Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Quickest Labour Stories? (Not a competition!)

49 replies

lapislazuli · 23/06/2011 14:45

I gave birth to DS2 on Monday morning after an almost frighteningly fast labour - 31 mins from waters breaking to actual birth. My delivery notes make me laugh, as stage 1 of my labour says 30 mins, and stage 2 (the actual pushing part) is classified as 1 minute!

We were very lucky to make it in time - I literally went into the delivery room and 2 minutes later baby was born, had we stopped at any red lights or if there had been traffic is would have been in the car or in the lift

So...I wondered, how common is this sort of thing? I mean you couldn't plan for this at all, and I wonder what it means if I have any more...I'd have to move into hospital!

Also, not sure if this is significant, but I ate almost a whole a pineapple on Saturday night - saw the other pineapple thread, so the evidence is there even though I assumed it was an old wives' tale!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DooinMeCleanin · 23/06/2011 14:49

my 'quickest' labour was 13 hours. My longest was two bloody days

Original poster

lapislazuli · 23/06/2011 14:58

Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was bragging . Poor you, Dooin!

OP posts:

DooinMeCleanin · 23/06/2011 15:01

Congratulations on Ds2 btw.

ShowOfHands · 23/06/2011 15:01

My dd took 2 days (8 hour second stage) but my friends labours were...

17hrs
3hrs
1hr
10 minutes.

She stopped at 4.

Congratulations op. Are you okay? My friend was very, very shocked and traumatised by dc4.

And nope the pineapple is coincidence. You need to eat 8 in one go, leaves, peel and all to even start to replicate the enzyme needed. It's definitely an old wives' tale.

PikaTYchu · 23/06/2011 15:01

3 hours and 10 minutes, and i thought that was quick
Congrats :)

lou33 · 23/06/2011 15:04

2 hours 20
1 hour 40
1 hour 11
22 mins

KnitterNotTwitter · 23/06/2011 15:06

lapis guess for the next one you'll want to plan for a home birth and make sure your DP has read the 'what to do if you deliver before the MW gets there' chapter in the book...

FWIW My labour was 7hrs...

That said I know someone who was woken up by the sound of a baby crying. His wife had delivered in her sleep and not even woken up - he had to wake her to let her know that their baby had been born... No idea how that is possible but tis true.... does that count as 0 minutes labour?

Original poster

lapislazuli · 23/06/2011 15:06

Holy moly, Show, those are alarming times with every subsequent birth! I would like to have a 3rd but petrified now.
I was in shock for just a few hours, but very happy now - although I think it could have potentially been a lot worse had it been a different time of day/day of the week etc... Lucky on so many levels, the delivery suite wasn't busy either etc..and a midwife was waiting for me thank god.
I am hearing so many conflicting pineapple stories though!

OP posts:

AtAmber · 23/06/2011 15:07

My waters broke at 4.30am. Didn't have contractions until 5am. Left for hospital at 5.20. Got there at 5.50. Ds3 born at 6am. I needed to push about 5 minutes after we left the house. It's a good job it was so early or he would have been born in the Mersey Tunnel. He's 4 now- I still feel a bit traumatised!

TheProvincialLady · 23/06/2011 15:08

My grandma had 5 babies and home and 1 in hospital (the last). The first five took no longer than 30 minutes from start to finish so she was anxious when they insisted on her going into thospital for the last. She set off at the first twinge and arrived five minutes later, and had to have her tights cut in a side room off reception as my aunt was already out

Unfortunately I don't take after her. 2 sodding days with DS1 (much more reasonable with DS2 but still a few hours rather than minutes). My grandma is about 4'9 and extremely petite...she doesn't look the type to pop out 7lbers without so much as a grunt.

Original poster

lapislazuli · 23/06/2011 15:10

Oh my gawd, I am getting freaked out - Lou, your timings are scary!
Haha will send DP to midwife school...
Knitter, the thought it could have happened at home did cross my mind, as I must have been contracting in my sleep oblivious to it all, but to hear that tale is if true!

OP posts:

Bramshott · 23/06/2011 15:12

DD1 - 2hrs45
DD2 - 1hr45 and born in the car!
I am not having any more, but if I was, I'd make sure I was booked in for a homebirth. In hindsight, leaving home was probably not the cleverest thing to do this time . . .

AtAmber · 23/06/2011 15:13

And the cord was wrapped round his neck 3 times so it's a good job we got there in time!

Bumpsadaisie · 23/06/2011 16:06

I'm expecting no.2 and wondering how much "quicker" it is likely to be (DD was induced so that was 37 hours all told!)

When people say eg "2 hours" do they mean two hours from first sniff of contractions?

