Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Childbirth

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

Original poster

Does anyone else do really long labours? Or is it just me?

20 replies

TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/08/2011 22:56

Asking around i'm starting to feel like a bit of a freak. My 1st was 48hours from the 1st twinge to being born and my 2nd was 30hours from the 1st twinge. My contractions don't seem to be very strong and my tummy goes really massive so maybe I just dont have a very strong, toned uterus!

Everyone I know seems to have had shorter labours than me I was just wondering if anyone has had similar expereinces tbh! Grin

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
K999 · 04/08/2011 22:59

1st was 4 days!

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/08/2011 23:01

4 days is very long! Have you had any more labours?

OP posts:
K999 · 04/08/2011 23:03

Yes. 2nd was by Elective CS. 20 minutes! Grin

HighHeidYin · 04/08/2011 23:04

No not just you. My four were very long. Dd2 was by far the quickest at 11hrs. The others were days long.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/08/2011 23:08

This is what's putting me off having a 3rd! If I could have an ELCS I wuld without a doubt but my 2nd was a vbac so I doubt they would let me now!

Subsequent labours getting shorter and easier doesn't happen for everyone it seems?

OP posts:
HighHeidYin · 04/08/2011 23:12

No unfortunately not for everyone. My fourth was 20 plus hours and ended in EC! So much for 'popping them out'!

chocoroo · 04/08/2011 23:17

Yep, another four day job here - first twinges on a Sunday evening, baby arrived on Thursday teatime by EMCS.

I won't be testing the theory that they get quicker. It's ELCS or nothing for me after that experience.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/08/2011 23:23

Lol! I want to test my thoery here- did all of you have really large bumps, I mean really large so much so that people would think you were expecting twins?

OP posts:
K999 · 04/08/2011 23:25

With 1st yes.

HighHeidYin · 04/08/2011 23:27

Yes, but put that down to the fact that they were all over 2 wks late.

Not large babies though. Dd2 was by far the heaviest at 8.2.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/08/2011 23:31

I just wonder if people who have really long labours (and large bumps) is because they have stretchy uterus's (sp?) so the muscles are not very strong and toned. This makes the bump larger and labour longer as the contractions aren't as efficient. Just a theory. But glad it's not just me!

OP posts:
thursday · 04/08/2011 23:35

aye, 4 days for the first one, second time i was up to about 25 hours i think when it ended in a section. i only got to 4 frigging cm that time too so i expect it would have been another long one. after the first one though i wasnt even flagging, i would have rocked that labour!

chocoroo · 04/08/2011 23:35

I measured small right to the bitter end. I was two weeks overdue when DD finally arrived though.

My contractions were five mins apart the whole time, but I only started dilating to any extent on the last day so I'd guess my uterus was pretty inefficient. Now, if only someone had noted that on, say, the Tuesday....Grin

HighHeidYin · 04/08/2011 23:40

Interesting theory Smile

My uterus is just born idle. Like me. Every time I lay down all signs of labour disappeared. Infact I was sent home when in labour with dd4 as all contractions stopped when they made me lie down to examine me.

If I hadn't walked around for hours on end I may have had the longest labours in history!

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 05/08/2011 04:42

yep. Contractions started tuesday, ds born weds night. Did everything i could to encourage progression...walking, curry, pineapple etc. Had a massive bump too.

Can you tone a uterus? Who would do that work out dvd do you think? Grin

insanityscatching · 05/08/2011 06:02

Yes me too and usually end up on syntocin anyway as I never seem to get going. Really annoying as my sisters all have quick labours as in born en route or before they can be admitted to delivery suite Envy.

spudulika · 05/08/2011 08:46

Second labour 7 hours.

First and third over 24 hours of ACTIVE LABOUR. Can't remember how long it took me to get to 3cm in each case but it was at least 48 hours.

Third baby I was 8cm on Tuesday at midnight, but didn't give birth until 4.30 on Wednesday afternoon...... Shock

On the plus side - after number three I was high as a kite for days. All those endorphins..... (didn't get it after first epic labour as had an epidural)

chocolateyclur · 05/08/2011 08:52

Crap. My first labour was 43 hours and ended in forceps etc. I was praying it would be shorter this time.

That said, I was 9 days late when labour started - and my bump was teeny. Still crossing fingers that this one might just fall out.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 05/08/2011 22:52

It's a scary thought that only 100 yrs ago we probably wouldn't have made it. Our lazy wombs would probably have cost us our lives. Morbid thought for a friday evening. Grin

OP posts:
MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 06/08/2011 18:32

sorry, my post should have read contractions started sunday ds born wed night. Would have been quite happy with tues till weds...

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread