AIBU to ask about your experiences of having a fast labour

[Elephantgrey]

I had my beautiful little boy six weeks ago. It was a very fast labour.

I woke up at 5:30 in the morning I went to the toilet and noticed I had lost my mucous plug. I had been to antinatal classes and thought I would have about another week to go before I went into labour properly and went back to bed. After my husband left for work at about 7:00. I started having contractions. They progressed very quickly with very little gaps in between. When they were only 2 minutes apart I phoned the labour ward and they told me to come in. This was about 8:00 in the morning. I got in a taxi with my mum and phoned my husband he arrived at the hospital at the same time as me which was 9:30. The midwife who saw me told me I was not in established labour and that I should go home. I asked her to have a look to see how much I was dialated because by now I just had one big contraction. She said no because if she examined me there was a risk of infection and I could be in labour for days.

Eventually she agreed that I could stay. I went into the toilet to do a urine sample and I couldn't do one because I felt like I needed to push. I was in there a long time. My husband kept coming in to see if I was alright. Someone phoned him and he popped out out answer the phone and then I could feel the baby's head. I shouted to my mum and she went and got a midwife (not the same one who admitted me) apparently the baby's head was covered in meuconium. They helped me off the toilet and midwife spread a blue sheet on the floor and he was born. All these other people had appeared in the room. They put him on my chest but he didn't cry and they gave him to a doctor who helped him start breathing. He was born less than 2 hours of arriving at the hospital.

After researching this for a bit I found that it is relatively common, around 2% of all births which is a similar proportion to breech babies and there is loads of information on that. Did anyone else have as fast labour? Were your babies ok? If you had another one was it even faster?

That was long...sorry
I’ve got 3 children and all have been quick labours but that was by far the fastest

Dc1 total labour and birth was 6 hours

Dc2 was back to back and labour and birth was 1 hour 20 mins. Now that was painful!

Went for a sweep at 40+6, and was told I was already 5cm dilated. On doing a trace, they said my contractions were 2 mins apart, but I just couldn’t feel them and had assumed braxton hicks. Was admitted and they decided to break my waters. The second the waters went, contractions dialed up to only 30 seconds apart and were so painful I couldn’t breathe. 40 mins later, was at 8cm and both the baby and I were getting distressed by the speed of things. Was given an epidural to slow things down a bit and allow me to breathe, and that worked brilliantly - I was able to catch my breath, DS’s heart rate calmed back down, and 3 hours later he popped out into the world with 2 pushes. 5h start to finish, and I shudder to think how fast and frightening it would have been without the epidural!

Third labour start to finish was somewhere between 20 - 30 minutes at most. So MW would have been hard pushed to get there any way - though furthers away was only 5 miles and it was a quiet Sunday evening.

It was more the constant telling us I wasn’t in labour and arguing with DH about him seeing the head that was annoying.

Next morning when we went into hospital for routine checks had a young MW accuse us of lying about it all – till older Mw stepped in and said yea you get some that come out on the water slide.

.
Literally put older DC to bed then had first twinge - then 5 -10 minutes later waters going and then full on she was coming.

It put us both off having another child.

My contractions started properly at 2am and very quickly got closer together. Got to mlu at 3.15, midwife ran the water bath thingy while hubby wandered off to get a cup of tea. Got in the water at 3.45 and started pushing straight away, dd was born at 4.02am. Hubby just managed to finish his cup of tea she was fine, a bit snuffly because of how quick it was but fine.

I’ve just remembered my Nan telling me a story about her labours which were all quite quick. With her 4th she bet the midwives that the baby would be there within half an hour.
Apparently she won herself a chocolate bar

First baby
approx 6am - wake up with a show, contractions start gradually
6.45am - begin to feel urge to push at the end of each contraction, call midwife
7am - call midwife again. 7.15am midwife finally calls back, says she'll be with us in half and hour.
7.40am - baby born at home, without midwife

Second baby
6am - wake with a bit of a stomach ache, can't be bothered to get up and go to the toilet so roll over and go back to sleep
6.10am - wake again with stomach ache. Decide that if it happens again in ten minutes I suppose I'd better consider that it might be labour
6.20am - stomach ache feeling happens again
7.07am - baby born, at home with no midwife. 2 ambulances with 4 ambulance staff turn up too late.

1st baby 5 hours from period pain to baby.

2nd 4 hours from waking feeling funny to baby. Only spent 30 mins in hospital before baby was born by the time we'd dropped DS1 off at childcare and driven there.