OP Lapislazuli - did you have contractions and pain before your waters broke? Or was it literally you were merrily going about your business with no signs of labour, then whoosh, then blimey 31 mins later your DS was here?!?

bumpybecky · 23/06/2011 16:32

it's tricky to know exactly when to start counting though isn't it. I wasn't sure when contractions started each time, one time it started as back ache that got worse and worse, other times the waters went hours before any contractions

dd1 I was niggling and having on off contractions for about 3 days before she eventually turned up, I'd had long regular contractions for hours then it all stopped, they broke my waters, things started again and I delivered her approx 3 hours later

dd2 I'd been playing computer games all night and thought the backache was down to being sat in the same position in the chair, went to bed at 12, decided it was proper labour by 12.30, dd2 arrived 2 hours later (10 mins after waters broke) :)

dd3 waters went in middle of night, no contractions for hours and hours, things eventually got started about 4pm, baby here by 6.30ish

ds waters went at 5pm ish, nothing for hours, few contractions but not much, midwives came to see us then left at 1am thinking nothing was happening, went to bed, lasted about 30 mins before calling midwives back, ds arrived at 2,50am, midwives about 5mins later!

thisisyesterday · 23/06/2011 16:34

DS3 was born in 48 minutes. that's timed from me waking up having a contraction to him being born.

waters went maybe 10 minutes before he was born? if that.

I had planned a homebirth though, so no dashing to the hospital. The midwives and ambulance crew missed it though and I delivered him myself lol

Sparklies · 23/06/2011 18:48

3 hours, but it would have been less had I not been so panicked by all the ambulances etc descending and the labour stalled. Took over an hour to push her out thanks to an undetected cervical lip too.

The midwife who first checked me (20 minutes after it all kicked off - she was supposed to be coming round to talk about homebirth but found me in labour and at 7cm!) said she expected me to deliver on the bed there and then and was genuinely surprised it all slowed down.

It was very sudden, very painful and very shocking. I was in denial for much of it and for quite some time afterwards. I just kept saying through gritted teeth "But they promised it wouldn't be like on EastEnders.." to anyone who would listen..

My next two were c-sections, not because of this I hasten to add!

Taffeta · 23/06/2011 18:52

DS 36 hours, DD 1 hour 20 mins.

First contraction midnight, called PILs to come and look after DS, left for hospital 00.50, got to hospital 00.16, had DD at 00.20. Just got my pants off in time, had her standing up.

It took me 6 months to stop thinking about it. I kept on and on processing it as it all happened so quickly.

BertieBasset · 23/06/2011 18:58

DD2 - was 4cm when got to hospital and she was born an hour later. Born in her water with 2 pushes. Very lucky apparently!!

Lollyheart · 23/06/2011 19:07

at some of these, I hope dc4 due in sept is quick.

Dc3 was my quickest born 2 hours after waters broke, no contractions before that.

gourd · 23/06/2011 20:27

From waters breaking to birth as 21 minutes, but total labour (including contractions) was 2.5 hours.

Original poster

lapislazuli · 23/06/2011 20:30

Bumpsadaisie - I had what I now know to be 30 mins of contractions before my waters broke, but nothing I instantly recognised to be "it" iyswim - I am shocked I wasn't able to spot that, but the real pain kicked in post-waters. I must have been having contractions in my sleep, there's no other way to explain it!

OP posts:

mumblebum · 23/06/2011 20:38

DC 1 was a long labour ending in a cs, DC 2 was about 2.5 hrs from first contraction to delivery. My waters went in the car on the way to hospital, also got the urge to push. I got to the hospital fully dilated but ended up pushing for 30 minutes before I had an episiotomy and he shot out. I guess if I hadn't needed that bit of help he probably would have arrived in the car. No.3 due in 2 weeks and I'm really worried about making it to hospital! On the plus side the fast labour meant I escaped the strapped to the bed on monitors bit that I should've had after a CS!

lisad123 · 23/06/2011 20:42

DD2 was 48 mins, after i woke on the ward in full labour, told to go and get a bath, on my own in the bathroom when waters broke and they managed to get me to labour ward where iw as 10cm. DH made the last 10 mintues, but only because I called him from bathroom, if i waited for them, he wouldnt have made it!!
Was very shocked and shakey aferwards

fantus · 23/06/2011 20:42

From waters breaking to birth with DC 2 was 40 minutes - including 20 minutes of very gentle pushing. Total time from first contraction to delivery was 3.5 hours.

DC 1 was 6 hours from start to finish which i've been told is quick for a first time labour although a friend of mine had her first in a grand total of 20 minutes and delivered in the hallway at home

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread