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AD's avatar

I understand that the doctors and nurses see births all day everyday, but for all three of my births, I was told "there was no way you need to push" and was in fact ready to push each time. My first birth, a nurse actually laughed at me when I said I felt like I needed to push. I told her I was either going to push here or she could call my doctor. My water broke at home and less than 2 hours later, my son was born. My second birth was awful and traumatic. First 2 births -- no epidural because they moved too quickly. With my 3rd, I made sure to get an epidural before they broke my water. All was well, they came in and checked, I was 8cm. 10 minutes later, I told my husband to get the nurse because I could feel the baby moving down and I needed to push. She came in, laughed at me, checked, and boom. Was ready to push.

My advice in all this, TRUST YOURSELF. You know your body better than they do. Guess who got the last laugh and got to say, "I told ya so" to the nurses. Felt good.

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Victoria W.'s avatar

The biggest commonality in my two birth experiences has been that in both instances I let feelings of inadequacy rule. Both were what I would call “neutral,” not as bad and traumatic as some that I’ve read here, but also distinctly not euphoric and wonderful.

My first was 55 hour back labor with a doula that didn’t believe I was actually in labor and fell asleep on my couch with period cramps while I contracted alone in my bathtub. When I requested we go to the hospital 30 hours into labor, she advised we leave our car seat at home as they would likely not admit us. She was shocked when I was 6cm dilated.

My second birth, last summer, I attempted to try another doula and this one was worlds better but very focused on not using epidurals. I know and don’t know why I was so intent on trying to avoid pain medication this time. The pain was such that I couldn’t, or maybe didn’t want to see if I could get to the other side. I couldn’t get my head above water, the contractions were so relentless. I asked for the epidural and cried because I had failed, yet again. Failed to do something other people can manage with a pool in their living room. I was sure in that moment that the doula and my husband were disappointed in my inability to handle it. As the baby was whisked off to the NICU and my husband went home to care for our sick toddler, I spent two days in a room alone listening to other babies cry and hobbling to the NICU to hold my son in an uncomfortable chair for as long as I could stand it.

I wish now that I had skipped the doula, gotten the epidural as early as possible and used the funds for better postpartum care managing two little ones at home as both of my sons had freak things happen that put them in the ER in their first month. Even with therapy, I still can’t reconcile how other women I know just “pop” babies out and I cannot do that. I wonder if I ever will be able to “get over it.”

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