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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Quick birthers

13 replies

Fourormore · 20/04/2016 14:56

Those of you who give birth quickly - how do you manage the late stages of pregnancy? I'm terrified of going into labour while I'm out shopping or somewhere else and it all happening too fast to get home (for planned home birth) or transferred to hospital.

Do you stay close to home? Do you go out and just chance it?

OP posts:

Chasingsquirrels · 20/04/2016 15:00

Both of mine were quick.

ds1 was 2 hours labour, starting 30 mins after waters broke.
ds2 was 15 mins, starting 10 mins after waters broke.

Both were born at 37 weeks, so before I was expecting to go into labour and both at night so there was nothing to manage really as I was at home relaxing before bed in both cases.

MrsCeee · 20/04/2016 15:04

I am planning to stay close to home from about 38weeks. I'm not actively planning a homebirth simply because it doesn't appeal to me from a practical point of view but I would much prefer to give birth at home as opposed to in a car.

I suppose if I was absolutely tired of staying close to home then I would just hover in places (shopping centre, park) close to the birth centre.

MrsCeee · 20/04/2016 15:05

Chasing did you end up having them both at home, if you don't mind me asking?

Original poster

Fourormore · 20/04/2016 15:06

15 minutes, chasingsquirrels!!
Relaxing in bed sounds like the perfect place.

I don't know why I'm so worried about it - my last was 4 hours but I'd just sent DH to work so I'm scared that if I do that this time, and it's quicker, I might be all alone!

Hovering around the birth centre sounds like a good plan, MrsCeee, I hadn't thought of that

OP posts:

LemonBreeland · 20/04/2016 15:09

My first was 4 hours, so not that quick, enough time to get to hospital. I planned hbs for the other two, and it was good I did. DS2 was 1 hr 45 mins from first contraction and DD was 45 minutes. MW didn't make it in time to deliver DD, so DH had to do it.

I have been lucky that I've only ever gone into labour at night. I was worried that DH might not make it home from work for DD to be born if he was out when it started as it was a particularly busy time of year for him. I think my body only relaxed enough to let me go into labour when I was at home.

LemonBreeland · 20/04/2016 15:11

Forgot to add you can always call 999 if things progress really quickly and you knwo you are not going to get to a hospital etc. We called 999 for DD and they talked DH through the birth while the ambulance was on the way. This was becuase we hadn't heard from the mw and were worried.

Chasingsquirrels · 20/04/2016 15:23

Ds1 was hospital. We called when my waters went and they said come in. Contractions started as we arrived at hospital.

Ds2 was planned home birth, called after waters went, midwife called back during my first contraction and not suprisingly didn't arrive in time for the birth.
I'd got off the bed so H could do plastic sheeting, thought I better just check, reached down and delivered his head. I said to H " I'm having the baby", he said he knew, looked over and freaked.
After he was born H called 999 and the paramedics (who weren't needed, I never really understood why he called them) arrived about half an hour before the midwife!

MrsCeee · 20/04/2016 15:30

Wow! Some of these stories are making me slightly nervous.
DS was just under 3hours but he arrived soon after my waters broke. I'm not too confident I would have enough time to (comfortably) get to the hospital if my waters broke whilst I was still at home.

Might have to do some reading up on homebirths...

misspym · 20/04/2016 15:39

My first was slightly under 4 hours. My second was under 2 hours. The hospital was an hour away and by the time we had a babysitter to the house to mind dc1 I barely made it to the hospital before giving birth.

I was very nervous before having dc2. I was convinced I would end up giving birth at home while in sole charge of dc1 so much so that I had a couple of false alarms where I was convinced I was in labour.

Luckily I went into labour at night so DH was home and there was no traffic on the road.

At the time I didn't feel anyone took me seriously about it. The midwife and doctor I saw said one fast birth is no indication the second one will be quick.

I'm not sure there is a lot you can do other than have a bag ready and babysitters ready to be called and if you think you might be going in to labour you probably are so don't ignore it. I was fed up after my false alarms so when I did go into labour I wasted time wondering if this was it.

Biscuitless · 21/04/2016 21:39

I'm not sure there is anything you can do about going out other than taking it sensibly based on how you feel. Take medical notes with you, mobile phone and enough money for a taxi so you can get home or to hospital quickly if the need arises.

My midwife gave me good advice about unexpected solo home birth when I was concerned about DS2 She said to keep a pile of clean towels handy on every floor of the house, ideally somewhere like a bathroom with wipe clean floors. If you think the baby is coming more quickly than you can get to hospital DON'T get in the car: you are safer at home with an ambulance on its way to you than stuck on the M25. Call 999, don't forget to unlock your door so the paramedics can get in, go to your prepared space, kneel and pant so you don't tear too badly, Don't worry about the cord or placenta or anything if the baby arrives, just do skin to skin and wrap the baby in the towels to keep it warm and wait for the paramedics and midwife to arrive. She also said that quick births are generally not medically problematic (though this might have just been to reassure me)

In the event DS2 wasn't budging without an induction - so even though the labour was relatively quick it was all in hospital.

Original poster

Fourormore · 21/04/2016 21:54

That's helpful, biscuitless, thank you.
I think staying close to help is probably going to be necessary - I live somewhere fairly rural and I don't want to end up being taken to hospital if I go into labour while out and about.

Perhaps I'll schedule a friend a day to come over and have afternoon tea in the garden be a standby birth partner

OP posts:

thestylethatdecadesforgot · 23/04/2016 22:02

Biscuitless the midwife said pretty much word for word the same to me so I don't think it was just to reassure you! And I doubt we are the same person

Chasingsquirrels · 24/04/2016 14:04

Mine said the same as well. If they come quickly there aren't any complications.

To add to my story, although ds2 only took 15 mins, the placenta took a while longer! I think the paramedics were about 30 mins after he was born, the midwife another 30 mins after that and then the placenta maybe another 30-45. The midwife was just starting to get jittery about it. The paramedics were sat in the kitchen drinking tea so they were there in case I needed to be transferred, although I'm sure if they'd had another call they would have gone.

As it was the placenta delivered, we cleared up a bit - although the only real mess was where I'd sat on the floor holding ds2 afterwards and had nothing underneath me (the carpet still has a slight stain - he is 10 now!), and then all went to bed :)

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