Precipitous labour

[TwinkleTee]

I experienced a precipitous labour with DD1 (5 hours from 1st twinge to birth, I dilated 2-10cms in 1 hour) and I'm almost at my due date for DD2. My first birth was really traumatic due to midwife treating me like I was being overly dramatic, when in fact I was in transition. Then as DD was in distress, big emergency button was pushed and I ended up with forceps and episiotomy.

I'm now only a few days away from due date with DD2 and starting to really worry about another traumatic super fast labour (also not making it to hospital in time). Can anyone else share their experiences of subsequent births when you had a precipitous labour? Any tips to help me feel less anxious??

I had ds in 2 hours from being asleep to holding him!!
His younger db was a long back to back labour and subsequent ones around 4/5 hours . I had bladder issues after such a quick labour but OK-ed itself after a year.

My first birth wasn't quite as quick as yours (8 hours from start to finish) but I experienced very similar in terms of not being believed by the midwife as 'first births aren't this quick' and being denied any form of pain relief despite actually being fully dilated!

I gave birth for the second time and dilated 1cm - crowning in 65 minutes, again the midwife wasn't expecting it and there was no pain relief but she did immediately believe me when I said I had to push and got the gas and air ready.

All I can suggest is be very firm and pre warn them you labour very fast and that you want regular checks as this didn't happen last time. Make sure your birth partner can press this point home for you if you're in the midst of contractions. I'd perhaps ask for it to be written in your notes to. Good luck x

My sister had a precipitous labour with her third child. She called out the midwife because she started having strong contractions suddenly. Midwife came and examined her and said they were Braxton Hicks as she wasn't dilating and left. As she left the contractions ramped up significantly so much so her dp ran out to try and get the midwife back and then called 999. The ambulance got there in ten minutes, called the midwife to come back and wanted to deliver her baby at home. But dsis insisted she wanted to go to hospital as there were concerns baby was small and she was scared he'd need special care. She actually delivered in the ambulance at the side of the road five minutes from home and baby was healthy and weighed 9lb 12oz so that wasn't the only thing they got wrong. Dsis found it incredibly traumatic though.

Have you talked this through with your midwife? You need a plan written in your notes and clear advice from the people looking after you.
I do feel for you.
My last labour was 45 minutes from first contraction to delivery. I called an ambulance. Luckily it was midnight and I live about 10 minutes from the hospital. I got to the labour ward with 5 minutes to spare.

@endofagain and @OneForTheRoadThen Thanks for sharing your experiences. You both had super quick deliveries second time around which is what is worrying me. I guess I'm just going to have to call Granny to look after DD the second I feel anything and get to the hospital straight away.
There is a note in my file about precipitous labour and I'm going to have to coach up (very reserved) DH about being firm with midwives who don't believe me or want to send me home. It just feels so unpredictable and I'm not sure I'm totally over the trauma of last time TBH.

I know. I dont understand why hcps dont believe us. I was terribly anxious about my delivery and was so lucky that everything worked out.
My neighbour was home and awake, dh was there.
I know that calling an ambulance is crime of the century on MN, but I knew I was likely to deliver on the way so didnt want to take the risk.
The paramedic with me was ready to deliver but they just got me through the door in the nick of time. They had radioed ahead so door was open and midwife ready.

My first was 3 hours, my second was just under 2 hours, and my third I had mild contractions every 6 minutes for 2 hours then 2 hours of intense contractions then he was born so had the longest labour with my third.

I had the same concerns after being refused gas and air or any pain relief with my second and getting rushed into a private room about 30 seconds before she was born, as the midwife had checked when contractions started and I was 0cm so didn't check again until I started screaming then realised her head was coming.

They put a summary of what had happened on my notes, and when I went in with DC3s labour the midwife was brilliant, got us straight into our own room and got the gas and air ready and handed it to DP before I needed it to make sure I wasn't panicking that I wouldn't be allowed anything again.

The midwife was delighted as she got a really easy delivery and hardly any paperwork.

My labours only became precipitous after being examined for dilation in labour. It seemed to irritate my cervix and all hell would break loose. I requested with my 4th child not to have a VE before being admitted to delivery ward as my previous labours had speeded up so much after VE (7 to delivered in an hour, then 4 to delivered in 45 mins). They said they couldn't admit to delivery ward without VE so I eventually consented, on the labour ward, was told I was just a 3 cm and not yet in established labour. I was holding DD 18 minutes later. On the labour ward.

