How long was your first labour?

[Hope54321]

Hi guys,

How long was labour for your first pregnancy?

When did your contractions start?

If you go by my maternity notes, it was 11 minutes total, and 9 of those were third stage (placenta) Official lines read first stage 0 minutes, second 2 minutes, third nine. In reality it was more like 1 hour 45 minutes, it’s just I didn’t have medical assistance until the last two so that’s when they counted from.

Induced, but nothing resembling labour happened until the drip went up. Total time in labour was 12-13 hours.

2 hours

Just over 4 hours, natural birth not induced. My second was not even an hour, we literally made it to the hospital just in time.

Slow labour for a week, couldn't feel contractions but the monitor picked them up.
19 hours & 23 mins from waters breaking, 1h 45m active labour. Once it really kicked off it was quick, but took 15 hours to get to 2cm!

49 hours. Contractions were intense and frequent from the beginning. I was put on the drip after about 45 hours but fortunately the pushing stage was only 20 minutes and in a strange way I really enjoyed that part. Looking back I dont know how I got through it without an epidural...sheer bloody mindedness I think.

Contractions started about 7pm, baby born about 5pm next day.

Oh and my waters didn't go, the midwives broke them.

Four hours.

Hard to say. Active labour was about 32 hours. I had to have a drip to get my contractions going as they were fading, I was exhausted due to 3 weeks continuous "Braxton Hicks" every 2 hours & almost zero sleep, which had resulted in a raging bladder infection. I was actually in the maternity ward to treat the infection when I went into labour, they examined me & I was dilated but not enough to stay in. They later said I'd probably been in slow labour for the whole 3 weeks. Contractions with a bladder infection are not fun!

Exactly the same as @Happygogoat - a very long 'latent' phase where I couldn't sleep. Baby was fine throughout and was relatively straightforward delivery. Very painful contractions started one Thursday evening (after milder ones) and she came Tuesday morning. Turns out she was back to back and struggled to establish full blown labour. Second baby 12 hours from waking with contractions to delivery.

Called the midwife at 1200 saying I think I might have had a few niggles and possibly bit of waters leaking. DD was born at 1456 within minutes of arriving at hospital after them giving my DH the “if she really feels she needs to come in we can have a look and see how’s she’s doing” on the phone. They didn’t seem believe a first time mum could go from possibly a couple niggles to the baby is coming, so quick.

About 13.5hrs, woke up a bit past midnight feeling off. I thought I was constipated actually then the contractions started around 2am. Got to hospital was already 5.5cm! Baby born just after 2pm the next day.

FurForksSake

Started with contractions and water breaking in the middle of sunday night. Baby was born at 5pm on the Tuesday. I stayed at home till about 4am on Tuesday morning, got to hospital and was 6cm, things slowed down a lot when I got there and ended up with the drip and an epidural when I was about 8cm.

Can I ask why you ended up with the drip?

Because my membranes has been ruptured over 24hrs and they wanted the baby out. I'm not sure it was the right decision, to be honest.

Waters broke at 1am. Mild contractions started about an hour later. Extra pain relief needed at 9.30am. Pushing started at 11am. Finally gave birth at 1.45pm.

5hrs and 17 mins from my first contraction, was examined at 4am and was 5cm, DD arrived at 7.17am, was give days overdue

That gives me hope @ellenleaves - am expecting again and although had a good delivery before I in theory would happily replicate, I can't work out the logistics of how to manage such a long latent phase with my toddler! 12 hours would be rapid by comparison!

Depends how you measure these things. Water broke, baby came 18 hours later. Contractions were gradual, though, from nothing to quite intense (every 2 min), but second stage only really got going when they broke my second water. Baby came 2 hours after that. The pushing stage was about 20 minutes.

Waters went out of the blue at 36 weeks on the Tuesday at 10pm, went into hospital had steroids etc was discharged on the Wednesday having a contraction every hour or so. Stayed that way till the Friday, went back into hospital at 11.30pm 6cm dilated and gave birth at 2pm on the Saturday so very long process but not really in proper regular pain until the Friday morning.

Less than an hour. About 45 minutes from waters popping followed by first proper contraction to baby arriving.

Wity my 1st my 1st contraction at midnight in the bath and delivered at 03.55am. 2nd baby was 1st contraction at 1.30pm and delivered at 4.02pm. Both very quick deliveries

I was induced on Monday at 7pm, but nothing happened for just over 24 hours until they put the gel in. My waters went at 9.15pm with contractions straight away, baby born at 1.07am so only around 4 hours!