Agree that it can be shocking, I was in shock with DS1 as I was expecting labour to take ages. With DS2 I was prepared for quick labour and now think that it was the best way for him to come, all over and done with very quickly!!

1st DC 13 hours steady progression ending in assisted delivery (ventouse)

2nd DC (then) DH left for work at 7am, no twinges, no need for him to stay at home etc etc. Called him back home at 8am as contractions had started, 8.30am called an ambulance, 8.43am DC born on the bedroom floor just as paramedics arrived. Midwife arrived another 30 mins later.

I had a fairly big bleed so we had to go into hospital and I got my bedroom (which resembled a murder scene) redecorated on the house insurance

Stood up to go to bed just after 11pm, waters broke in fairly spectacular fashion. Contractions started about 20 minutes later, along with projectile vomiting. Had a shower, phoned the hospital, they said to go in.

Got there at midnight, midwife assessed me and said, "I'm going to start running the pool now".

Son popped out just after 3am.

I was chuffed to bits - I'd been terrified of a long labour (my mom went 24-36 hours with all of us), and he didn't wreck the joint on the way out. It was also really good timing as it meant that our dog wasn't left alone for too long! :D

I totally agree with those who said that a fast labour is scary and unpleasant.

For me personally it wasn’t the pain that was the issue. It was rather that my contractions came on so fast, with 30 seconds or less time to recover between each one. I had absolutely no time to gather myself, calm myself down or feel in any way in control. That frightened me more than anything.

I’d like to think if it happens again, I can just tell myself the reason why. I thought I was going to feel like that for hours. I didn’t realise it was because he was literally coming out and the rate of knots...

See I didn’t mind my second labour being fast, because I’d time to prepare for it, with my second I had a fast birth plan, I was able to have people with me, I even got to have medical assistance, which was great.

‘Officially’ they recorded my first labour as 9 minutes, my second 1 hour 17. In reality they were both about the same length.

I’d like to think that I’m prepared for a fast labour this time round as well.

Also, I will absolutelt insist on water and gas and air.

My 2nd was 4 hours from waters going to delivery. We were in hospital for 80 minutes before she arrived.

3rd DC was an induction. I did 22 hours of niggles after a propess (was fine, was up and about, was eating and drinking, went outside for a walk) but when I had that first proper contraction baby was there within half an hour.

The faster my labours were the more out of control and afraid I felt? My body did take over but I found it all very scary, I was so primal and out of control....

Didn't help that I was moved with my last baby as "I was the only woman on the labour ward not in established labour". They took me to a new room broom cupboard (I refused to go to a ward!), I went into proper labour within 20 minutes so had to be wheeled to a third room. They made a lot of work for themselves that night as I trashed 3 rooms!!

Congratulations OP, glad your baby was ok, even if he was fast!

With my dd I'd had what I thought was the start of labour from about 5.30am, by 6.45am it was pretty painful so we went to the hospital, got there just before 7am as we lived quite close. They put me in a room on the ward for mums and babies as they didn't have a birth room available and went looking for one. My mum had to rush out and ask for a gown because suddenly my waters broke, got that on super fast and she left at 7.10 to go get my dh as we thought maybe it would take a while so he had stayed home with ds.

I got on the bed and I was saying "she's here, she's here, I need to push" and screaming, you know, because it hurt! They kept telling me it would be a while yet and to be quiet because of the mums and babies in the ward next to me! tried to give me gas and air which just made me feel sick.

Half 7 comes, dh rushes in just after dd was born. Much to the shock of the nurses, who had just milled about getting things ready because they thought I was being dramatic and couldn't possibly be correct.

Mine were both fast, but a while back now so fortunately the memories are fading!
DS1 was an undiagnosed breech. Discovered meconium when I went to the loo at about 11pm, so was told to get to the hospital. Started getting period type pains in the car on the way. Full on contractions started I think about half midnight. I didn't get what I now know as 'normal' contractions where you get a bit of respite from the next wave. Just constant pain. Student m/w realised that she could feel a foot I think about 1am.
DH had to decide whether to try for a CS or not, but it meant pushing DS back up the birthing canal, which was a greater risk to me. DS was born at 2.30am completely unresponsive after his shoulders got stuck. He was resuscitated but his organs were failing.
Long story short. He made a miraculous recovery and is now a mammoth 11 year old!.

