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Childbirth

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

Original poster

What is a fast birth?

92 replies

ladybug92 · 14/12/2017 11:47

I am wondering what is normal for firsttime mums and whether my birth was fast/slow/normal?
I was induced after PROM, 2hr45min first stage, 38min second stage and 10min third stage.
What are your experiences? Am I likely to go quicker with bub 2?

OP posts:
Batterseapark · 14/12/2017 12:15

Average active labour for first time mums is 8 hours so yours was fast!
Your second and third stage look textbook.
Hope it was a good experience.
Mine was 9 hours, 3 hours (stuck so had to wait then instruments), no third stage (retained placenta + major PPH so taken to theatre).
My impression is that "precipitate" labour isn't talked about enough and it can come as quite of a shock. Interested to see other's experiences. Smile

sinceyouask · 14/12/2017 12:23

Total labour (from waters breaking and contractions starting to birth) with ds1 was 2 hours 30 mins, around an hour and ten minutes of that being the second stage. No idea how long the third stage was, I let them give me a syntocinon injection so I imagine it was short.

With DS2, total labour was 2 hours 45 minutes, second stage just 4 minutes. Third stage was natural, iirc it was a good 30 minutes or so before contractions started but once they did the placenta was delivered pretty fast.

With DS3, total labour was 2 hours 26 minutes, second stage around 20 minutes or so. Third stage was natural again, from what I remember was pretty much the same as ds2- took a while to get going, over quickly once it did.

I know that having had ds1 in less than 3 hours was a factor in the midwifery teams supporting my choice to have home births with ds2 and ds3- they agreed that if I waited to make sure labour was established and then got in the car I'd have a good chance of delivering en route/ in the car park.

WhispersOfWickedness · 14/12/2017 14:33

Fast labour, or precipitate labour is one which is less than 3 hours from contractions starting to birth.
My first labour was normal (11 hours active labour), but my second birth was 90 mins from contractions starting (30 mins active labour) to birth, so pretty fast.

Original poster
ladybug92 · 14/12/2017 19:43

@Batterseapark so interesting, I didnt know that! Yes it went well, I needed an episiotomy which was probably the worst thing. what did you do when your baby got stuck, did you have to stop pushing to wait or did they give you something?

Interesting @sinceyouask so all three of yours were fast! Lucky you had understanding midwives yes otherise it wouldve been a close call

My goodness @WhispersOfWickedness that is a big change! What happened with your second, did you make it to the hospital in time? Were you shocked it was so quick?

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 14/12/2017 19:48

My sister had a fast labour....her waters broke in the car on the way to the hospital (20 min drive away). She got there and the midwives refused to inspect her at first until another patient kicked up a fuss. When they did, the discovered my niece crowning. I think the whole labour was done and dusted within 40 mins.

She was warned with another baby, she might want to consider home birth as it could come quicker. He ended up being induced for being late and she was in labour for hours

Booboostwo · 14/12/2017 20:30

My friend gave birth at home assisted only by her husband because DC1 came before the ambulance arrived. She had planned a home birth with DC2 but again he arrived before the MW got there. That seems scarily fast!

Tinselistacky · 14/12/2017 20:33

Fist dc was 17 hours.
Second, third and forth less than 3 hours.
Dc6 was 2 hours from being fast asleep in bed to holding him after a speedy ambulance to hospital an hour away!

Overrunwithlego · 14/12/2017 20:44

My first was a little shorter than yours - about 3 hours. In retrospect it was quite traumatic as it was so unexpected. I remember telling the midwife I couldn't do this for 24 hours.....midwife was like "er, baby is literally being born". I just couldn't translate what I was experiencing into the stages of labour I was told about in antenatal classes at all. There was no gentle introduction, just bam, full on labour. Which I presumed at the time must have only been the early stages.

I was warned second babies are normally faster, and was recommended a home birth as a result. Second birth was less than an hour so a home birth was the right choice for me. I can't imagine having to try and get the hospital in that timescale. Was a very similar experience but I was expecting it second time round.

Original poster
ladybug92 · 14/12/2017 21:19

@Soubriquet that's crazy fast. My hospital is 40min away...homebirth plan seems like a must have for next time then.
It's crazy that a midwife wouldn't believe you if you can feel crowning!

OP posts:
Original poster
ladybug92 · 14/12/2017 21:23

@Tinselistacky exponentially faster!

Haha aw @Overrunwithlego I smiled when I read 'baby literally being born'. Was it confronting having to organise a home birth? can you still go through public care system or do you have to go private?

@Booboostwo thats amazing...but scary. Is delivering alone at home high risk for baby?

