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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare two different methods for management of 2nd stage of labor: active pushing which began when the cervix was 10 cm dilated and delayed pushing which began 60- 90 minutes after cervical dilatation or when the fetal head was visualized at the introitus. Methods: A pretest-posttest, experimental design was used to compare the two methods of management of 2nd stage labor. A convenience sample of consenting primigravida mothers with epidural anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive active or delayed pushing during the 2nd stage of labor. Dependent variables collected were length of 2nd stage of labor, length of active pushing during 2nd stage of labor, maternal fatigue, and maternal satisfaction. Data analysis was analyzed with a two tailed, unpaired Student’s t-test. The level of significance following a Bonferroni correction for multiple t-tests was p < 0.01. Results: A total of 44 subjects were studied (N=28 active pushing; N=16 delayed pushing). Groups were similar in maternal age and weight, fetal gestational age, and pitocin administration rate during delivery. While the length of 2nd stage of labor was longer for the delayed pushing group [117.6 ± 12.1 (mean ± SEM) versus 87.1 ± 8.6 min, p = 0.04], there was a significantly shorter amount of time spent in active pushing for the delayed pushing group than the active pushing group (38.9 ± 6.9 versus 78.7 ±7.9 min, respectively, p = 0.002). Maternal satisfaction and fatigue scores were similar for both groups (p > 0.01). Conclusion: This study found that delaying active pushing for 90 minutes during 2nd stage of labor results in a statistically and clinically significant decrease in the time mothers spend in active pushing during delivery.