2nd birth I was admitted to the hospital at 39+6 because I had cellulitis in my leg and suspected blood clot. I had to fight to get admitted because no-one would take responsibility. I luckily have a friend who is a nurse and diagnosed the cellulitis. They couldn't quite decide where I should be, so I started on a mixed ward, before some bright spark decided it would be more appropriate to put me on the labour ward.
I was given blood thinners and told not to go into labour! So of course, 6am next morning, the period type pains started. DS2 was not easy, because he was a right old chunk at 10lb3 with a big head circumference, but he was certainly an easier birth than the previous one! He arrived at 10.30am.

Ds1- had the runs at 5:30am, lost my plug at 7am, contractions started about 8:00am, hospital at 8:30am, 9:50am baby born

Ds2- lost my plug at 2:00pm, contractions started 2:30, hospital at 3:15, baby born at 4:05pm.

Both totally fine! Ds1 they told me not to go in, only when my mum argued that I should be seen did they say come in, but yey would send me straight home after a little
Monitoring. Obviously realised I was progressing very fast. Ds2 I was told to go straight in due to the speed of ds1. Was warned if I had a third it would be highly likely I wouldn't get to hospital in time. I stuck to two! Lol

Have since found out I'm very hyper mobile and this links to a fast birth!

The amount of women on here that know their own bodies and aren't believed by MW and doctors is terrifying!

And ds1 they broke my water and his head came out, and ds2 my water went naturally as his head came out lol

My second was born 2hours 22 minutes after the first contraction starting.

Waters went (unexpectedly 3 weeks early), an hour later contractions started 5 minutes apart lasting 30-40 seconds. They quickly ramped up over an hour. I phoned 3 times before they eventually let me come into the hospital, the baby was born 7 minutes after we arrived at the hospital in triage. I could feel baby moving down in the car, my body was pushing, I honestly thought baby would be born in the car but I managed to hold on until we got to a bed. It was intense and so different compared to my first (7 hours), I'd rather do the 7 hours than the 2 again!

Baby was ok, slept a lot, didn't feed much and was mucousy sick and sneezing but midwife said it's common for babies born quickly. Baby was jaundice and has reflux now, nearly 5 months old.

Three fast labours here: first was 6hrs from mucous plug going at midnight to baby born in water at home at 6am next morning (mw who came out didn't believe I was so far along, couldn't examine me because I couldn't lie down because of frequent contractions, finally managed it and found I was 9cm, I dashed for the pool at that point). Second DC was 3hrs - woke at 7am feeling like I might be in labour, baby born at 10am. Third even quicker though I had felt a bit 'niggly' during the day - was meant to be out for dinner with my parents, in the end they went on their own at 7pm because I felt like I might be in labour, we called them after they'd had their main course at 8.30pm to say baby was born! They came back to ours after dessert to have coffee and meet their new GC... I joke I'm never having another because I'd probably cough in Sainsbury's car park and have the baby just fall out! In contrast to others with quick labours I'd say mine were great - didn't feel shocking or out of control, just focussed, and not too painful either. I think I am lucky. Had horrendous morning sickness throughout pg though, so swings and roundabouts.

I’ve had both - DC1 was a long labour (20 hours from 5cm dilated to birth) and DC2 and DC3 were short (both 3.5 hours from first contraction to birth). No complications for any of them.

In my experience shorter is much better!! With DC1 I just wanted to give up, go home and not have a baby after all.

Winegal it is isn't it? I know some people use dr google and and can be disastrously wrong about self diagnosing, but when you're the one with the this mini person making their way out of your own body, I think they should take your comments on it a bit more seriously. And if you say you can feel a head, you can probably feel a head!

Barkface- I can't help but wonder if it's a bit like 'silly woman' syndrome, I suspect if a bloke was shouting out in pain he would be listened to and believed!

My first was 3 hours. I went into shock after.

My second was 1hr 15 min, I experienced the euphoria after that one.

I am due any day now with #3 and very nervous about making it to hospital, and the (thankfully rare) potential complications that come with precipitate labour and third labours. But logically it is all probably going to be fine again.

I have never had a tear which is very lucky with fast labours.

Obviously it’s nicer to only have an hour of labour pains vs 12+ hours some people have - but the intensity, the potential tearing, the total lack of control and predictability - they are all still legitimate concerns.

Having experienced both the extreme shock and the euphoria, I don’t think either is the “right” way to feel. You feel how you feel and you’re entitled to! You have no more control over the emotions surrounding it than you do over the length itself IMO.