How did your contractions start?

[maisiedaisy64]

Hello! I gave birth to DD last March. My labour started and contractions were 4 mins apart from the onset. In 6 hours, I was 5cm dilated. I found the pain unbearable until I got an epidural. Her heart rate was erratic so it ended in an EMCS. Turns out we both had sepsis, all fine now thankfully!

My consultant thinks that my body went into eject mode from the sepsis, hence the strong contractions.

I just want to hear other people’s experience of labour, as I had done various courses, all of which said labour will start slowly, contractions won’t be regular, stay at home, have a bath, watch a movie etc etc etc! That was not my experience and it’s been playing on my mind a bit!

Thank you!

Not my experience either and husband had to rush back - honestly, there's no telling even now what a Labour will be like I think, we just need to go with it. All I do know is second one is meant to be quicker as body knows more what to do, I've been told that by doctors and midwives xx

My first was long, drawn out and was an emcs at 10cm. With my second, I started contracting early afternoon and they were 2 minutes apart from the word go. Within 3 hours I was 9cm by the time I got to hospital and had no pain relief at that point. Had g&a but it did nothing and I asked to have a section rather than vbac.

My first mine were 2-3 mins apart from the first contraction, no staying at home, labour was just over five hours in total from the first contraction, I didn't get a slow build up

Less than 2 minutes apart, lasting between 30-45 seconds tops right from the start. Started getting painful after about half an hour. Labour lasted under 2 hours

Waters broke suddenly at 37.5w (think gush in the middle of our bathroom). Went to triage and BP was sky high. I was dmitted and contractions started around 12hrs later - fast from the start, but then paused for ages at 9cm dilated. Turns out it was the hind waters that had broken, and the fore waters were impeding DD's head progressing. Once the midwife broke the fore waters, she was born in about 3 pushes.

DD turned out to be IUGR, have GBS sepsis and spent a very worrying 2 weeks in NICU followed by a BRUE at home just after we had been discharged.

I believe very much that my body knew both she and i were not well and knew that it was best for us both for her to be land side.

My second was a longer labour than my first. With my first I woke up having regular contractions straight away. Then once my waters went I was fully dilated within the hour. Pushing took forever though. Second time round I had irregular contractions the whole way through, but baby was born in 3 pushes still in her membranes. I think if my waters had gone themselves then it would have been quicker!

I do think the body knows that baby needs to be born sometimes. It's well known that a woman with pre-eclampsia tends to labour quickly. So not surprised by women with sepsis/infection that the labour is quicker.

My waters went with a gush at around 1am and I started having twinges. Got to hospital about 2am and the midwife said I was 0cm but admitted me due to infection risk and sent DH home. About an hour later, I was in agony and vomiting everywhere. I couldn’t lie on the bed and was pacing around my little cubicle. There was about 2 minutes between each contraction. The midwife made some comment about having a long way to go and encouraged me to try a bath for pain relief. Once in the bath, I started pushing involuntarily and buzzed for her to come back. She was reluctant to check me as she was convinced nothing was happening, but eventually agreed. I saw the panic on her face as she ran from the room and shouted down the corridor to prepare a delivery room. There was no significant gap between contractions at this stage. DH just about made it in time to see me screaming for pain relief, but it was too late - DS was born a few minutes later.

Thank you everyone for your replies! It seems that fast regular contractions from the get go are common enough!

@Firstbornunicorn that must have been quite scary!

@Chanel05 can i ask why you decided to go with a section rather than a VBAC? If I get pregnant again I’m not sure which I’d go for!

MW broke my waters with a hooky thing and contractions started immediately, about 5 mins apart at first but rapidly progressed and baby was born 4 and a half hours at free waters were broken.

Not my experience either. I was quick with both babies.

My contractions went from tightening to painful pretty fast.

I had DD 5 days ago so this is all fresh in my mind.

I woke up at 1am with mild contractions. I wondered if they were contractions or just pains. I went to the bathroom and had lost my mucus plug so figured it must've been contractions. I tried to go back to bed for a bit to sleep through it as best I could but by 3.30am, they were becoming more regular and intense so I started to monitor how far apart they were. They were every 6-8 minutes for around 45 seconds. I called the hospital and they advised that I should go in as I dilated quite quickly with my first labour.

When I arrived, I was 6cm so sent to delivery room at that point. This was around 5.30am. I was given gas and air and stayed standing through my contractions and I truly believe gravity helped as it was so much more manageable than DS's labour where I was in bed.

Her heart rate dropped for a while, they struggled to find it for around 30 minutes so they popped my waters, at which point I was 8cm dilated.

Quite soon after, I kept telling them I needed to push. They told me not to, that I wasn't far enough but we know our own bodies. On the next contraction, I flipped over to my hands and knees and pushed and out she popped in one push!

@maisiedaisy64 I'm a bit mad I know! I'd gone back and forth in my mind for SO long about vbac vs elcs and I'd ultimately chosen elcs because my previous labour was so out of control. This time however, I really felt in control and positive so I stuck with my original plan because ultimately, I knew what to expect in a section.

They'd also told me if I went vbac I could have an epidural and I knew they were lying because I could feel him coming down the birth canal and was pretty confident he'd be out in a few pushes so they'd say there was no time and I simply didn't want to feel the pushing with just gas and air. I wanted everything to be on my terms this time - and it was.

@Chanel05 I don’t think you’re mad at all…if I was pregnant and had to give birth in the morning, I think I’d be more inclined to go for a planned cs rather than a VBAC. Interesting to hear what other people decided and why, thank you!!

My first started like period cramps but got stronger very quickly and he was born 4 hours later.

My second and third were born in 45 mins and 1 hr 13 from first contraction. I was floored from the word go