9cm dialated, then 13 hours pushing!!!

I spoke to a friend and colleague of mine whose daughter had her first bub a couple of weeks ago. She arrived at the hospital and was 9cm dilated, then pushed for 13 hours. The doctor let her do this - which to me is amazing as many doctors put time limits on labour.

What I'm questioning is....13 hours....is that really healthy for the mother? I mean it's wonderful for the doctor not to put a time limit on labour but she sustained a serious 4th degree tear and is obviously worse for wear.

What are your thoughts?

OMG thats terrible. I have no idea if they have a limit on the pushing time but I couldn't imagine anyone being able to do that for THAT long - she must have been exhausted.

Poor girl I feel sorry for her - hoping you get more of an idea from someone else in here

Nae x

Wow at arriving at hospital at 9cm thats great work, but the pushing for 13 hrs i find highly unlikely.

In a hospital most policies are 2hrs pushing for first time mum and 1 hr for 2nd and subsequent pregnancys.

However sometimes these can be extended a fraction if all is well and progress has been seen, but 13 hrs NO WAY why did doctor allow this.

Mum would be knackered and chances are baby distressed.

4th dregree tear ouch very nasty, was obviolusly a reason why baby was not coming and now the poor thing may have life long issues with her bowels.

Could chinese whispers be playing a little part in the 13 hours??? Doesn't seem likely or sensible to me. :dunno:

Mmmmmmmm

I'm thinking that it possibly took a whole lot longer to get from 9cm to fully dialated, but can only go by what I've been told. Still seems quite long though!

Could it have been 13 hours for the entire labour? I can't imagine any Dr allowing or for that matter any woman being able to push for that long.

I think it could perhaps be a bit of chinese whispers also.

Spring xx

I know not everyone dilates as per text books!!

BUT closed to 4cm is hardest and often longest, and generally people dilate 1cm - 1.5cm an hr.

For someone to get to 9cm and take 13 hrs for pushing sounds completely weird and unacceptable.

Maybe they havent told you full story or they havent understood what was said to them so have told you the wrong info.

Wow. I thought this kind of thing only happened in developing countries where women with no medical care laboured in huts for far too long and ended up with serious fistula issues.

I was thinking about this - could it be that she laboured for 13 hrs?? that would make a lot more sense, and not just pushing for 13 hrs.

maybe they meant 13 hours for the entire labour? i was exhausted enough after pushing for 3 hours, i think you would die of exhaustion after 13 hours...not to mention the stress on the baby. after 3 hours of pushing for me the doctor tried vacuum extraction, if that didnt work it was off for a c-sec, so their time limit must be around the 2-3 hour mark. Sounds like a case of chinese whispers..if not i really feel for that lady!

Yeah that just doesn't sound right to me...I think it is highly unlikely that she was actually pushing for 13 hours. Even being 9cm dilated on arrival and being 'allowed' to labour for another 13 hours doesn't sound right. Most doctors would want to intervene long before then.

I think someone's gotten things mixed up or just not in the know of how things usually go. I know some women who've homebirthed push to up to 4hrs, but in a hospital setting it would be unheard of to go for that long.

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Even being 9cm dilated on arrival and being 'allowed' to labour for another 13 hours doesn't sound right. Most doctors would want to intervene long before then.

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It is possible. With my first labour, I was at 9cm at 5pm and stayed there until 1.20am when I was given an emergency c/s. That's 8hrs so not quite as long, but still pretty bad.

Yeah, that's pretty crazy Sarah. I seriously can't even imagine pushing for that long. My bubs were small, first labour second stage was 45 mins and second labour only 10 mins.

But I wanted to check that the details were correct.......and they are!

Hospital setting, 9cm on arrival, 13 hours pushing, baby in wrong position. Amazing this lady pushed her baby out.

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I know not everyone dilates as per text books!!

BUT closed to 4cm is hardest and often longest, and generally people dilate 1cm - 1.5cm an hr.

For someone to get to 9cm and take 13 hrs for pushing sounds completely weird and unacceptable.

Maybe they havent told you full story or they havent understood what was said to them so have told you the wrong info.

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i wish that dilation was correct for me.
i was 1 cm for 10 hours, epi in and fully dilated in 2 hours.. then pushed for 30 min

but wow 13 hours of pushing, after an hour id be saying do something to get this baby out she is stuck

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I know not everyone dilates as per text books!!

BUT closed to 4cm is hardest and often longest, and generally people dilate 1cm - 1.5cm an hr.

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I certainly wasn't text book :lol: 7-8cm when i got to hosy 45min after ctx started, would have been 10-15ctx, started at 5ish and were 3 min when we got to hosy, then up to delivery for internal. I was expecting it to hurt a lot more to get to 8cm :doh:, but it hurt a lot more after that :rofl:

13 hours of pushing :o that just seems dangerous, irresponsible, I would have been thinking more along what Sarah H experienced... sitting at 9cm for a long time, and perhaps pushing before she was fully dilated if she did start.... but 13 hours... just seems wrong especially in a hospital setting where the clock is ticking as such...

If that's true then it's a bit irresponsible because you can end up in all sorts of trouble for pushing that long. It's great that she did get bubs out on her own, but her support people and Dr needs a kick in the bum for not trying to get her in a better position to encourage bubs to move.

i couldnt imagine her pelvic floor muscles would be any good after 13 hours! mine were stuffed after 3 hours!

I think it's a load of balony.

If she did indeed push for 13hrs you would be looking at having a stillborn baby as each time you push the blood supply to the baby is reduced. This generally does not cause a problem with pushing lengths of average length but I don't think any babies reserves would last that long. Also she would have a massive PPH due to exhausted uterine muscles that would not contract once the baby was born hence causing a massive bleed post birth. She could have being whats called involuntarily pushing before she was fully dilated which can happen and generally with a first baby this will lengthen the labour times. Involunatary pushing can occur if you feel the urge to push before your fully dilated and sometimes this can happen most of the way through labour. When this happens with a first mother due to pushing against a cervix which isn't fully opened it swells and make dilation and birth longer. Usually an epidural is given just to prevent the mother pushing against the cervix until its all gone (fully dilated). So it is possible she was pushing alot longer then the recommended time frame in the second stage if she was involuntarily pushing before the second stage. Either way she sounds like she had a horrific birth. I hope she is recovering now. With a 4th degree tear she might be looking at a C/S next time.