I can tell im getting nervous my posts lately have been asking many questions as i get closer to the end of pregnancy..But this may be the silliest question ever, but i really dont know so i have to ask.......How do you push?
I mean every woman that has a child are just told to push when its time but how and what exactly are you pusshing? Can some one describe it for me? I feel like im freaking out what if i dont know how when its time or what if i dont do it right? I honestly feel like i will be the only woman in the world who doesnt know how to push. is this weird?
No reason to freak out. When I began pushing, I pushed with everyday I made in me and that included my face and I ended up with one eye swollen shut and the other almost swollen shut. The whites of my eyes turned red and eventually faded to purple, blue and then yellow until 4 months postpartum. I had bruises on under my eyes on around my eyebrows and around my mouth. So, I DIDN"T KNOW HOW TO PUSH! I never took classes and I was in a lot of pain because I didn't use any drugs, so I thought I would push with everything I had for a while and my daughter would come out. The process took much longer than I imagined and eventually I stopped pushing with my face, and began to use my stomach muscles to push. Just imagine that something is coming out between your legs, kinda like going to the bathroom, it is similar pushing, you ust have to push much harder and longer. I never took any classes so as silly as it sounds, I had no idea how to push either at first and I ended up looking like I was beaten and people in stores would stare at my face. I would I could send a picture, I warned everyone before they came to the hospital to see us and everyone had this horrible, natural reaction to seeing my swollen bruised face and eyes, I personally found it really funny. I didn't hold my daughter much after I had her because I couldn't see well, I was very dehydrated and felt very tired and overwhelmed because I had a natural childbirth and I worked a lot for a long time throughout the labor and pushing process. It was an awesome experience though.
Trust, me unless you have an epidural that completely numbs you, you'll be so ready to push when they finally tell you it's time. I took the childbirthing classes when I had my DS and they told me to push like you are having a bowel movement, but it's really more than that. It's kind of like the opposite of the kegel exercise, combined with bowel movement style pushing.
I had a similar experience to Alexa though (my DS was large and I had no pain meds) so I pushed with my entire body, including my eyes... had those nice little broken capilaries in my eyes after I had him :-)
Hi there,
I too, took the pre-natal classes, and they do tell you to push like you're having a bowel movement. And I think that is a good description, but like the other ladies said, it is much longer pushing, and harder (obviously). I wasn't sure though that I would know how either until it was time, then I KNEW, that I knew how. I just suddenly felt like I HAD to have a bowel movement, because his head was pushing on that area, I guess. I know this is going to be a really gross comparison, but have you ever had to go #2 SO bad that you felt like you weren't going to make it to the bathroom in time? That's what it was like. I was furiously buzzing the nurse to come check me because I just knew I had to push. And it was time. But I also pushed some with my face, so I ended up with little broken blood vessles all over my face, and it was SWOLLEN for a few days afterwards. I really didn't think I would look so bad! So anyways, I hope my experience can shed some light for you! Try not to push with your face... Use your stomach muscles as much as you can.
I had a pretty good epidural, I didn't feel pain but I felt the pressure that told me I needed to push. There was this unbelievable pressure that made me think the only thing to do to relieve it was to push. Sorry if this is tmi but it felt like I had to have the biggest bowel movement ever because I felt the pressure in my bottom with every contraction. You can usually get 2-3 10 second pushes in during a contraction and your doctor and nurse will coach you. The nurse and the doctor both told me to push like I was going to the bathroom and like I was doing a crunch like sit-up with my chin to my chest. I pushed for about 45 minutes and ended up needing an episiotomy because I wouldn't stretch and the doctor didn't want me to tear in 5 different directions but I didn't have any broken blood vessels or swollen eyes etc. Good Luck!
I also wanted to add that I never felt that feeling to push, I begged my midwife to let me start pushing because everyone kept telling me how close I was and I really wanted to move into the next stage. The only time I felt the need to push was when my daughter's head was out, it is almost impossible to hold the baby in although then tell you to for a moment while they suction the mouth and nose. After she was out, I couldn't hold my rest of the the placenta in, I had to push that out so bad.
I wanted to add as well, that although I had an epidural it wore off, so I could feel every pain and sensation. When I first started pushing, I freaked out because it hurt so bad that I thought I couldn't do it. The nurse quickly told me that I couldn't panic and just had to focus, so I did. My doctor really helped me to know where to push because he put his fingers down there, asked me if I could feel them and then told me to push right there towards his fingers. That helped me tremendously because it was like I had an objective or something to go off of. I only pushed for 10 minutes or so before my daughter was born, so what he did really helped me to know what to do. Like the other posters said, the doctor and nurses are there to coach you and to tell you what to do, and along with the feelings that you will be having, drugs or not, you just kind of know.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
Have you taken a birthing class yet? If not, get to one, pronto! Or, do like we did with our first -- buy/rent a DVD of a birthing class. There is a "funny" one available if you do an internet search that was pretty thorough and with an instructor that I didn't actually hate. She was weird, but ok. One of the topics was how to push. It ended up a moot point for me since I had a c-section.
Don't worry, when the times comes to push you won't be able to stop yourself. The nurses told me when I was fully dialated to not push because the doctor was not there and my body just did it instantly.
I suppose I should add though that I had no epidural, so that may affect it.
Ok i really understand on how to push of course im going to hold on to this information you guys have given me up until right when its time...lol thats natural. I remember my friend said she forgot everything she had learned in her birthing classes.
Now im just afraid and embarrassed about having an ACTUAL bowel movement.
I didn't take any classes, heard stories from everyone! I didn't want to go thru the pain! I was so nervous! When I finally gave birth, I was in labor maybe 2 1/2 hours, didn't need any meds, and the push, was like doing a sit up, I did think that I was having a bowel movement, but that was just the pressure of the baby's head. You will do fine!!
Use your stomach muscles as much as you can. 
