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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Speed of labour

54 replies

Mog · 24/08/2002 14:45

I started a thread a while ago about having a very long first labour and worried about how long second labour would be now I'm pregnant again. Today I got talking to a lady in Marks and Spencer whose sister just had her first baby in 2 hours! I'd love to know the secret, but can anyone put an anecdotal finger on why some people have quick labours and others are very long?

OP posts:

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manna · 28/08/2002 21:34

pupuce - gotta hand it to you - 6hr second stage!!!! I thought i was the champion at 4hrs, but you outclassed me! ouch! How big was the baby in the end? Do you think size / position related to the length of second stage?

pupuce · 28/08/2002 21:45

Yeah... I think I am pretty unbeatable in that department
Actually baby (DS) was only 7.3 lbs BUT he was badly positioned (OP) and I had some other issues with my pelvis which I got sorted out for the 2nd time around as the 40 minutes of 2nd stage that time do prove

IMO - It is worth investigating (if you can) what you can do to improve one labour after the next.... even if generally mother nature will be kinder the 2nd time around.

bloss · 29/08/2002 01:20

Message withdrawn

SoupDragon · 29/08/2002 09:27

I don't know how long the second stage was with DS1, it's all rather hazy due to tiredness and too much gas and air. I was 9cm at 10:30pm and he was born at 4:00am by ventouse. A 10lb 1oz OP baby! So, 18 minutes with DS2 was a bit of a surprise (and a huge relief!)...

Philippat · 29/08/2002 11:14

My progression through labour almost exactly mirrored my mum's with me 30 years before. (3 days early, 'is this indigestion' at beginning, 3 hrs in hospital). Of course does this mean in 30 years time I'll be just like my mum...?

bluestar · 02/09/2002 16:02

How about 3cm dilated to birth of ds in 36 minutes with 1st baby? My waters broke the day b4, went to hospital to be induced but they were too busy, and then it happened naturally very quickly. I had been told to expect baby about 8:30pm so there I was with legs in stirrups at 2:20pm, about to push ds out, looking at the clock, thinking this isn't what I had in mind! Quick birth - great, but looking back, it was too quick and I had no time to 'mentally' prepare and no pain relief. Became very very cold after birth. Midwife reasoned that I was made to have babies (not sure you want to hear this just after giving birth!). DS now 19 months and very active!! No #2 planned yet, but worried about the speed of the next one!

bells2 · 02/09/2002 16:12

I think you win with that Bluestar. Imediately after my first speedy delivery my midwife pronounced that I should go on and have at least a dozen children as I ws clearly designed for efficient childbirth. As you say, not quite what one wants to hear at that stage...

Original poster

Mog · 03/09/2002 08:20

bluestar, bells 2 - this is why I started this thread. I wanted to find out if there was anything anyone could pinpoint about why some people have quick labours. What do you think they meant when they said you were 'made' to have babies?

OP posts:

JayTree · 03/09/2002 08:35

It is interesting that Phillipat had a similar experience to her mum. I am very similar to my mum physically and got pregnant very easily just like she did. I was really hoping that I would follow her pattern in child birth (3 hours with first, 2 hours with 2 and 3). What a let down! My labour started on the Friday evening with regular contractions every 8-10 mins and went on and on and on. By Saturday evening I was exhausted but still going. By Sunday night I was nearly beside myself. By Monday I had had far too much pain, gas and air. She was eventually delivered (ventouse) just before midnight.
I walked around a lot, stayed active for as much as I could stand - unlike my mum who had the traditional lying down on a bed affair, so I am totally baffled. I tried the herbal labour inducing, cramp increasing teas, hot baths, relaxing/not relaxing squatting, you name it. I even cleaned the bathroom and kitchen on the Saturday as i had heard that scrubbing the floor can help (?!!)
My personally theory is that there really isn?t any obvious pattern at all - it is all too complex with too many factors. Best bet is to not presume anything, try to relax and let your body get on with it. (But if anyone else comes up with a good way to shorten any future labours of mine, then I am listening....)

bells2 · 03/09/2002 09:33

Mog, I too would be very curious to know if it was just a passing remark from a midwife or whether there is some truth in the view that some of us are in some way "made" to have babies. FWIW I am equipped with a set of fairly impressive "breeding hips"!!!.

bluestar · 03/09/2002 10:38

I had very irregular contractions following my waters breaking and at times they were 1 min apart and just when I thought I really should not be at home now, they would stop and be 10/20 mins apart. Also ds was lying back-to-back and at hospital on the monitor they said I wasn't having strong contractions (I was!!). Fortunately at my first internal (3cm) ds had moved position. I still wasn't 'believed' that the baby was coming so quickly, the midwife said I was 'just stretching' but even tho it was the first, I knew this baby was coming and he did! I was the talk of the maternity ward, especially as I didn't want to go to the delivery suite too many hours before impending birth, so nearly gave birth in the lift!! I did 'shock' the midwifes and I guess the made to have babies is just that for a first birth it was incredibly quick. The thought of being induced was scarier than the birth, so I guess my body took action! Not a completely straightforward birth tho as ds had moved so quick the cord had got stuck twice and it became an urgent delivery. Quick also tends to mean stitches so speed is not always of benefit!!!!

bundle · 03/09/2002 10:46

one of the gals from my babygroup just had her second ds, 11pm into hospital, gave birth @ 12.40am..including an 8 min second stage

bells2 · 03/09/2002 11:10

I literally pushed twice with my daughter.

