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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

any one else had long latent labour then gone from 4cm to delivery in minutes?

35 replies

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 11:41

BOTH my previous labours, Ive laboured at home for a long time (one was planned HB with transfer in to hospital for failure to progress) only to go from 4cm to delivering the baby (nearly unaided both times) within 10 minutes?

DC3 due in 2 weeks...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Snusmumriken · 01/08/2012 11:45

Oh my, I went from 3cm to delivering DS in and hour and a half. I thought that was fast!

We never made it to the hospital. DH delivered DS in our bed....

Are you planning on having a HB this time?

Good luck!

Stannwigg · 01/08/2012 11:46

Yes. He was nearly born down the toilet!

Original poster

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 11:47

well, local MW led unit yes - but i seem to labour for a long time, 14 hours with DC2, managed with no gas or any thing, was just in the bath the whole time - then very intense 10 minutes when I actually thought I was dying the pain was horrific and i was being very patronised by 3 doctors who all had examined me at 4cm and told me to sleep and lay down, i told them to fuck off, and delivered DD....

OP posts:

TheJoyfulTripleJumper · 01/08/2012 11:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Snusmumriken · 01/08/2012 11:56

That sounds familiar worriedwretch.

DH and I went in to our MW led unit after I had been in labour for about 15 hours. I was convinced that DS was about to be born. The MW told me to take a paracetamol and call them back in about 4 four hours, when I was in labour.

DS was born at home not long after we got back.

I regret the fact that I didn't stand my ground and insist on making them admit me. DH was amazing but I shudder to think what could have happened....

Original poster

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 12:09

Feel really anxious about labour again as basically I poured my heart out to a relative who is a MW - hopin for some
Support and encouragement. She basically told me that I couldn't have been in labour all that time I was in labour - I was at 4cm when MW examined me at about 7pm after my waters had
Broken and then was still 4cm at 5am when they made decision to transfer me.

But I was in labour. They were "proper" contractions. :(

OP posts:

TruthSweet · 01/08/2012 14:01

I had a fairly long latent stage with DD2 and after about 24 hours of regular contractions the HB MW said I was 4-5cm (she hadn't been with us long as they wouldn't send anyone out in the early hours of the night as the MWs were all tired ). Another MW turned up and they decided to send 1st MW back to her town (8 miles away) so she could do her rounds and be back in time for the birth. DD2 was born before the 1st MW reached her town! 2nd stage went down as 4 mins

DD3 had a very long latent/pro-dromal labour (3 weeks) but I was in active labour for about 25 hours before she was born but she was born very quickly (I can't remember how quickly I dilated as they didn't check as my waters had broken).

elliejjtiny · 01/08/2012 16:30

DS1 - latent labour 3.5 weeks, 4cm to 10cm - 3h 20m, pushing - 30m
DS2 - latent labour 5 days, 4cm to 10cm - 1h, pushing - 30m
DS3 - latent labour 24 hours, 4cm to 10cm - 1hr 50m - pushing -25m

So not as quick as you but the same sort of pattern. The midwife with ds3 thought I'd be ages when I finally got to 4cm after being stuck at 3cm for 10 hours even though I told her I would be quick. Less than 2 hours later I was pushing, it took her longer to do the paperwork

NightLark · 01/08/2012 16:47

Yes. Examined, yes, you're 4 cm, you can use the pool. Contraction x2, then felt her head descending. If not for the shoulder dystocia she'd have been out within moments of the mw saying 4 cm.

newlark · 01/08/2012 16:51

With ds I'd been in labour for about three hours (had a fast labour with dd) and it was getting v painful - examined and only 4cm. Asked for an epidural and by the time it was in (it failed to work unfortunately) I was 10cm and ready to push - so just 10-15 mins or so...

fuckbadger · 01/08/2012 17:04

Yes with dc2 I went from 5cm to feeling the urge to push in about 20 minutes, 30 minutes later dd was out!

