The second stage of labor is the most exciting part of having a baby. That is probably the reason it is the most portrayed stage of labor on TV. We all have the image of the woman in her hospital gown, hunched over in a pool of sweat and screaming at her husband for getting her in this situation. Ironically, the pushing stage brings relief to the woman who just experienced the most intense pain during the final hours of the first stage of labor. Those last few centimeters are the worst! The second stage of labor is less painful, but on the other hand, it is a lot of work.
Imagine running up a flight of stairs, wearing weights, with muscle cramps. Now imagine doing this three times in a minute. Now repeat that exercise for a couple hours. During the second stage of labor, the uterus continues to contract and push the baby down through the birth canal, but the woman must bear down with each contraction to make the most progress. Between each contraction, she gets a chance to rest and catch her breath, but this break doesn’t last very long. With each push, the baby moves two steps forward and one step back. Every time the contraction ends, the baby slides back up a tiny bit. Once the baby’s head emerges, the rest of the process is usually much easier unless the shoulders are also large or get stuck behind the pelvic bone. Usually, the doctor or midwife is able to guide one shoulder out at a time. Once the shoulders are free, the rest of the baby slides right out.
Sounds like a walk in the park, right? The second stage of labor is the reason hospitals require the new mother to ride around in a wheel chair rather than walk. It is the reason a nurse will assist her in getting in and out of bed for the first night or two. Fatigue does nothing to describe the way a women feels right after pushing out her new baby girl or boy. Some women begin to panic when they realize they feel like they cannot continue, and yet there is no turning back. The sheer adrenaline rush of childbirth and the momentary relief that comes with each push are the only thing that keeps them going. I couldn’t believe that I, the women who can barely finish a 30 minute aerobic exercise DVD, was able to give birth without passing out right on the table. It seemed nothing short of a miracle. I’m never surprised to hear a woman on TV scream “I can’t do this,” but I also know she is wrong. In the trenches, you only feel like you can’t finish the marathon of child birth, but there is always just enough strength to finish. That last push is waiting for you, and with it, the ultimate reward that instantly erases all those negative thoughts and feelings.
This is when most people think labor and delivery is over, but there is an encore. Come back to learn more about the third stage of labor, when the placenta makes its grand entrance (or exit, depending on how you look at it).