pupuce · 03/09/2002 11:51

One of the mums I was "doulaying" recently was in labour with number 2 (labour number 1 was very long)... anyway she was coping really well, contracting and walking around with a big grin (she kept giggling!) so we were all fairly relaxed... she asked to go to the loo... she went and wasn't coming out... so I knocked on the door, went in and she was sweating.... saying "I need to poo".... which in medical term means "I want to push" .... she didn't look like she was joking at all.... we took her to the bed and she delivered after 2 pushes.... they call this a birth precipitare (I believe Mears/Leese?)

mears · 03/09/2002 13:54

A preciptate birth is one where the baby is born literally after a few contractions in total without any warning. The mother is not aware at all of the first stage of labour. These births rarely are in hospital because the mother does not know that she is going to labour. They can result in the baby landing in the toilet with no warning.
The birth you describe pupuce is one with a rapid second stage. Even though the first stage was short - the mum knew she was in labour. It can be very overwhelming for women to deliver rapidly as has been described in this thread.
Still enjoying being a doula pupuce?

SueDonim · 03/09/2002 15:21

I don't think this counts as a precipitate birth, but a trainee paediatrician friend was called to a labour room in an emergency. A 7mths pg woman had walked into the Mat Unit and calmly announced she'd gone into labour whilst Christmas shopping and that she was expecting triplets!!! The babies came so fast my friend had no time to call anyone else and she and the MW had to deal with all three babies themselves until the cavalry arrived. All three babies survived and my friend spent Xmas on a high.

pupuce · 03/09/2002 16:24

Mears-loving it...
The MW said it was a birth precipitate... and wrote it in the notes.... But as I said we knew the mum was in labour, I think her "lack of warning signs" that the baby was there is what took all of us by surprise.

Rhosyn · 04/09/2002 19:22

My 1st labour was 12hrs 36mins
my 2nd 10ish hours and
my 3rd 1hr45mins with a 10lb8oz baby who I breathed gently out at home in the water pool

They do say that the best indication is what your mothers' and sisters labours have been like, I don't have any sisters and my mother had us by c/s though so that was no help to me!!

Katherine · 27/09/2002 11:10

Must be feeling more confident as I'm now reading birthing posts Both my labours begin with my waters going pop. I understand this can speed things up because their is more pressure from the head/no cusion. My first was 3.5hrs and was awful. Contractions started couple mins apart v. intense. Didn't have a clue waht was going on. All I kept thinking was "I can't cope with 12 hrs of this!". After 2 hrs I was 3 cm at local MW unit. Baby was 5 wks early though so packed into ambulance and sent off over the moors with lights flashing, siren blaring and DH rushing after in the car, told that if they pulled over he should stop. I just remember thinking how narrow the trolley was and clinging on for dear life (its a very bendy road). Was ready to push as they got me out at the other end so went last 7cm in 20 mins. While thing very traumatic, maostly because I felt so out of control and didn't know what was happening.

With no 2 I opted for a home birth (couldn't face that road again). DD obligingly waited till we'd had dinner one evening, nothing on telly and waters went pop. DH then started leaping round tidying up. When I protested he yelled "but the house might be full of people soon". Contractions 1-2 mins apart again but not quite so intense and I knew what was coming this time. By the time the MW arrived 20 mins later I was 8cms dilated so got myself comfy to push. DD arrived after a total of 1hr20mins. I literally breathed her out I felt so in control and it didn't even hurt really. 2nd MW arrived just in time to take the baby and an hr later we were all tucked up in bed together (not the MWs of course!) I'm sure births do tend to follow patterns and being prepared for what will happen makes all the difference.

If no 3 doesn't follow the same pattern It'll really throw me. Mind you if it does follw the same pattern then I suspect DS will be delivering as it takes at least 20 mins to get here from town! And DH works 1.5 hrs away!

Katherine · 27/09/2002 11:14

Sorry got a bit carried away there

FrancesJ · 27/09/2002 12:50

Sorry, can't help laughing at your dh's reaction, Katherine. Tidying up!

Nice to read this thread at this time. Am hoping, hoping that my second labour will be a VBAC, and a shorter one - will not go into too much detail about first, enough to say it lasted three long days, induction, with about 3 hours in second stage - but then the emergency section anyway (was very p*** off after all that pushing, I can tell you). It's a hip thing with me, I think - have investigated my family, and there's a history of long difficult labours - quite a few ending with baby in intensive care (and/or squashed-looking). But all looks good for this one for me on the scan re positions - all through pregnancy was told I'd probably be sectioned at 38 weeks, and here I am nearly on my fourtieth! Only problem is I have to go into labour before the fourth October, otherwise it's bartering for more time. Cross your fingers for me, ladies, please.

Oh, btw, do know someone who had a precipitate labour re Mears description. She was at a parents evening for her first dd, waters broke while chatting to a teacher, and she gave birth about 10 minutes later having been carted off to the (relative) privacy of a staff-room. Yikes!

Enid · 27/09/2002 13:02

A woman I know from NCT had a precipitate birth. She woke up in the middle of the night, went to the loo, had an urge to push (a poo, she thought!) and looked down and the baby's head was literally hanging out. No contractions, nothing.

Scatterbrain · 27/09/2002 13:07

Blimey, just imagine if you had one of those pregnancies that you sometimes read about in the papers - you know when the woman didn't know she was even pg for the whole term (Can't believe it myself as was vast & v. uncomfortable) - and THEN you had a precipitate labour !

You'd be in such a state of shock ! Some poo eh ?

SoupDragon · 27/09/2002 13:12

FrancesJ, isn't the phrase to "be sectioned" something to do with the mental health act??

SoupDragon · 27/09/2002 13:14

Scatterbrain - how DO these women not know? I was the size of a whale and kept seeing body parts poking out of my bump!

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