Original poster

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 21:14

oh an how long can I expect these niggles and period aches to go on for? They started last night, with 4 or 5 really strong and painful braxtons and havent stopped all day

OP posts:

tittytittyhanghang · 01/08/2012 21:18

no, but it always make me when i hear of woman being sent home in labour because they are not far on enough, only to end up having the baby in the carpark/half way home or to get home only to turn around and head back. Surely if you are in labour and dilated then the baby could come at any time, could be 5 mins, could be 72 hours.

hattifattner · 01/08/2012 21:24

with all 3 of mine, once I got to about 5 cm, it took around 20 minutes to birth the baby. My last was induced: cold start, ARM, baby born 1h45mins later.

Blueaddie · 01/08/2012 21:55

RANT WARNING - GETTING TO END OF PREGNANCY AND HAVE NO TOLERANCE

Why are midwives such b@stards about dismissing early labour as 'nothing'??? Why is there default setting to not believe people are in labour and that things can change quickly and that you can be in a shit load of pain before 4cm?!?

I am sure it is not all midwives but an awful lot of them have this attitude and it winds me up.

Rant over....as you were.....sorry

Original poster

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 22:01

that made me giggle....

OP posts:

YoulllWinGoldOneDay · 01/08/2012 22:04

God yes Blueaddie. I rant about that very frequently.

I probably had what the OP describes with my second. I had no internals so can't be sure, but based on my first labour it seems likely.

I was in a lot of pain in the 'latent' stage. What would have been considered active labour and pushing did not actually hurt at all. I could have done that last bit for days - 'latent' nearly floored me.

YoulllWinGoldOneDay · 01/08/2012 22:05

ps. OP you can stop them making assumptions based on dilation if you refuse internals! Then they have to judge you, not a number.

Original poster

worriedwretch · 01/08/2012 22:11

I have decided to refuse internals yes, but can they then withhold pain relief? such as gas and air or let me get in the pool>

OP posts:

YoulllWinGoldOneDay · 01/08/2012 22:13

Hmmm. I think they might not let you in the pool. Depending on policy. Gas and air is not dependent on dilation, so that shouldn't be affected.

One reason I went with a homebirth is that the pool was mine, and no one had any right to tell me what to do!

Sure someone else will know more. I am afraid because I went for a home birth I just decided I was getting in. You could start a thread specifically on refusing internals - quite a few people on here have done it.

TruthSweet · 01/08/2012 22:35

This and this (though the last link may be a bit 'woo' for some, it does make sense) helpful reading for those who don't wish to have VEs during labour.

My MW with DD2 could tell she was coming from the other side of the cloakroom door just from what noises I was making (no visuals and I had not long been examined at 4-5cm and 'hours from delivering') so I don't think a competent MW needs to see how dilated you are to know where in labour you are.

YoulllWinGoldOneDay · 01/08/2012 23:00

That second one is indeed a bit woo for me, but I agree with the underlying point about the factual measurement damaging the mental work your body is doing. Telling me that there had been no change broke my spirit after three days 'latent' with DD1. I never disappeared into myself the way i did when i refused them.

Babylon1 · 01/08/2012 23:01

I went from 4 to 10cm in less than 15 mins

Midwife was a bit too

Easiest of my three labours

Musomathsci · 01/08/2012 23:05

I think it's possible to have a long 'stop-start' kind of labour, with lots of back pain and so on when the baby is facing face to pubes (OP) - the head doesn't fit the cervix so well, so the labour doesn't work as efficiently. If the baby then decides to turn round during labour, hey presto, off you go very quickly - I had this with my second - day and a half of painful frustrating stop-go labour. Was told I was 6 cm and would have hours to go. I felt the baby turn and whoosh, she was out 7 minutes later.

BuntCadger · 01/08/2012 23:07

Got told with dd "your not in labour, can't have gas and air, stuck me with pethidine" 2 hours later dd born with cord around neck and needed oxygen (as affected by pethidine IMO). Cue witchy mw trilling "said you'd be quick". The bitch had sent me to another ward and noone was with me and dh. . Pushing stage was only 12 minutes iirc. Then promptly delivered placenta (this was late at night 11.12pm) I was home by 1.30am.

My pregnancy was consultant led high risk and 2nd vbac meant to be monitored as ds2 had died heart rate and had to be ressucitated at birth.

I still want a 4th

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