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Childbirth

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

Precipitous labour

38 replies

TwinkleTee · 28/05/2018 10:25

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??

OP posts:
user1499786242 · 30/05/2018 19:57

I had a quick first labour and I'm due any day now with second
I'm shitting myself

We live 40 mins from the hospital and 30/40 mins from any family, on a good day with minimal traffic! So rush hour time and we are screwed!
I've been offered an induction at 40 weeks purely due to distance
I declined but I'm genuinely considering it now because I'm so terrified of not making it intime!

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 30/05/2018 20:18

Oh okay Twinkle Smile

Well good luck! And yeah you definitely don't want an unassisted delivery. DS had to have a brain scan at 3d old in case I accidentally dropped him whilst delivering him Sad they think he is okay but will not know for sure till he is a toddler.

Melamin · 30/05/2018 20:52

I had my DC before the internet, so information was what you could glean from the hospital staff and my trusty Sheila Kitzinger book.

I had DS1 officially in 3 h 15 min inc 3rd stage and as he was born with his hand over his head, that maybe slowed the second stage - there was also some distress because of the speed of delivery. I had contractions 3 min apart from the start (broken waters) but was told that I was not dilated at all 2 hr before he was born.

I was very worried with the second as it was twins, much can go wrong, and I was worried about getting to the hospital on time and premature delivery. Every time I mentioned it I was fobbed off with "all labours different", blah blah, and the only person to take me seriously was a house doctor I saw a couple of days before they were born when I had lost my mucus plug who said to come in with the first contraction. I had a named midwife at the hospital who had had twins and a community midwife at the GPs who did not remember me from one appointment to the next, even though it was twins and they continually fobbed me off. I had a fellow mother friend who was also expecting twins and between us we tried to find out as much as we could and got nada.

I actually went into labour 1 month before my date, waters did not break but I had contractions every 3 minutes from about half an hour in. DH rang the hospital (4.30am) and they wouldn't talk to him this time and I had to get off the loo. I told the mw that I was having contractions every 3 minutes and was 35 weeks with twins. The midwife told me to come in at 9am when the day staff came on Confused so I told her that I had seen a doctor at the hospital at the weekend who had told me to come in with the first contraction, so I was on my way. DH was very very anxious to get me there and we dropped off DS1 with a friend at 5am and were in by 5.15.

The registrar who was supposed to deliver was in bed and issued instructions to a very young doctor who I am sure had never held a baby in his life and they put the necessary cannulas in (apparently to speed things up if it went wrong and he agreed I didn't really need it) and wired me up and then the young doctor had to do the exam for some reason and faffed around trying to see how dilated I was - it was considered 4 cms and he asked for the 'amnio hook' with no consultation because that is what the registrar in bed had told him to do. When I said 'what' they did actually go through the motions of asking me, but tbh honest, I had got to the point where I had managed to get into the hospital and I had to trust them and let them get on with it.

DTD1 was born about 20 minutes later (nearly on the loo), mostly with DH the only person present whilst the mw got the rubber gloves and others who were supposed to be officiating and DTD2 was born in the delivery room about 10 minutes later, having managed to turn and come out head first.

I was then congratulated by the midwife for doing it on my own and told that they normally kept mother's 'comfortable' at that time of the day for the day staff to take over Confused. My notes were very clear from the 1st delivery and the partogram (about 1 cm long) was there. They were not upfront with me otherwise I could have told them that it was not going to work. I thought they were preparing so that I could give birth in the theatre where I should have been in case anything went wrong, especially with DTD2.

I now know the mw IRL and know that at that time she was either in the middle of a divorce or a single parent and was anxious to get off on time (which she did) at the end of her shift. TBH I am still angry about it because so much could have happened and there was other stuff not right - DH got close to delivering DTD2 in spite of a whole roomful of people (no one looking) at that time, so I have not discussed it with her (or let on that she delivered them).

But I think you are just going to have to find a way of saying clearly ' I had my first baby very quickly' to every HCP you meet and weather the fobbing off, even if one listens and promises to write it on your notes. You can only do what you can do though.

(The twins actually took an hour longer to arrive than DS1 in total time from first sign to delivery in spite of there being very little second stage)

badg3r · 31/05/2018 15:06

I had DC1 in 5h from first twinge to baby in arms. DC2 was EXACTLY the same. Things are not always faster second time round! With DC2 I made it clear later in pregnancy and when I called when my waters broke that DC1 had come quickly and they were very understanding.
Also, this was not my experience (great care both times), but other second time Mums have told me they felt more listened to the second time round.
Write in your birth plan notes that you had a precipitous labour and mention it at the labour ward too.

adjsavedmylife · 03/06/2018 07:49

Could you have a think about a doula? I know there’s a cost and that they might not make it, but if you had someone there specifically to advocate for you, who knows your history, it might help? Would mean your DH could focus on you too.

