what causes some women to have fast labours and others slow??

[deaconblue]

Was chatting to my cousin's wife whose last baby was born 30 minutes from the first pains to him actually arriving, my ds on the other hand took 27 hours start to finish.
Is it different hormone levels, uterus muscles? I'm guessing no one knows for sure but was interested in your ideas?

I'd say not uterous muscles - I've heard being very muscular is an imprediment. And speaking as someone with no muscles, my 3rd labour was by farthe longest, dragging out over 2 or 3 days, while my 2nd was about 4 hours from start to finish

oh no, don't tell me tales of longer 2nd/3rd labours, I've got 3 weeks to go and am banking on a shorter one this time purleeeeeeeeeeeeeese

a lot is to do with the position of the baby , perhpas the amount of hormones that are released, the weight of the baby exerting pressure on the cervix? no cord wrapped around the baby to hold him back.. some women may just not 'feel' the latent and early stages of labour, so what feels like a very fast labour has been building up

dunno, am just surmising!

FWIW , i think very fast labour are much harder to cope with and more of a shock to the mother than one that gives you time to get in the zone and get to the hospital or for a MW to arrive.

i reckon 4-6 hours is a nice length of labour to have

shoppingbagsundereyes - this number 2 or 3 or what?

I agree with lulu, very fast ain't musch fun. And I can confirm, 4 hours was no fun at all. Mind you neither was 3 days.

She did say she wouldn't wish such a fast labour on anyone and my cousin managed to miss both his children being born due to panic fainting
Midwife after ds' birth did say his head was probably pressing on my cervix in a squwiff fashion (have never tried to write that word before, how on earth is it spelled?)

number 2 but I realised your slower one was number 3, hence confusing message

skewiff

an OP baby or one with a slightly deflexed head can make for a slower labour

google optimal foetal positioning and have a look at www.spinningbabies.com and do not sit on anything other than a birth ball until baby arrives ! will tilt your pelvis in a better way to get baby in a good position

i am hoping that number 3 is skower than number 2 - infact I am terrified of it being as quick. ds1 was a little less than 4 hours, ds2 just over an hour so I don't have much hope

i am hoping that number 3 is skower than number 2 - infact I am terrified of it being as quick. ds1 was a little less than 4 hours, ds2 just over an hour so I don't have much hope

thanks Lulumama. Baby is in that position currently but has time to wiggle back I guess so will have a good look at ways to keep her the right way.
So lounging around on sofa with laptop pearched on massive belly not such a good position then

sorry - didnt answer the question!!!

I dont know

What about pschological issues? Do you think labour can be slowed down by fear and the unfamiliar environment, mistrust of the people around you?

Interesting article from Michel Odent in the Mail today. I have a great deal of time for him normally but I think the key here is that fathers came into the delivery room at the same time that birth became increasingly medicalised. So it is not just the fathers who potentially caused the problems but the medical profession too. I don't know, I'm prepared to be shouted down. All I know is that dh was my advocate second time round, I pretty much ignored what was going on around me and had a fairly straightforward labour and birth.

My labour was four and a half hours from start to finish. The midwives told me that my pre-eclampsia meant that my body was treating dd like a parasite and so did everything it could to get her out ASAP!
Good luck!

I know for sure that continuous fetal monitoring slowed my labour down as they kept muttering about the heartrate being slow, which was stressful, I was terrified they were going to drag me off for a section. Once they let me off the bloody CFM (and also meant I could get up and move properly as everytime I tried with the CFM, it fell off and they moaned) it went alarmingly quickly - and before that they had been advising me to have a drip!!

first baby 38 hrs second baby 14hrs and third baby 38 hrs. god was i pissed off!!!!!!!!!1

With ds2 it was about 4 hours from feeling the first contraction to the birth. After he was born I layed in the bed for an hour in shock, didn't try to hold him at all just watched dh holding him saying, "I wasn't supposed to have a baby today" over and over and over.

I was told at my antenatal classes that first babies took the longest, second babies were very quick and third somewhere in between.

Given that I only realised I was actually in labour with DD about 3 hours before she was born (first labour) I hope it isn't too much quicker than that if I get to do it again!

I've had 4h20m and 2h30m so not superfast but fast enough. Fast usually means really intense with no let up in contractions (well it does for me) you are just getting past one and the next one starts. Also as it's so fast you don't get time mentally to think this is it I'm having a baby so especially with the first I went into shock.

I've had both types (38, 21 and 4 hours). In my case, positioning of the babies (OP for the first two) and baby head size (nearly 9lbs and 38cm round head for the first one- ouch) seemed to have an effect.

All 3 of mine have been fast, 3rd one was fastest and he was op. They were all different weights and different gestations too. Dd was 36 weeks and 5lb 14.5 stayed in scbu a week, ds1 38 weeks and 7lb 12.5 and ds2 was 39 weeks 8lb 2.

First two were about 3 hours and last was down as 1 hour 20 mins I think.

Just read spinning babies now panicing as I have a dip in my belly. Does that mean my baby is Posterior? The midwife has never mentioned this. I'm 40 +6 and hoping for a vbac.
I've also been to see a Chiropractor for SPD and she has manipulated my pelvis last week to get the baby in a good position so I hope it works!! I'll get on my birthing ball now and hope for a good labour!