Did your labours all start the same way?

[Shallotsaresmallonions]

Just curious about other people's experiences! I'm 30 weeks pregnant with my second and starting to think about the baby actually coming out of me now that it's fast approaching 😅

My first pregnancy, my waters breaking at 41+0 were the first sign and then immediately very light contractions started and slowly ramped up, until I gave birth about 10 hours later. It was a pretty ideal first labour so I'm hoping it'll follow the same pattern this time!

First - induction at 42 +3. 24 hour labour.
Second - natural birth at 42 weeks. Very quick onset, only just got to the maternity ward in time for the midwife to catch her as she slid out.
Third - induction at 43 weeks. Six hour labour, easy delivery
Fourth - natural birth, eight hour labour
Fifth - natural birth, six hour labour, very fast delivery (but was a water birth which might affect things).

Once labour got started it felt pretty much the same with each one. My second was a very small baby which could be why she came so fast.

No.
Birth 1: waters suddenly broke at 39+4, contractions 2-3 mins apart from the outset, 7h labour
Birth 2: very slow grumbling early labour for about 12h, then a more normal labour for the next 10h
Birth 3: bad sickness and diarrhoea for 12 hours, then very sudden, very fast labour taking 1.5h

3dc, all different and all kind of the same.

Dc1 I'd been at the allotment, had a bath, sat on the sofa, waters went pop, slow contractions followed. Birth via emcs 24hrs later (unidentified breech). 39w

Dc2, woke up at 2am (after a ceilidh) to a pop. Waters going, birth 2hrs later at home.38w

Dc3, slow leak of my waters. Proper labour started 48hrs later, born in hospital 6hrs after that. 41w

6dc, all started the same.
Just a gradual build up of contractions. Longest abour was 25 hrs and shortest was 65min.

No, all three were different.

#1: 41+3 having had a sweep the day before - contractions started while I was asleep and woke me up around 5am, slowly increased in frequency and intensity, then was stop-start at hospital til the evening, finally gave birth after 19hours

#2: 40+6, woke up at 3:30am when eldest came into our bed, turned over which triggered contractions to start, ramped up really quickly, baby born within 2 hours

#3: 40+4, felt intermittent downward pressure in the morning as I was getting the kids ready for school/nursery, which I finally recognised as contractions mid-morning once I noticed they were coming and going regularly - don’t know if they felt so different because I was up and about rather than lying down. Ramped up at a medium pace, labour lasted about 4 hours from when I realised I was actually having contractions

With our first, I started with really bad backache in the evening at 39+3, had a rubbish nights sleep and then contractions started the next day. I went to hospital, laboured for hours before they decided to break my waters and put me an oxytocin drip to strengthen contractions. Finally gave birth about 36 hours , after the backache started, so 39+5.

With our second, I was 41+1 (due to be induced the next day) and had some bleeding, so I went to our hospital to be checked out. When examined they said I was in labour and having contractions, although I wasn’t feeling any pain. My waters broke about 5 hours after being examined and that was when I started feeling contractions. Our baby was born 3 hours later.

I hope everything is as ‘good’ as first time for you OP. Not too much longer to wait now.

Dd1 - slow start which took forever to turn into something useful, at 4 days early. 37hours in total

Ds - waters broke spontaneously at 10 days early. 12 hours

Dd2 - induced at 36+6. 12 hours from pessary to delivery.

Well I was induced both times. Things were basically identical in how I was induced, how labour started and ramped up so I guess so.

Mode of delivery ended up different though. DC1 was vaginal. DC2 was a C-section.

Waters going was the first sign with all three of mine.

Completely different.

First at 37+1 with waters breaking then strong contractions a couple of minutes apart from the outset. There were no signs leading up to it.

Second arrived at 35+6. I had been losing my plug for about a week then was having contractions for days but didn't know they were contractions at the time having not experienced a mild early labour before. I thought it was just late pregnancy aches and pains, muscle niggles etc. I was also really tired and apparently didn't look too well (I had gone to work for meetings eeek). I was under consultant care for another issue that was being closely monitored so when the niggles became more frequent and I was feeling iffy, I thought best just get checked. The midwives were like you're in labour, let's get you admitted. Looking back, I laugh because part of me knew yet I drove myself in as if going to a regular GP appt (DH at home with DC1). Waters didn't break until shortly before baby arrived which is weird since that was the first sign of my first labour. My community midwife said that the body knows what it's doing second time round so I'm putting the differences down to that.

Yes.
Some sort of water breaking followed by… Nothing. 😂
All required induction.
My body can’t do labour on its own, despite three attempts!

Nope!

DC1. Waters broke late weds night/ early Thursday morning. Didn't start contracting for hours. Friday morn IIRC. He was born Saturday afternoon, on his due date.

DC2. 10 days overdue. Had a sweep that afternoon, midwife said no way baby would put in an appearance any time soon and booked an induction. Contractions started that evening, he was born 2 hours later. Waters broke at some point when I was in hospital. I remember apologising for making a mess.

First baby 39 & 4 waters broke all over the bed ( I’d just gone to sleep ) 24 hours or so later baby arrived , needed epidural and forceps followed by blood transfusion
Second baby 5 days late , grumbly contractions for a couple of hours , baby born 2 hours later
So , yes , very different