If the baby is making some progress, is not in any obvious distress but falls outside the 'time limits', then your caregiver needs to decide whether the progress is acceptable or is too slow because there is a problem.
There are many situations that can impact on how long it takes a woman to push her baby out in the 2nd stage of the labour.
These can include:
The contractions are far apart
The woman becomes dehydrated and exhausted
The contractions weaken
The baby is up high
The baby is in a posterior position
The woman is lying on her back and restricting the opening of the pelvis
A full bladder
A resting phase
An epidural
Fears and concerns for the woman
Your previous baby was still born
The contractions are far apart. The contractions in the second stage can range from 4 to 7 minutes apart, but they should still remain strong when they come. If they are around 4 minutes apart then the baby will be pushed more frequently and be born sooner, if they are more like 7 minutes apart it can take nearly twice as long to push your baby out.
Strategies. As long as the contractions are strong when they come and there is progress when you do push, there is no need to intervene. If there is pressure on you to progress at a faster pace, try walking around,
nipple stimulation,
acupressure points, a herbal remedy such as blue cohosh, or a homoeopathic remedy such as Caulophyllum. If there are emotional issues slowing you down then other homoeopathic remedies may be better suited to you. For more information you can look at
natural therapies for augmentation.
The woman becomes dehydrated and exhausted. The medical term for this is maternal exhaustion. If the labour has been long and the woman is exhausted and dehydrated her contractions can weaken.
Strategies.