushing when I couldn't "not push," no cervical checks so no idea about dilation... but probably 10 cm since there was no molding.

Both labors were spontaneous onset and within 5 days (either side) of 40 weeks. Both were hospital births. I highly recommend pushing standing up... it was an accident in my case, but it was much easier/less painful (no ring of fire) and resulted in no stitches. I also tend to spend most of the last part of my labors sitting on the toilet... figured I'd share that TMI in case it contributes to quick second stages!


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## mylilmonkeys (Oct 15, 2010)

A strong urge to push is not the same thing as an irresistible urge to push. It really makes a difference to wait until waiting is no longer an option. I suggest you read Michel Odent's work on the topic. http://wombecology.com/fetusejection.html


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## Magali (Jun 8, 2007)

I pushed both my babies out flat on my back, legs in stirrups, with epidurals (2nd one did't take tho). With my ds it was 20 mins, with my dd maybe 5 minutes.


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## HeatherB (Jan 30, 2003)

I didn't really get to push with my first because the doctor's had already called "time up." I was literally being prepped for a c/s when the urge finally came and I got in only one good push - in the OR on the table.









Second baby, first HBAC, I spent a long while trying NOT to push because of a cervical lip. Once that was gone, it was one - maybe two - contractions and he was out. I was in shock that it was so fast! He was born with his hand next to his face which slowed down the entire labor and caused some of the issues in pushing - though it was obviously quick when we got down to it.

With my 3rd, I ended up with a super fast and intense transition and an amazing experience with the fetal ejection reflex. My body pushed him out with no help from me. The hardest part was figuring out how to breathe and let it do that without worrying about the fact that I'd been told not to push because I was only 6cm a few minutes before!







I was most definitely fully dilated and he came out quite quickly - just 17m after that check at 6cm when my water broke (and that was not all pushing; in fact, a good chunk of that was transition).

I do absolutely think that after a vaginal birth you are likely to have a quicker pushing stage with subsequent children. Position is a HUGE factor, though, so do focus on ensuring baby is in an optimal position. I know that was a major issue for me with my first birth, and in my 2nd and 3rd I had pretty continuous chiropractic care, massage, etc. Doing the same this time in hopes of a smoother birth.


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## tireesix (Apr 27, 2006)

I don't think so, first baby I was allowed to push for about an hour before the vacuum came out (but she was literally crowning at that point, MW just couldn't be bothered to wait), second baby I had a 3 hour pushing stage and then 3rd was about 10 minutes.

i too think it depends upon baby, positions etc.


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

I agree with the OP's about babe's position, pelvis, etc....For me it was like this....

DD1- induced, epi that only worked on one side, pushed for 30 mins.

DD2- spontaneous, no interventions, pushed for 10 mins.

DS- spontaneous, again no interventions HB, pushed for 20-30 mins. BUT he was over 2lbs. more at birth than his sisters and his head was 1 1/2" bigger than his sister's heads at birth.

I know that dd2 and ds were in good positions but not sure about dd1.


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## babyjelly (Jan 12, 2008)

I pushed an hour with my first, once with my second, and through a couple of ctx with my third (nuchal hand, but still a very short pushing phase).
In my casual observations, the usual is for first babies to be longest...but there are no hard and fast rules, as shown by these other ladies' experiences








_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mamabear0314 (May 13, 2008)

First baby: 2 hours pushing. Nuchal arm.

Second baby: 8 minutes pushing. Good position and chiro care.


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## mamaw/two (Nov 21, 2005)

Baby #1 - 2hrs 15mins
Baby #2 - 15mins
Baby #3 - 2 pushes, 2 contractions
Baby #4 - 2 pushes, 1 contraction

I completely agree with other pp's who mentioned good chiro care, massages, and exercise making a huge difference.


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## Juvysen (Apr 25, 2007)

It did for me - 2 hrs the first time, 7 minutes (*NOT* pushing) the second time, 6 minutes (pushing out a much bigger babe) the 3rd time.


