Precipitate labour

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I was wondering if anyone has any experience they can share about having another labour after a precipitate labour.

The midwives have always said that I should phone in at my first contraction and insist they see me, as I may have an even faster labour this time. Today though I had my first "labour chat" with a midwife - at 36+5, and she was very firm that if I'm not dilated enough at that one examination they won't let me stay in hospital, even knowing my labour may progress really quickly. She also said even if I do get to stay on the antenatal ward they may refuse fo examine me more than every 4 hours. Which would have been after I delivered my daughter, so completely useless.

The problem is, with my first the contractions didn't give away how far alone I was. I did not have three in 10 minutes until AFTER I needed to push. At home. I lost all control over the delivery and panicked a little being on my own. So if they refuse to let me stay because I'm only 1cm, it could just be really soon after I need to push and be unable to get back to the hospital in time, or have any chance of a relaxing atmosphere for delivery or the water birth I desperately want a chance of getting. I tore badly because my daughter came out so fast, so I'm quite scared that I'll be alone at home and bleed badly.

If you had a fast labour first time was your next one a lot faster? Or did anyone have a "normal" pattern second time if the first was fast and unpredictable?

I'm thinking of just sitting in the car park until I need to push if they won't let me stay or see me again. I don't know how I can make my labour relaxing if I don't get admitted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The hormones are not helping me think this through well today.

No personal experience my labours lasted days

I think you have a couple of options...

1. prepare for a homebirth

2. refuse to leave hospital once you’re there!

I believe with precipitous labour you’re likely to have another but someone may correct me on this! It’s a shame your midwife wasn’t more supportive about this. Is it possible that they’re being like this because of Covid and by the time your baby will be born (I’m assuming at least a couple of months away) then they might be less strict.

Sorry,I just saw you are 36 weeks so nearly there.

When you go in surely they’ll see your rapid birth history and won’t make you go home?
Try not to worry,like you said,you may have to hang about outside the hospital 😔

My first was 2 hours and my second was 40 mins! I'm pregnant with my third and altho super concerned. No advice but following! Xx

Mine went 1 hour 10 mins, 45 minutes, then with my third I woke in the night pushing..I don't feel contractions till my waters burst. I just silently dilate.

First was 1h from first pain
Second 48minutes
Third 35 minutes
Fourth 2.5h
I insisted on induction at 38 weeks with 2nd onwards as I wasn’t convinced I’d get childcare and get to hospital on time otherwise, and community midwives couldn’t guarantee attending a home birth within 2 hours of the first contraction.

@CimCardashian yea, I'm 37 weeks on Saturday and because my daughter came at 37 weeks exactly they think this one may be sharp too. So potentially just days away! Especially since I think I've started to lose small bits of mucus plug already.

I'm worried if I try and have a home birth that they won't come out either. Or that they will and then leave again if I'm not deemed far enough along and I could be almost caught short again. My daughter was thankfully born in hospital but only because we lived nearby and the ambulance got to me fast in the middle of the night. There's some horror stories about ambulances taking much longer these days with covid.

Fingers crossed I dilate well before contractions actually start. If not I'll either have to make a fuss so they keep me in for a bit for stress reasons or I'll hang out in the car park in the least relaxing kind of labour possible. The joys.

I've found the midwives just awful this pregnancy. There's been no other chat or advice at all, and I had to argue with them for the birth plan appointment to be before 37+5 like they were planning, or I could deliver early and not actually discuss labour with them at all! I know I've done it before but it was pre covid, almost 7 years ago and in a different hospital, so all is different now.

It’s very difficult to prepare for labour,and I’m so sorry you have all this worry.
Reassuringly Covid rates and hospital transmissions are much lower now so waiting times for ambulances hopefully won’t be as bad as they have been in the peaks.

Do you have any more appointments?

Perhaps you could try and see the Head of Midwives ?(I don’t know what the title is I’m afraid).

@CimCardashian my next appointment isn't for a week and a half. There's a fair chance I'll have given birth by then. I'm just going to try and stay calm now since it could be any minute (37 weeks today!) and hope they are nicer when the time comes. Or that they at least take pity on me if I'm visibly upset. I can't imagine they've made such a fuss about me going in first contraction so many times just to chuck me out so harshly. It must just be that midwife being a bit mean/harsh. I'm sure it will be fine. I've got to tell myself that.

I can't believe they refused any chat about labour in advance though. Even knowing I had a precipitate labour at 37 weeks last time and I was nervous. I've been shot down at every appointment when I've tried to ask things. At least I don't plan on being in the hospital long! So if they are mean on the day too at least I don't have to suffer them for long. Got to think of the positives of scarily fast births. Lol.

Try not to worry. Go to hospital at the first sign, as you planned, and then make a huge fuss! They won’t kick you out.

I also had a scary fast unsupported labour so I understand. But just be prepared to raise hell- I was told afterwards I “didn’t sound panicked enough” (helpful, thanks!) so definitely feel free to panic loud and long.

My first induced labour wasn't precipitate overall, but once I'd got going the second half of dilation happened very quickly and everyone was taken by surprise.

My second labour was 4.5h from waters breaking to holding baby and once again although the first few cm weren't that fast, everyone was very surprised when I suddenly announced I was going to push.

I am now pregnant again and concerned about not making it to the hospital in time, but my midwives have been very sympathetic about it and my husband is totally prepared!! I am going to be asking my midwife nearer the time what the best way is to communicate to triage my birth history and concerns. Last time I was under the MH team due to previous birth trauma and they wrote a MH care plan which was stuck in the front of my notes in big letters and included such gems as "Do not suggest that this lady goes home once she has arrived at triage having contractions". I'm not under MH team this time but I'm sure I can get a similar official note.

In your shoes, I would do the following:

• Ring up on Monday and ask to speak to the Supervisor of Midwives urgently. Explain your concerns about birth and that you are very anxious about your previous birth history not being taken into account. Ask them what they can do to make sure you are treated appropriately during labour.
• Prime your birth partner. Make sure they know your history and are prepared to duke it out with the midwives on your behalf if necessary. You shouldn't have to deal with it in labour - hand the arguing over to someone else.
• Write your own executive summary of previous labour and concerns and stick it in the front of your notes.
• Consider hamming it up a bit or lying about your contraction timings so you seem further on than you are!
• Just turn up at triage and don't leave. I mean, what are they going to do, call security and have them kick you out? By the sounds of it you won't be there that long anyway! It would be better if you were admitted earlier, but even if you're just sat on a chair on triage that's much better than being alone at home or in your car in the car park!!

IME, they absolutely can make exceptions to hospital policy if they see good reason to. But don't put the pressure on yourself to make a coherent argument in labour. Definitely contact the Supervisor of Midwives. If you have problems with that, you could even ring the triage helpline and say you haven't been able to get any help from the community midwives and what do they suggest. And definitely prime your birth partner and take on the role of stubborn pregnant woman who won't be shifted. It may be that different parts of the midwifery system are not communicating with each other and it'll all be fine on the day, but they've not done a great job so far.

@NoSquirrels yea, she said they would take into account how well I was coping and how much I was screaming. I was calm and breathed through all contractions with my first until I needed to push, so my calmness and high pain threshold means I won't be taken seriously. It's rather unfair.

@PerspicaciousGreen I think I'm most worried because I'm likely to be alone for large chunks of labour. My birth partner will hopefully be my sister - IF she can get from work on time. I'll certainly get to the hospital before her and they've said I'll have to ask on the day if she's even allowed in before I get admitted to labour ward. So if I'm just in for triage or on the antenatal ward I'll probably be alone. With my first I was alone on the bathroom floor needing to push and I felt so lost.

I'm definitely going to make a fuss/ cry/ refuse to leave if they don't take me seriously. I just hope if I do it's not a false start! That could be embarrassing!

Thanks everyone for the support. It's good to know I'm not alone in thinking they're being mean and that I'm not unreasonable to make a bit of a fuss. It's so not like me to even consider it.

