How long were you in Labour?

[joymaker]

I ended up having an EMCS with DC1 and am currently 27 weeks pregnant with DC2 and considering a VBAC. My consultant has advised not labouring beyond 12hrs so was wondering about others' experiences (i.e how realistic this time frame might be)with their DC's.

Thanks

Active labour?

With DD it was around 7 hours from start to finish (second child)

With DS I had 2 days of slow, latent labour and 10 hours of active labour

I was induced and labour started pretty much immediately after the first pessary. (I was 5 days overdue and had been leaking waters for days).

I was in labour for 7 hours and got to 3cm dilated (then I had to have a crash c section to save baby's life).

All labours are very different indeed. I wouldn't have thought 12 hours plus was a particularly long labour? What reasons did your consultant give?

With DC1, from first contraction to actual birth was 9 hours. I arrived at the hospital 5cm dilated and she was born approx 5 hours after that.

With DC2, from first "ooh, this might be happening now" to actual birth was 10 hours. Arrived at the hospital 4cm dilated and baby was born just over an hour later.

I guess the thing would be (assumign it's safe) to labour for as long as you can at home. I am not sure when they would start the counting of how long you were in labour for, IYSWIM, it might be from when you arrived at the hospital?

13 hours, both times, although very different labours.

DS - 17 hours
DD - 6 hours

Counting from first contraction to birth. DD was induced though.

too bloody long

29.5 hours from a bloody show to DS sliding out. 4.5 hours active labour if you believe my notes... it was agony well before the 'start' of active labour though.

god i never remember the stages but...

first labour. waters broke around 5:30am, barely painful contractions from time to time from about 8am onwards.

1:30pm first painful contraction and gave birth at 11:47pm. i always consider it to be from 5:30am in that as it was my first baby and it was all relatively smooth from then on, that was the start of labour. But actual labour was really 10hours. pushing, probably an hour or so, cant really remember, but had intervention, i recall not pushing for too long before they intervened as DD was in distress when I pushed. enough time to panic a bit, get a bit excited, go to hosp for waters to be checked (as they were monitoring DD), come home, have some friends come around for England to be knocked out of the world cup and our 'doula' (friend who was in place of my mum) to come back from cornwall, get to hospital!

second labour. just over 4 hours from waking at 7:20am with 'bam!' contraction to giving birth at 11:35am. would probably have been quicker if I had let the midwife anywhere near me to break my waters. Once she broke then, started pushing almost immediately, 20 mins later DS was born. Just enough time to have some brecky to throw up, DH take DD to her godparents and then get to hospital and a bit of G&A..

Thanks everyone this is giving me food for thought and reason for hope , I'm seeing my consultant on Friday and I know I need to ask more questions on this point.

bibbity I didn't ask at the time (but I'm assuming it's because of an increased risk of uterine rupture)

I was say though, that, i dont know know how they measure it either, but...i went into hosp about 4 hours before DD was born. I remember labouring and being asked to decide there and then if I wanted epidural and diamorphine as this is likely the only opp to have it. I laboured in what I thought was pretty active labour for a short while, then it all went quiet, and midwife said this was usual. we had a cup of tea and some toast, and it was almost like 'right shall we crack on now?' and then I went into the fast, intense so break between contractions labour. so, maybe they take 'that?' as active labour? the bit before that, very painful, regular, quite quick, but bearable.

DS 6 hrs 40 mins first twinge to birth
DD 5hrs 30 mins as above.
I do consider myself very lucky

ds: about 8 hrs
dd: about 6 hrs

22 hours the first time.
6 the second time.

Started 8am Monday. Had DD by emcs at 1am Wednesday. Was only 4cm then! So apparently only 2.5hrs of 'labour' but like herren, it had been bloody agony since late Monday afternoon...

From waters breaking, got to 7cm in 2 hours.
From beginning to end, 12 hours to the exact minute!

DD1 2 hrs 8 mins

Good luck!

Quite Pavlov, I need to know at what point the clock starts ticking. Also, technically, if it could be advised that I stopped labouring if at 12hrs I was 9cm. Unless I or my baby were at obvoius risk I think I might be a bit or

About 12 years until the Iraq war

Bella You never can tell the way it will work out can you. Congratulations on your DD!

Thanks WestW

40mins with DS2 .....far far to fast.

10 1/2 hours first time round. (Went to hospital for last 2 1/2 happy at home before that.
2nd 59 mins. Only coz they wouldn't let me push in the lift! Agree with watermelon. Far too bloody fast!

With my first baby, I had about 24 hours of latent labour and was in active labour for about 7 hours. The latent phase isn't recognised as 'true' labour, but they really tired me out!! If only I'd known to save my energy; to take paracetamol, to sleep, eat, and not watch the clock and try to count very irregular (but very real!) contractions.

My waters broke with DD at about 9.30pm, but had no pain at all until about 4.30pm the next day which was just niggly back ache, but didn't need painkillers or anything. The midwives kept saying I wasn't contracting as nothing was showing up on the monitors, although the pain was getting worse.

Was given an internal exam at 8.45 pm which showed I was 4cm so considered to be in active labour, and moved onto the MLU. Pain went through the roof at 9pm, but still not in my tummy, so midwife gave me gas and air, and I lay in the bath. I got out of the bath at 11.15pm as I had the urge to push against something and I was too short to reach the end of the bath I begged to get on the bed as I just wanted to sleep for a few minutes as I was so tired. As soon as I got on the bed, I needed to push, so midwives held my feet so I had something to push against, and DD was born at 11.26pm.

I would say it didn't last more than 3 hours, and I was only in severe pain for about 2 and a half hours, with less than 15 minutes pushing. I think it was great compensation for a hideous pregnancy

Sorry for the mammoth post!

From waking up with a bleed to holding my Ds was 4hours, only in pain for 3 of those though.

I have a weakened cervix after an operation so apparently this is commen. First (and only!) Baby by the way!

DD - waters broke 1am, first contractions 3am, gave birth at 6:30am, so 3.5 hours of labour

DS - woke at 6am with mild twinges, but got on with sorting out DD's breakfast etc., got to birth clinic at 7:30am and went into full blown labour, had DS at 8:45am - 1.5 hours