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## dmpmercury (Mar 31, 2008)

I pushed for 2 hours with my first in an epidural hospital birth. My second was a natural hospital birth. He flew out with no control wiith just 1 real push. I was in a semi sitting position for that birth. My third birth was an accidental unassisted homebirth where I also had no control over the pushing. She was born with a nuchal hand but it still was only like 2 real pushes that I didn't even really think about. I was standing up.


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## etsdtm99 (Jun 19, 2009)

#1 - epidural, huge episiotomy, 50 mins
#2 - epidural, 2 hours
#3 - homebirth, hands & knees 1.5 hours ..

my midwife told me i would never be one of those women who gets a baby out in just a few pushes.. she told me it will always be like this for me.. my babies have big heads


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## AuroraPolaris (Jul 26, 2010)

First baby: Don`t remember, but I don`t think it was for a long time. Maybe 30 minutes?
Second baby; midwife broke my water, I immediately started to push, and it took about 15 minutes.
Third/fourth baby, Baby A arrived 5 minutes after midwife broke my water. I think it just was a few pushes. Baby B waited for contractions to pick up, and I pushed just a few minutes, He was born 12 minutes after baby A.

Would love for the next and last birth to be quick and easy.
Seems like my babies usually kind of sail out with the water.


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## MyFullHouse (Apr 23, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *etsdtm99* 

my midwife told me i would never be one of those women who gets a baby out in just a few pushes.. she told me it will always be like this for me.. my babies have big heads









I'm the opposite. I've delivered one with an epidural, one with Stadol, one 100% natural, and one in a race against a c-section. None of my pushing stages have gone beyond 10 minutes, all with irresistible urges, often fighting against a cervical lip. And one with a broken clavicle.

While it's always a blessing at the time, it certainly does lend itself to some jokes among the people who know my history!









Of course, I'm sure I just jinxed myself.


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## ~Katie~ (Mar 18, 2007)

DS was an hour of fighting the urge to push with little pushes because of a cervical lip, and another hour of "real" directed pushing after AROM. A lot of that had to do with me refusing to get into positions that hurt but would have done the job in helping his head apply pressure to my cervix. I pushed in the tub while leaning back on my hands with my belly up in the air. He also had a hand by his face.

DD was born in under 5 minutes with fetal ejection reflex, I pushed in a kneeling position with my arms propped up against the edge of the tub. I concentrated on squatting and getting into positions that hurt but helped me dilate effectively. That seemed to do the trick for me.


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## Rejoicing (Nov 6, 2009)

Yes, and no... EVERY birth and every woman is different, but they do tend to work out that way.
mine were #1 20 min, #2 one push, #3 7 min, breech


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

Yes, for me. But I saw a chiro/acupunturist to help with positioning and descent.


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

in my experience yes, though my actual labours did nt go this way.

my first i pushed for probably 20 minutes, my second for about 5 contractions ( her head was born in the pool but she had sticky shoulders and i had to get out onto hands & knees. it took a bit of fussing to get her out, but probably not much more than 2 minutes)
my third i didn't even push...i felt pushy, broke her waters (we were having a water birth) and a few contractions later she was out..no pushing involved. she moved with each contraction down and down and then pop, out she came.. it was amazing!
Im REALLY hoping for another birth like that this time!


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## buckeye_mama (Oct 6, 2008)

1st baby: 2 1/2 hours pushing, posterior, epi, never felt the urge to push

2nd baby: *maybe* 5 mins, if that...anterior, they had me breathe through a few contractions while waiting for the doctor to get there (even though my body was involuntarily pushing)...would have been a LOT quicker if I hadn't had to "hold back"


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## JFTB1177 (Sep 9, 2008)

Thanks so much, ladies! Btw I did have tons of chiro work done last PG and still pushed for 6 hours.







I really really think this baby is posterior once again, I am sure of it now! I feel elbows and knees, etc poking out all over my belly. I am hoping and praying for a much shorter pushing phase! Can fatigue cause a longer pushing phase? I was SOOO exhausted by the last few hours of pushing last time, to the point where my eyes were almost rolling back (my labor was almost 40 hours long and horribly painful).


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## Juvysen (Apr 25, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JFTB1177*
> 
> Thanks so much, ladies! Btw I did have tons of chiro work done last PG and still pushed for 6 hours.
> 
> ...


Yes, fatigue would definitely factor in. I assume you know about spinningbabies.com? I'd do my best to get that babe to turn! That said, my two later children were posterior up until labor and then it was fine (my first turned DURING labor)... so it's definitely possible that it won't be as bad this time. My midwife had said normal is "half the time for the first stage of labor and half the time for the second stage of labor" but it didn't hold true for me - it was more like a tenth of the time or something for the second stage.


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## jecombs (Mar 6, 2008)

Both my kids were born after about 2.5 hrs of pushing. My DD was OP throughout labor and pushing; she came out sunny side up. My DS, OTOH, was in OA position until it came time to push. He then flipped to OP.









My DD was a slow, but steady, mover down the birth canal. My DS would. not. move. I pushed for hours in different positions and didn't move him more than an inch. My nurse finally asked if I wanted a squatting bar and I agreed. He was born 20 min later.







Getting in the right position was incredibly important. If I ever have another baby, I will try squatting before I try any other position.


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## Turquesa (May 30, 2007)

I don't think I can contribute much more here, but....

DD1: 4 hellish hours of pushing.

DS: 30 minutes of pushing, half of which were spent screaming "I can't take this for four hours!!"


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## HeatherB (Jan 30, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HeatherB*
> 
> I didn't really get to push with my first because the doctor's had already called "time up." I was literally being prepped for a c/s when the urge finally came and I got in only one good push - in the OR on the table.
> 
> ...


My fourth baby was born 3 days ago and, yes, my pushing stage was shorter than even with #3! :bigeyes With #3 I went from water breaking (and assessed to be at 6cm) to birth in 17 minutes. With my DD, I was checked to be at 5cm with bulging bag, then got in the pool, water broke, and I was holding her 8 minutes later. And let me just say I am glad it was not a moment more - yikes!


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## Sunflower223 (Feb 22, 2007)

My first and smallest baby required 3.5 hours of pushing. I kept watching her little head bulge in the mirror and then go back for about an hour, I finally snapped at the nurse and told her to get the mirror out of my face, so I missed seeing the baby finally arrive. I was completely exhausted and the first thing my sweet baby did was pass meconium all over me .

Second baby was about a pound larger than first, came out in one push. OB said push, I did and the whole baby just slid right out like it was nothing. I couldn't believe how much faster it was.

Third baby, yet another pound bigger came out in two or three pushes. I am pretty sure he was posterior but it was a hospital birth and kind of a blur, doctor didn't mention one way or the other what was going on, but I had a lot of back labor for a few weeks previous. Even with all that and the extra few pushes, it was under 20 minutes.

So in my experience, it was much easier after the first birth. Nothing compared to that first birth. Hopefully this time things will go faster for you =)


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## seaheroine (Dec 24, 2004)

For me, yes. #1 was OP and asynclitic, just over two hours of pushing. #2 was out in 4 pushes (like a freight train!), less than 10 minutes -- like pp, she had no molding. She literally fell out (it felt like it) on the birth stool. Good luck!


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## greenmama66 (Nov 11, 2010)

1st twin- came out posterior- I pushed for 20 minutes- was squatting. Second twin- I lay back and took a nap for almost an hour. Midwife then said I needed to get baby B out. She came out after 10 minutes of pushing.

3rd baby- he literally flew out with no effort- that was such an odd feeling. I was squatting in my tub.

4th baby- again squatting in my tub- 3 minutes of pushing- it seemed like a long time to me compared to previous birth.

5th baby- semi sit/squat in my tub- head was out in 1 contraction and then I pushed body out. Not sure how long but it was shorter compared to 4th baby.

All my labors have been posterior and all except first baby turned.


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