AnElderlyLadyOfMediumHeight · 03/06/2018 08:00

Mega-long labour with dc1, cascade of intervention, ventouse, PPH, the works.
Five-ish hours from first regular twinges with dc2. I got that I was in labour but it felt very manageable and I expected it to take hours again, and only went to hospital as I was 8 days over and had a monitoring appt. I took the bus (I know, I know) and was 9cm when I got there. He arrived half an hour later, having had an ARM revealing meconium in the waters, by ventouse and with the cord round his neck.
Dc3 I was induced as I was 10 days over and fed up (pregnancies got longer every time). Took a few hours for the gel to work. A few pathetic contractions that got me to 2cm. Then I was sent off for a walk and wham. Didn't make it outside the ward (thank goodness). She was born in her waters 20 minutes after they'd said 'you're 2cm'. The doctor only just made it into the room and was in a worse state than I was.
I'm not having another - unrelated to births but I dread to think how that one would go Grin

Cautionary tales, really. Get to hospital sooner rather than later, even if contractions don't feel that bad. Things can change very quickly. And (sorry) feeling the need to poo could well mean that something is imminent.

NakedMum33and3rd · 03/06/2018 08:26

Before reading this I didn't even realise that I had a precipitous labour with DS2. DS1 I was in labour for 2 days. DS2 I laboured for 25 minutes. Luckily I was in hospital as I was not feeling well.
No one spoke to me about it afterwards. The midwife told me not to be ridiculous when I told her I needed to push. Only let me take my trousers off when I said I could feel the head.

I'm due with DC3 in September and am planning a Home birth. Will bring this up with my midwife at our next appointment.

harrietm87 · 03/06/2018 08:27

My first labour was 3 hrs from first contraction to baby. 1.5 hrs of that was standing crying/screaming in triage and being ignored as it was my first baby. When they eventually checked me I was 9cm - rushed into delivery room and baby born 20mins later.

All the midwives/docs I saw afterwards said they recommend a home birth for the next baby as I might not make it to hospital in time. Have you considered that OP?

Charlie4491 · 27/06/2018 22:56

Was being examined at 6:40am as something felt strange, few contractions but no rythem (using gas and air because it hurt to be examines!) couldn’t come off the gas and air, midwife said I was 2cms at a push went to get some pethadine, as she came back she opened the curtains my waters broke on the bed I screamed with a huge contraction, she checked me at 6:50am and I was 7cms trying so hard not to push , got to labor ward at 7:10am and was 10cms, 3 pushes and baby was born at 7:29 so labor was 50 mins in total from beginning to end...
Some say ‘your so lucky it was quick’.
No, it really isn’t lucky, I felt totally out of control I stayed on gas and air for the whole 50 minutes without a puff of normal oxygen, the pain was something I never felt with my first baby (this was my second) and I managed to bag myself a 3rd degree tear graded a C and spent 90 minutes in theatre. In my eyes it was traumatic, very hard to get my head around what had happened I went from being ok to having a baby within 50 minutes and when I managed to get 5 minutes to myself it dawned on me what the F would I have done if I was at home (was an induction) and what would have happened if it wasn’t a smooth exit for baby? would have been a general anaesthetic... left me feeling emotionally and physically sore.

(I must add that I did have preeclampsia and for some unknown reason they say this causes births to be super quick but I never expected 50 minutes).

Charlie4491 · 27/06/2018 23:04

....But they say that no 2 births are the same, and I can totally agree with that.

I think as long as you have it in your pregnancy notes so that if you do have to go in and it’s a quick process then they can see what’s been written down so you don’t need to explain yourself. And although it was stressful and kind of upsetting I still got my baby placed in my arms healthy, happy, & totally precious.
I think whatever way they make an entrance into the world and whatever we have to experience the outcome is still wonderful. ❤️

stepbystepdoula · 28/06/2018 07:01

Your labour is likely to be quick second time too.
It frustrates me that even in 2018, some medical staff do not listen to women or trust their instincts.
It is possible to get a note from Head of Midwifery attached to the front if your notes, to say you had a precipitous labour last time, you are not to be sent home if you want to stay in hospital. 💚

soundsystem · 28/06/2018 08:43

I had a similar experience to lots of you with the midwife not believing me. First labour was 4.5 hours from "Oh, my back's a bit achey" to baby. I insisted on a VE as the midwife was suggesting I take a paracetamol and try to rest, and I was quite sure that I was definitely having the baby, right then. I was 10cm.

With DC2, it was in my notes that I laboured quickly and I was told to call the midwives at the first twinge. DH was also prepped on what to do in case they didn't arrive in time! First twinge to baby was 45 minutes. The midwife got there just in time to fling a shower curtain down on the floor! DH missed it as he was taking DC1 to nursery at the end of the street; He was out of the house for - literally - 10 minutes. Came back and started tidying up the breakfast dishes and the midwife had to shout him to come and meet the baby!

Both of mine were home births, and would definitely plan for that again if we go for DC3. (I do live 5 minutes from the hospital, though, which makes it an easy decision!)

3babyxx · 28/06/2018 14:48

I'm 31 weeks with my third

My first borns labour was 3 hours
My second was 15 mins start to finish didt even make it to hospital I was at my doctors appointment Blush
And now I'm having a home birth due to quick labours

Every labour is different try not to worry too much, easier said then done . But a 5 hour labour sounds better then a 45 hour labour
And just because you had help with delivery last time doesn't mean you will this time!

Just go into it with an open mind , it's all worth it in the end

Good luck! X

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