Delaying pushing during the second stage of labor may have no effect on whether pregnant women deliver spontaneously (without a cesarean section or other intervention), according to a study published Oct. 9, 2018 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Women in the study who pushed immediately had a shorter average duration of labor than those asked to delay, as well as a lower rate of a common bacterial infection and excessive bleeding after delivery. All the women received epidural anesthesia.