OP posts:
GinIsIn · 14/12/2017 21:25

DS was in a hurry and I’ve a family history of precipitous labour. As soon as I went into labour, contractions were only 30 seconds apart and about 40 mins after my waters broke I was told it was all moving so fast they thought an epidural to try and slow things down was a good idea as they wanted to avoid foetal distress. Another 3-4 hours maybe after the epidural and DS shot out with 1 push, almost clean off the bed!

StiltonForDays · 14/12/2017 21:27

Yours sounds fast for a first labour, OP.

No experience myself, as had looooong first labour ending in emcs and then elective with my second DC, but a close friend had quick labours and they did all get progressively quicker. Her first baby was born 3.5 hours after first contractions started. Her fourth was born at home (unplanned) under an hour after she started contracting!

Shakey15000 · 14/12/2017 21:34

My midwife also refused to examine me as "I examined you 20mins ago and you were only 2cm". My sister insisted she did and discovered I had gone from 2cm to 9cm in that 20mins. And didn't I know it!!

Chasingsquirrels · 14/12/2017 21:34

1st birth - contractions starting 30 mins after waters went.
Baby born 2 hours after contractions started.

2nd birth - contractions started 15 mins after waters went.
Baby born 10 mins after contractions started (3 or 4 contractions).
Planned home birth, in the event it was a bba (birth before arrival - of midwife).

Arriettyborrower · 14/12/2017 21:34

DS1 - 90 mins, fast drive to hospital, pushing on arrival

DS2 - 50 mins, induced, ARM, no pessaries etc, went into labour in car park having been sent out by midwives to get things going!

DS3 - 45 mins, ARM, syntocin drip, had been advised home birth but had complicated pregnancy so booked for hospital and induction.

DS4 - 20 mins, planned home birth but had to call ambulance as midwives 45 mins drive away on a snowy December night! Delivered by DH as paramedic knocked on the door 😂

goose1964 · 14/12/2017 21:40

12 hours from having my waters broken with my first, don't know how long I was in labour with my son as I has a painless labour, my third I was in labour for around 2 hours with a second stage lasting 10 minutes

Neolara · 14/12/2017 21:49

Hmm. If you get pregnant again, I'd get some advice about how to give birth alone. Just in case.

Dc1 - 4 hours start to finish.
Dc2 - similar.
Dc3 - under 30 minutes, delivered by DHL in the kitchen.

Neolara · 14/12/2017 21:50

DH not DHL! That would have been weird!!!

DramaAlpaca · 14/12/2017 21:55

OP, your first labour was faster than my third! I don't have fast labours.

DC1 23 hours from first twinge to giving birth
DC2 12 hours, second stage was 20 minutes
DC3 5 hours in total, second stage only 5 minutes, lovely home birth

SheepyFun · 14/12/2017 22:10

I think no. 1 is usually the slowest - one friend had a normal labour for no. 1, no. 2 she did get to hospital (only a mile away) but had reached stage 2 when she got there. In the light of that, she was advised to go for a home birth for nos 3 and 4 as that was safer than trying to travel while in the second stage of labour. For no. 3 it was less than an hour from any sign of labour to holding the baby. Paramedics had arrived (only 2 mins away), but not the midwife. No. 4 wasn't slow either. It sounds like you might want to talk to your midwife if you're having a second.

GrouchyKiwi · 14/12/2017 22:13

My first was 7 hours from first contraction, second was maybe 4 hours from first contraction, but definitely 2 1/2 hours from no dilation to birth, third was 4 1/2 hours from first contraction. With all three my waters didn't go till I was pushing them out, and all three took only 3 or 4 pushes.

The first and third were manageable; the second felt like one contraction, just changing intensity. I didn't get a break between contractions at all. It was exhausting.

I think second labour is supposed to be faster than first, so make sure they put in your notes that you're likely to go quickly.

HeteronormativeHaybales · 14/12/2017 22:13

With dc3 I went from 2cm to birth in 20 minutes.

LabradorMama · 14/12/2017 22:18

First contraction to 10cm dilated and pushing was 2hrs for me. Sadly the little blighter got stuck and the ward was busy so I pushed for 3hrs before having an assisted birth. If he’d not been in an awkward position he’d have been born within 2hrs30mins of first contraction

Miloarmadillo2 · 14/12/2017 22:19

Dc1 7 hours, DC2 2 hours (just about got to hospital) DC3 80mins. Not having any more! Fast is not necessarily better, I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. The MW said your body has the same amount of 'work' to do in dilating/effacing cervix and pushing baby out, compressed into a shorter timeframe - no respite. I went very shaky/shocks afterwards and couldn't feel my legs. 7 hours gave you a bit of time to get used to the idea!

LabradorMama · 14/12/2017 22:19

@Neolara ‘delivered by DHL’

That must be a first Grin