So how did they work this out then?

[darksideofbuttonmoon]

DD is now 8 months old, but I've been wondering about this since she was born. Not worrying about it, more just a bit curious.

Anyway, my contractions with her started at about 2am Monday. Went in to hospital about 2am Tuesday because they'd got to 2-3 mins apart only to be told I hadn't dilated at all so went home.

Back to hospital at lunchtime Tuesday, and I was 3cm dilated. MW told me they would normally send me home at 3cm but my pulse was weird and I was dehydrated so they let me stay.

I was examined again at 6pm (I know cos Pointless was just finishing on the TV ) and I was 5 cm. I was finally allowed some gas and air - which did naff all [sobs]. DD was born at 9.55 pm.

So this is the bit I'm wondering about, my paperwork from the hospital says I was in established labour 6 hours. Are they guesstimating that if I was 5cm at 6pm, then I was probably established at 4pm? And why wouldn't they have taken established labour from when I was 3cm?

Like I say I'm curious more than anything, and yeah maybe a little peeved that 'just' 6 hours doesn't quite reflect the actual experience

I know!! It's unfair isn't it! I was having hideously painful contractions for over 24 hours with my first before established labour began but not dilating beyond 2cm...can honestly say those contractions were worse than the pushing part with dc 2 and 3.

I think established labour is defined as being from 4cm dilated with regular, strong contractions. I know that at my second and third labours I wasn't examined after the first examination when the midwife arrived (home births) and they estimated the length of labour based on how dilated I was at that point and when I gave birth.

Its from 4cm these days.

Estimates and guesswork.

I suspect sometimes they just make stuff up. It took me 30 hours from the start of my contractions to get to 4cm - I know because I was desperate and had her check a few times during it. DD was born at 34h 45mins and yet the paperwork says I was in established labour for 12 hours - if established labour is from 4cm then it should have been recorded as 4h 45mins.

Apparently there is some leeway for the mw instinct. As in if someone comes in and things happen fast or slow, or very painful, the times may vary slightly even if they all come in the same dilation. My mw mentioned this - it was an anecdote about a mw with no common sense who sent a woman home and she had her baby on the high street!

I recently read over my discharge notes. The times are pretty much made up. They said I was in established labour for 7 hours. They just can;t know that as I arrived at 9.5cms. they also said I pushed for 50 minutes. which is totally wrong. Discussing it with my mum we think it was closer to 10 minutes and even at the most 20 minutes because we could talk through almost all the pushing contractions I had.

When I had DS a few weeks ago I wasn't examined and afterwards the MW asked me when I reckoned if gone into established labour for my notes! So I think there's a lot of guesswork.

Ah glad to know it's not just me

can I ask what other people's experiences of gas and air were like? I was told to wait until I felt I couldn't handle the pain any more then they'd examine me and if I'd progressed get me gas and air. The MW wasn't too keen to examin me at 6pm because she thought I'd get disheartened if I hadn't progressed, but I really felt that I needed more pain relief so she agreed to take a look. When she saw I was 5cm she asked if I wanted a sweep and accidentally broke my waters as she was doing it. Oh my god did the pain from the contractions ramp up after that! So she went and got the gas and air for me but it literally did nothing for the pain.

I've always thought it would have had more effect if I'd insisted in having it sooner, and that I'd make sure I get some sooner if I ever have another DC. I had the gas and air back when I was being stitched up after the birth and it did give me that spaced out feeling then.

g&a was more occupational therapy for me than pain relief tbh.
but being distracted/concentrating on the breathing helped.

Ah see my mouth piece had made an annoying whistling sound that just made me really self conscious

G&A only helped me during early labour, it did nothing when things got really going. Although I guess the rhythm of breathing in and out with it had a calming effect (again, not when I was really into it).

Gas and air helped me with the pain. I was stiched for over an hour just with gas and air too. Twas lovely stuff! (Not the stitching part!)

Gas and air took the edge of for me. Made me feel like I had had a few drinks. Labour lasted 3.5hrs and 1.5 at the hospital. Even though it was short it was intense.

Demanded it as soon as I got there as never got anything first time round. Not really by choice though. Just no one realised how far on I was and in the classes was told not to take anything to soon. Felt a bit cheated I missed out on it.

I only had gas and air, and honestly don't feel like it did anything for the pain. As a pp said, it was more a distraction technique.

G&A got me from 9.5cm to 10cm when I started to push. I'd been in pre labour for over a week, hadn't been able to hold food or drink down for over 24 hours, had two false trips to the hospital so by the time I got there I was pretty shattered. The G&A helped, I do think if I'd been able to stay at home and get in the birth pool I wouldn't have needed the extra help of the G&A.
I'd be happy to use it again but would prefer a pool (although have checked the birth centre I'm going to has G&A access point near the pool)

Oh and I've used G&A previously for something else and hallucinated and stuff but didn't get that during the birth

According to my notes I was full dilated at midnight - I wasn't admitted to hospital until 3am (not for want of trying) and gave birth 20 minutes later

I think they have to put something in the notes so they just guess if they don't actually know.