Anyone here have experience of a fast labour?

[doubleshotlatte]

Did you have 3-4 hours, or less, of active labour?

I didn't realise my last labour was considered "fast" until Midwife at first booking appointment told me. So it took 4 hours or slightly less from being 2cm then feeling the urge to push, pushing actively and DD being born. This after 2 days painful contractions and no sleep. I did feel traumatised by the birth, upset at not having had any pain relief (entonox didn't work). Only when I understand that it was a "relatively fast labour" does it all make sense. Now due in a few weeks knowing its going to be even shorter am trying to plan and prepare better this time...

So, if you knew you'll have a fast labour in advance, what would you do differently? Or did do, in subsequent births?

ds (36+ weeks) Felt a bit strange all day, went for a drink on a boat about 6 pm, came home about 8, DH said in labour I said not, called M/W about 1130, she arrived,(planned HB) about 1200, I said I didn't like it much she examined me then phoned GP and told him (not me) that I was fully dilated, baby arrived 1230 before Doctor and Gas and Air.
DD took 12 hours from 1st pains, also H/B but m/w just got there as nothing much happening, for ages so not convinced it was for real. Feel anxious as DC 3 due in 2 days, planned HB again, DH says he doesn't want to be on his own. Tore after both as very rapid, also quite shocked, worried about 2 DC and hope it happens when they are at school

First one: 4 hours, that is when I had an urge to push, a real and painful one. The miwife then told me it was a quick labour. I though she was an idiot :)
Second: 3 pushes and that was it. I think it was 3 min.

Apparently wasn't in labour at 6am less than 3cms when examined baby born at 6.29 am

Mine halved each time!

DC1 6hours
DC2 3 hours
DC3 1.5 hours
DC4 30 minutes

This was from mild pain to actually giving birth.

My advice (should have taken it with DC4!) is to go at the first hint of pain if you think it is going to be fast otherwise you may not make it!

DD was 2.5hrs so I was advised with DS to phone the labour ward as soon as I could and tell them how quick my first labour was. When my waters broke, even though I wasn't having proper contractions, they told me to come straight in just in case.

I was convinced he'd be born on a roundabout on the outskirts of the city where the hospital was and where I worked at the time.

I'd spend my morning commutes when pregnant sitting in the traffic queues at that roundabout worrying about giving birth there when it came to it and planning how I could bypass the tailbacks

As it was my labour was slightly longer at around 4 hrs.

DS1 15 minuets
DS2 19 minuets (walked on to the hospital at 8.30 and at 8.49 there he was)

DS1 4 hrs and born in hospital

DS2 45 mins, just managed to get to the hospital, he was born 10 mins later.

Thank god for gas & air

3 planned homebirths
ds1 waters broke, stretch and sweep, baby arrived after an hour of pushing 7hrs later

ds2 phoned midwives 5hrs after start of mild contractions, baby arrived 2hrs later with no pushing a few minutes after transition

ds3 up at 2am phoned midwives at 10am, 3cm. eating lunch at 12:30 baby arrived 1/2hr later within minutes of transition and no pushing. he waited till ds1 and ds2 were settled for afternoon nap, but not for midwives! dh freaking out that baby's head was out and we were on our own but i warned him we'd be on our own and i would be catching baby as it came out.

i discussed delivering on our own with several midwives and had a feeling it would happen that way. the midwife on the day was well aware it was my 3rd and the last 2 were fast, especially the last bit, but she was still too late!

established labour to delivery was 1hr 25 mins! everything was perfect apart from a few tears and therefore stitches. when I went to hospital I was only 3cm and they told me to go away and come back in a couple of hours, but waiting for the car I felt worse and went straight back upstairs to labour ward, they said thank goodness I listened to my instincts!

dd came in 2 hours 5 mins. I would have ignored mw telling me I had hours to go and pain was going to get a lot worse (turned out I was 10cm at this point) and dh would have asked for a second opinion earlier - mw tried to send me home 45 mins before dd was born as I wasn't having contractions (according to the machine - I was saying otherwise!).

Would have trusted my body more not the mw.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling a contraction and my waters breaking, 3 hours 15 mins later DS was born. First baby for me too, which is worrying for how fast a second birth might be!

For the record, I had my first contractions about 12 hours before he was born, but not painful, so we went to bed as normal :)

DS was a very leisurely 26 hours. I had an epidural and it was all very easy going, even got to send OH out for magazines and papers. DD decided to make an appearance 6 weeks early and in less than 2 hours of labour, and as I was horribly disorganised I hadn't even packed my labour bag. Trying to make sure I had everything in full labour wasn't fun, the first nappy she wore was her 18 month old brother's. My poor mother was as scared as I was at how fast everything was progressing as she drove us to the hospital. My blood pressure was sky high on that labour and they couldn't get it down, so I do think that had something to do with it. I ended up in hospital for a week afterwards and as I wasn't breastfeeding they discharged her and not me

DC1 36.5hrs
DC2 48 minutes

My first was 4 hours from first contraction to birth, and the midwives were astonished; not least because they'd told me to go home and come back the next day - but that's another story. (Obviously no pain relief whatsoever).