I hope you have better luck than me getting someone to listen to you.

My sister had had textbook deliveries previously although not long and arduous labours she'd got to hospital a couple of hours before she delivered anyway. She was so scared when she had sudden onset strong contractions that she felt something was wrong. The midwife who had told her she wasn't in labour was only fifteen minutes from her home when she delivered in the ambulance and had turned back after the ambulance called her.

I've had two precipitous labours. First one 2.5 hours from first contraction to birth.
I knew baby was coming but midwives on the phone were very much disinterested and eventually only let me come into hospital because they could hear me screaming (DH was on phone to them) and said "oh maybe she can come in because she's not coping with the pain too well". I got in the car and turned to DH saying-I need to push. He drove us to hospital which is luckily very close, and within 10min of arrival baby was in my arms.

Naturally I was very anxious about a quick Labour with my second. I basically refused to leave the house from 37weeks just in case, as I didn't want to give birth in the street. I had a planned homebirth 1.5 hours from first contraction to holding baby. Best decision I ever made. If I had to wait for someone to arrive to babysit my eldest I would have been in big trouble and it could have been a very stressful unplanned homebirth.

My labours were obviously both much quicker than yours which means you probably have a bit more leeway. Do you have friends/family nearby who can come and look after your eldest? Go to hospital as early as possible and don't let them take no for an answer. (If it were me and they wouldn't let me in the ward/birth centre I'd be camping up outside the entrance!!)

@TwinkleTee yes have granny on call, we ended up calling my brother and sister in law at 4am when my waters broke and they came straight around to look after my toddler. Neither of us drive so we ordered an Uber right away and went straight to the hospital.

As a previous poster said I wouldn't leave the hospital either even if they try to send you home I'd hang around the car park or cafe so I could get back to the labour ward quickly. Good luck with everything and try to focus on a quick labour meaning the pain is over quicker xx

My deliveries from first contraction to baby born were:

DD1 - 2 and a half hours
DS1 - 34 minutes
DD2 - 16 minutes

Im now a midwife and always take it seriously when someone tells me they labour fast!

I discussed this with my midwife before my second birth and her advice was - if you feel baby is about to come, don't get in the car as you don't want to deliver at the side of the road, instead call an ambulance, if you are alone remember to leave the door open so they can get in, then get on all fours and pant as less likely to tear that way. If the baby arrives before help comes, cuddle it close skin to skin and don't worry about delivering the placenta as the ambulance crew should arrive in time to deal with that side of things.

I actually didn't end up needing to follow any of that advice - DS2 was overdue by 2 weeks and therefore induced in hospital, but the induction was also quick (3 hours from start of contractions to delivery, purely from breaking of waters without the syntocin drip) and he was a 10 lb 6 oz back-to-back baby so not easy to birth!

The midwife in hospital didn't believe me about the quick delivery and completely ignored me, so I had no pain relief. She only rushed into help when I was starting to push. You need your DP to advocate strongly for you as you may well not be able to if in the grip of powerful contractions.

Reading all your posts it's made me realise that I'm still really angry about the way that I and some of you guys were treated in labour. I guess it's the anger that's all mixed up with anxiety making me emotional for this time.
Precipitous labour isn't especially a rare thing, I can't believe that its not something that midwives consider when assessing a labouring woman.
Perhaps I'll write some stuff down and put it in the front of my notes, in case I'm incapacitated and DH cant manage to be assertive on my behalf... Thanks for the support ladies.

I was in labour about 2 hours with my last, but it was a planned home birth so at least I knew I didn't have to go anywhere. The midwife arrived with about 20 minutes to spare, but didn't realise how advanced labour was until she got here so her colleague got here as ds was being born.

I felt very shell shocked afterwards, and shook a lot from the adrenaline. I was expecting a more reasonable buildup in labour but instead I was hit by a lorry. It took me a long while to assimilate the experience.

That’s very understandable, twinkle. Does your trust offer birth debrief? I’ve just had one to help me prepare for my second labour, and it was useful. It was with two midwives and we went through my notes from the first time and I asked questions that I thought might help me be more assertive/have a better experience this time.

Sorry, realised it might be a little late to do a birth debrief/reflections session. I would definitely have a meeting with your MW specifically to discuss managing a second precipitous labour.

