It is still 6 months off but I am getting preoccupied about having an even speedier birth than with ds2......

[popsycal]

...and not getting to hospital in time for a variety of reasons. Or not getting the boys looked after in time. Or giving birth at home alone. Or worse still - with the boys around and on my own.

I can't have a home birth as I have a history of silly high BP in pregnancy.

I need to forget about it for now I suppose...but it keeps coming back into my mind.

Does anyone have any stories about nice leisurely labours with their third after an under four hour first labour and under 1 hour second?

there MUST be someone????

No experience to share, but as you have quick labours would they let you register for a Home birth as a safety net? That way at least they would expect to send midwives to you. Do you have friends nearby that can look after your boys? It might be worth having a couple lined up to increase the chances someone being able to get to you soon? Am worried about this for myself in future pregnancies too - established labour of 7 hours with my DS, I arrived at hospital 6cm dilated and give birth 2.5 hours later I will have my fingers crossed for you

I have already asked the midwife about it. No way

I will ask a few friends but most are at least a 15-20 minutes drive away.

My parents helped last time. But that was 6am on a Sunday and took 20 mins. At rush hour, the same journey can take an hour.

www.homebirth.org.uk you can have a HB if you are making an informed decision to have one, even with high BP
other option is an induction at 38 weeks or so

if you think things are happening too quick, and you cannot get to the hospital, then call 999.

get all friends and neighbours and family etc on red alert from 38 weeks to help with DCs etc

thanks lulumama - will look at that.

I am going to chat again to my midwife. The nearest hospital has just become midwife led and the closest place I would be induced is about 40 mins away (unless they refer me closer but not in this local authority....confused?)

TBH I would almost prefer to be induced....

Is it normal practice to induce under these circumstances or very unusual?

oh yes
nd they come early too

it depends on the hospital, the two nearest me will do so for with a history of precipiate labours...

www.aims.org.uk also good for help when you are told you are 'not allowed' your birth preferences

thanks again

tbh I would prefer to go to the midwife led unit rather than have a home birth...I am a bit twitchy about it.

Hmmm.
I need to get a grip. Are there any 6 months fast track midwifer courses I can send dh on??

midwiferY courses

get him to read Ina may's guide to childbirth and Spiritual midwifery
that should help !

I am expecting to have another precipitous labour. The hospital want me to be induced at 39 weeks because it is baby no 6 and THEY claim that I am at statistically higher risk of PPH.

Luckily my community midwife is FAB and, like me, thinks the consultants are idiots. I am preparing for a homebirth or even a wherever I happen to be birth - last one was born in the car on the way to hospital which is less than 10 mins away so this time I am staying put wherever I happen to be when I go into labour.

So, unless you are happy to be induced a bit early (which you may be) then the only sensible thing to do is prepare for an (emergency) home birth. Both my dh and I have read this webpages.charter.net/wildewudu/Emergency_Childbirth.pdf

Popsycal - seems mad that you are not 'allowed' a homebirth when previous experience has shown you are unlikely to make it to hospital this time.

I had a 2 3/4 hour labour with my first, and a 2 1/4 hour from waking up to giving birth with my second (1 3/4 hours actual labour), and like Mummyrex's, my DD was born in the car. I am not having any more, but if I was, I would certainly not be leaving home!

Still thinking more about this...

I don't particularly want a home birth - planned or otherwise. Can't really put my finger on why.

I was induced early with ds1 due to pre-eclampsia so not averse to being induced per se. Blood pressure was high with ds2 but went silly for MONTHS after birth. After both births, I had to stay in longer than I wanted due to high bp - but with ds1 this was slightly complicated by him being in scbu for a bit.

I suppose I have time to think about things properly. I just like to be in control of these matters and prepared

popsycal - congratulations!!!! I didn't know you were pg! (I'm an old mumsnetter who has changed her name, but you do know me quite well .)

I had a pretty quick labour with DS2 - waters broke about 4.30 p.m., contractions started about 5.30 p.m., he was born at 8.15 p.m.

DS3's birth was a more leisurely affair - contractions started at about lunchtime, he was born at about 9.20 p.m.

There is hope then!

Trying to work out who you are now

MNer with 3 boys who I know quite well.......

your 1st 2 labours sound like mine!!

MW said that 3rd ones can go either way, they are as unpredicatable as your 1st apparently. BUT she did say that because mine were so fast i should have some things in just in case (like a shower curtain and clean towels)

d3 was 5 hours in the end. which is a long time for me but still quite quick

I posted quite a bit on your sleep threads and have emailed you as well. Think very old! Prehistoric in fact!

ah yes!
i remember ds3 in early days now

loling at mumofmonsters - took me a minute to work out why on earth i would need a shower curtain and clean towels when i have some already in my bathroom...
got it now

DS3 is a strapping nearly four year old now. Doesn't time fly etc etc etc.

haha sorry! sleep deprivation is doing nothing for my posting skills! (ds3 is only 3 weeks old!)

ds1 was a 3 hour start to finish labour, ds2 was 1 hour start to finish so i had booked homebirth 'just in case'. my circumstances were different and i was thought to have a trouble free pregnancy but ended up having to be monitored every other day and regular blood tests etc because of OC.

Mumofmonsters - sounds very similar to me!

I have just searched for my thread when I gave birth to ds2 - very bizarre when reading it back!