actual v active labour

[soandsosmum]

When talking with el.friends and on mn which measurement of your labour do you use: actual (first contraction to birth) or active (when mw measured you at 4cm is it?) ?

Mine are just so different: 23 hours v about 9

I use actual as i was induced. My first contraction was as strong as my last so I refuse to consider i wasn't in 'active' labour until 4cm!

32 hours in all btw!

First contraction to birth so 4ish hours. If I went by when midwife measured me it wud be 15 mins. I was fully dilated and wanting to push when I got to hosp.

4 hours! I'm

Tricky, the first time a midwife examined me for both labours they said you can push now. DD was born 18 minutes after I arrived at the hospital

So, so lucky as I am a lazy mare and would not have coped well with a long labour.

DawnOfTheDee it was horrendous because it was full on really bad contractions the whole time. Im lucky I got to hosp, I kept thinking I was nowhere near ready, eventually my mum pushed me in the car and got me there. I thought I was only going to be about 4cm and was demanding an epidural because I couldnt go on for another 10 hours or however long it was going to be.

Under your definition I was in active labour long before I was in actual labour on DD2. I don't get contractions I can feel properly until my waters break/are broken. I went for a routine exam and was 5cm... By 9pm I was 8cm and still hadn't felt anything other than a few cramps. My waters were broken and 45minutes later DD2 arrived. (While it may sound great, the intesity of going from zero to full speed instantly was pretty tough).

I use the 45minute as my labour time, because that's the only time I consider I was labouring at all.

On DD1 my waters broke and contractions started. Midwife tried to send me home because I "wasn't in labour". Was 6 hours start to finish - and I lived an hour from hospital. I'm glad she changed her mind and kept me in. I wouldn't have had the baby at home, but it wouldn't have been a pleasant drive back!

Sorry to hear that books...sounds almost like induced contractions but without the induction! It always amazes me just the sheer variety and different types of labours people have.

I count mine from when my waters broke, as I'd be having contractions (Braxton Hicks since 22 weeks!) for ages anyway. Waters breaking to birth was 14 hours.

If I count it from proper timeable contractions, it's 10 hours. If I count from 4cm it was 3 hours.

Mine were both 4 hours 2nd stage and 3rd stage both 2mins each I had better run this time!

Labour for DS was noted as 3 hours. It seemed to only count from 10cm to DS being born - not from where I was examined at home and found to be 6cm

• which would have made it 7 hours.

First contraction to birth was about 27.5 hrs.

First contraction to birth would have been 53 hours. Waters breaking to birth was 26 hours. I never got beyond 4cm dilated (had to have interventions in hospital to get DS out) but I was at 4cm for about 12 hours.

1st contraction to birth - 45 hours.

From 4cm to birth - 16 hours. Thank god for epidurals!

I count it from when it got quite painfull (which was from 3/4 cm) so that would be 10hrs.

From 1st contraction was about 24hrs - it took me about 6 hrs from the 1st contraction to realise I was actually in labour- I think I was in denial!

First contraction to birth, 19 hours.

From 4cm to birth, at least 10, DD was back to back so was stuck at 4cm for a very long time. She moved quickly after that though! Waters didn't break until she was born but was pretty intense none the less.

From regular contractions to birth, though my notes both times only count time from arrival at hodpital, which I suppose they have to really. 38 hours and 19 hours, or 31 and 9 if you go by the medics, which would be active labour minus a bit.

I usually say I'm not sure as I don't know when to start timing from. From first contraction was about 17 hours, but midwife didn't arrive until I was already 10 cms and pushing so I have no idea when I was 4 cm. (I had a homebirth and there was someone else giving birth in the area at the same time who got priority as she was a second-time mum and therefore more likely to have a quick labour.

I think my labour would have been closer to 13ish hours, but I had to transfer to hospital after the midwife arrived due to meconium when my waters broke.

Notes count from arrival at hospital - so about 45 minutes.

1st contraction to birth - about 48 hours
waters breaking to birth - 2.5 hours

I have no idea at what point I was 4cm dilated, I was already 6cm when I got to hospital.

Tends to be who I'm talking to - proper friends, the truth, people who are moaning about their very long labours who I don't really know, I do the whole thing.

So, DS1, waters breaking to birth - 15 hrs, first contraction to birth 10 hrs, 4cm to birth, 3 hrs.

DS2 - waters breaking to birth - 4 hrs, first contraction to birth, 3 hrs, 4cm?? Err absolutely no idea. He was a bathroom floor baby.

No idea why my waters go first - not induced with either.

ah, so now I realise why timings are so different! Amazing how different labours can be!

Mine was the same! Went in at 4cm, was 10cm after 1.5 hours.

It was nuts