Second one, I opted for gas and air thinking it would be quicker, and it was - an incredibly short 2 1/2 hours from start to finish! Definitely no problem going without pain relief for such a short time.

Good Luck

first 4 hours 20mins from first twinge to birth (10 mins after getting to hosp)

second 2 hours 20 mins from first twinge to birth (3 pushes and out @ 10.1lb)

third 40 mins, 5 mins after getting to birthing centre.

No pain relief for any (other than water births for 2nd & 3rd), didn't feel needed it for such short labours.

Good luck!

DS born 3.5 hrs after waters breaking. I'd been using hypnotherapy CDs and found the whole experience to be v. positive. It was quick but I didn't feel out of control.

DD born just over 1 hour after first twinges. Totally different experience. Agree with person who said relaxation techniques etc just go out of the window. My body went into shock - in fact the uncontrollable shaking was the first sign I had that I was actually in labour. I felt out of control and quite panicky. Luckily we lived v. close to hospital otherwise wouldn't have made it in time. Having said all that, would def opt for a quick labour over a long one. Not sure I want a third though - would be quite worried about an even quicker delivery. Are you close to the hospital? I would prepare for a home delivery just in case.

On more thing I would add is trust your instincts - if I hadn't and listened to my MW when I called her ("go and take a paracetamol and try to relax for an hour or so, you're probably some way off yet"), I would have had DD on kitchen floor!

Only have one dd. Waters went at 6am and I thought I'd wet myself, then went back to bed and slept until 11am. Some contractions which I assumed were BH as not regular, not particularly painful and didn't get closer together. Started to hurt about 4pm and called MW out who said I didn't sound like I was in labour but as it was my first and I was booked in for a HB she'd come and check me over. MW arrived about 5pm I think and found I was already 10cm, dd arrived at 6.30pm.

Was quite lucky actually as MW started off telling me that I couldn't stay at home as they were short staffed at the birthing unit so I'd have to go in. I was OK with that as it made sense, but then she checked how dilated I was and it seemed it was already too late - MW was really surprised.

DS1 - 6 hours from start to finish
DS2 - 45 min from start to finish

With DS2 I had a mild twinges at 7.15am when I woke - DH repeatedly asking if he can go to work. I rang my mum to sit on DS1 and then suddenly my waters broke - shouted to dial 999 as the pain was unbelievable. I was admitted to hospital at 7.58am the midwife was saying 'pant pant pant I can see the head' DS2 was born 8.02am - in the caul so he is extra lucky!

Don't mean to panic you but....

Dc1 - first twinge at 6am, born less than 4 hours later in the front seat of the car as we drove to hospital. Stupidly I believed the anti-natal classes when they said first labours are 12-24 hours long. Dh didn't believe me when I said the baby was coming as we drove to the hospital. Conversation went as follows
Me - the baby's coming
dh - no it's not, we've got ages yet
Me - Yes it is I can feel the head

dh -

dc 2 - one hour from first twinge. dc born whilst I was on the phone dialling 999 to request a paramedic/ midwife.

No way am I having anymore.

3 Labours longest 45 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes.

First one had a show two hours before, but then nothing till 45 minutes before he was born.

Second I haemorrhaged, at 6pm, but didnt go into labour till 10pm

Third straight into labour and bang she was there.

FIRST BIRTH 5 HOURS NO PAIN RELIEF OR STITCHES.
SECOND BIRTH 2 HOURS USED GAS AND AIR BUT NO STITCHES
SECOND BIRTH WAS HARDER THAN FIRST THOUGH CONSTANT PAIN FOR 2 HOURS SOLID
ALL WORTH IT IN THE END

I had a quick labour, less than 3 hours from the first sign to baby born. Luckily I planned a home birth. Midwife came in when she was half out.

1st DC - lots of hours...days...weeks (felt like it anyway!)

2nd DC - Waters broke at home, DH delivered baby while on the phone to paramedics after I'd had 3 contractions and pushed twice. Was very scary though!

dc1 ~7hrs

dc2 appt with mw at 1pm, 1st contraction 2.30pm, baby arrived 5.45pm. Mw from earlier appt was v surprised when she heard! I was a bit in shock as I hadn't got my head round actually being in labour til about half an hour before dc2 arrived.

dc3 less than 2hrs I think (it's a bit of a blur!)

Answering your question about what I did differently for no.3, I got everything I could ready beforehand (birthing pool, arrangements for existing kids), and was on the look-out for the signs I noticed only in hindsight with no.2 (periody pains & feeling like I'd had a dodgy curry), I also phoned for a mw as soon as I thought I might be in labour even though I wasn't sure as I'd been told they'd be happy to come out even if turned out not to be because it'd been quick previously). I literally phoned before the contractions actually got painful!

Unfortunately, although it meant I had a mw in time rather than 10mins before the baby was born as previously, it also meant I was aware of every twinge & less relaxed than with no.2.

Good luck!