Maybe try not to have too many expectations of how badly you’re going to be treated. I appreciate you’re basing this on your experience but if you went in, explained your history and your worries I’d like to hope at least some midwives will understand.

Ah, I hadn't quite cottoned onto your concern about being alone without even your birth partner. That's definitely something else to mention to the Supervisor of Midwives when you speak to them - that it was very difficult for you to be alone last time and you are concerned that your birth partner may not arrive in time or may not be allowed into the hospital quickly enough when she does arrive. (Presume this is a covid thing?)

You may well find that if you can utter the words "second baby" and "previous precipitate labour" and "it feels just the same as last time", the triage midwives will hop to it. If you do end up on the antenatal ward, keep the buzzer in your hand and buzz away if you want them to examine you again or whatever.

It sounds like the midwife you spoke to recently wasn't actually listening to you, tbh, and was just telling you their standard procedure. Which is pretty shoddy of her, but not necessarily reflective of what will happen if you turn up and triage know your history. I urge you to write something to put in the front of your notes that you can shove under their noses.

Also, you don't have to answer their questions about contractions if you think it will cause them to make wrong assumptions about how far along you are. You can say "I don't know" or "they're very strong" or "it feels just like last time". You can even decline to be examined if you would like to.

You can also make a fuss about your sister being allowed in as soon as she arrives. Get her on the phone, keep her there and nag the triage midwives to death.

Honestly, unless you get a real cow they are likely to want to make you comfortable and to want you to have someone there for you. You've given birth before, and I do think that makes a difference in how labouring women are treated.

You can decline a vaginal exam.

A friend of mine had a very similar experience. Outside of Covid times. But her husband was away and she had a very fast labour with her first.
She actually hired a doula to be her advocate for birthing as she wasn’t convinced they would take her seriously and she was alone.
But she said when the time came, they tried to send her home and she was firm and told them, this feels exactly like last time and I delivered very rapidly. I need a room now. And thankfully they took her seriously!

Do you have a 'birth choices' type team at your hospital? If so, I'd contact them on Monday.

I'm in a slightly similar situation as my DS was born in under 2.5 hours and I feel very nervous about the hospital not taking me seriously when labour starts. I spoke to a senior midwife about it last week and she said midwives will tell you what they think is best at that particular moment in time. However she said if I didn't agree with their advice then I should speak up an insist on what I think is best. Easier said than done I think but I will certainly give it my best shot and my DH has been well primed.

If I were you I'd call your sister at the first twinge and then the hospital.

My last baby was born 10 years ago
My labours progressed very fast after vaginal examination during labour.
#1 I went from 7cm to delivered in an hour
#2 I went from 5cm to delivered in 40 min

#3 I begged not to be examined on the antenatal ward but to be taken through to delivery first, "if you examine me, I will have her".
This could not be arranged; no entry to delivery suite without vaginal exam. Which they did, and told me I was only at 3cm and "not in established labour".
18 minutes later dd was in my arms. On the antenatal ward.

I would have hoped they would have started listening to women in the intervening 10 years.

They did tell me I could NOT have my baby on the antenatal ward. However after dh rang the emergency bell they came running with baby cot etc and were fine; they didn't try and move me at that point.

My labour's have all been short. All 3 I've been in hospital due to fast labour's. My nearest maternity unit/hospital is nearly 3 hours away. So they've kept me in even without any dilation. Good job too I wouldn't of made it with any of them.

First 2 were standard lenght.
3rd and 4th super fast.
3rd,waters broken at7pm by MW(induction),CTG for 30 min,short walk to the toilet and it started sudden,strong contractions.DS born at 9pm.
4th,waters broke at home at 10pm,contractions started at 10.55,DD born at 11.30pm.We did make it to the hospital (10 minutes away) but both labours were insanely fast and I kind of missed that build up I had with my first 2.

Any update from any of you?? I've just had my third and it was a four hour Labor after my really quick first two!! This one was a lazy boy though!