I had a fast labour with my first (5 hours). Reading this thread, I realise now how lucky I was that the midwives at the hospital took me seriously and were lovely. I had and an even faster birth with my second. It was 40 minutes start to finish and I didn’t make it to hospital - she was born at home with just me and my partner there. It was quite traumatic. I obviously had no pain relief and I also suffered some quite serious birth injuries.

My advice is to go to to the delivery suite as soon as you feel the first twinge and insist on being seen. Your DH can advocate for you if you need him to. You don’t want to risk an unassisted delivery.

I had DD1 in 75mins start to finish and with the DTs, I apparently bypassed the entire labour process. I had the pessary inserted at 1.30am and upon examination/monitoring at 8.05am nothing had started. Staff left me at 8.15 or 8.20 to do shift change paperwork. I went to the loo and DT1 was born (8.33) and then his sister at 8.46. I had no contractions or other symptoms of labour besides, er, having 2 babies pop out! I think they recorded a labour of 17 mins for form's sake.

Just one thing - I could be utterly wrong here - but a Mw told me precipitous labour is technically defined as a labour under 3 hours? not nitpicking but just thinking if you are concerned about being taken seriously it might be better to say "I gave birth within 5 hours last time"?

Oh and what Bixx said is important. DT1 was born unassisted. He was not breathing and his cord snapped and I lost blood. Luckily I managed to get out of the room and get a paed to help but I could easily have haemorrhaged or blacked out and he would have just died as he needed resus. Don't risk that.

I got given the same advice as Biscuitrules when I was pg with dc3. Dc2 had been an unplanned home birth in 20 mins.

My mw was v good and we had a clear plan that outlined what they would do to keep me safe (home birth and mw to be sent on request- no arguments about contractions) and what I could do to keep myself safe (phone on my person at all times, door unlocked if I was on my own, if it happened without a midwife i was to get on all fours, pant rather than push, don't touch the cord unless essential)

I rang the labour ward at 9.30 and gave my name. Got "oh you are on my special list" and the mws despatched immediately. Baby born at 12.30. With me not really convinced anything was happening til 12!

I'd be asking the mw what will be done to ensure you are looked after appropriately given a previous precipitous birth. I was really lucky that my mw took it very seriously.

I had precipitous labour with both of mine, first time I was in to be induced , thy examined me and all hell broke loose! I started contracting 2 mins apart. 3 hours later I had baby.

I have a clotting condition which means I need to be looked after carefully in labour, so they decided to bring me in for a sweep a week early. And true to form 36 mins later I had a baby.

If I were you I'd ask your midwife to book in a sweep in hospital on your due date. That way you might be able to control things a bit more?

I don't dilate basically... therefore get no interesting options in terms of pain relief (not even bloody gas and air) and have long painful as fuck latent labours where people will examine me and tell me "nope - not in labour - have a paracetamol and bugger off" and then I go 0cm - baby in spectacular time.

DD1 was under 30 minutes.
DD2 was sub-15 minutes and I just about got my trousers off in time.

Oh the fun they openly had on the labour suite taking the piss out of the doctor with DD2 who'd confidently told me about 10 minutes earlier that "you're not having this baby today - go home". DH nearly missed that one - had popped out to phone work and tell them he wasn't going to be in when the midwife pretty much grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back in the room to meet his child!

Second one was more just bloody amusing than traumatic - still fuck all bar paracetamol for pain until the end but the staff very much had a "yeah, we mis-called that one, never seen someone go bang like that before in my entire career - joke's on us" attitude after it that went a huge way to making it all OK... cos after DD1's birth it was all an atmosphere of how I'd "done it wrong" somehow!

Oh yeah and mine are pre-term labours as well. DH has since been snipped cos the combination of me trying to go into labour at 33 weeks, plus going into labour incredibly fast had all the ingredients for me either being stuck in hospital for weeks waiting to go pop, or a very very dangerous side of the road jobbie.

Thanks for all your replies. Sounds like it might be really helpful to mention "do you want an unassisted birth on your head" if they try to turn me away!

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff my first birth was 5 hours from "I think i feel a twinge of period pain" to birth. I was only properly contracting for about 2.5 hours- Its more about how I was treated and not believed in labour that is causing my anxiety/anger/distress