STAGES OF LABOUR - MN NEEDS YOUR EXPERIENCES

[AbbyMumsnet]

Am doing some stuff for the site and need some of your wisdom re the different stages of labour:

First stage:
Early phase - that point when you wander around wondering if you're in labour and thinking "this ain't too bad".

Active phase - 3cm to transition - that point when you revise your previous opinion...

Transition - that point when you go from 8 to 10cm and want to go home

Second stage - 10cm - that point where you decide to kill your partner if he tries to rub your back again

Third stage - placenta time

So how was it for you? Don't need loads of information, just your usual short, succinct and pithy remarks.

Cheers all.

First time:

1st stage: Don't know. Midwives told me I wasn't in labour. No pain but contractions shown on monitor.
Active stage: Didn't happen see above.
Transition: "Ow it hurts, why does it hurt, if I'm only half a centimetre I'll need a section." "No love, your 10cms, we didn't know you were in labour"
2nd stage: 45 minutes of huge contractions, gas & air knocked me out with every breath.
Third stage: Managed as bleeding.

2nd time:
1st stage: fine.
Active stage hurt, cervix slipped.
Transition: Sudden clearing of pethidine haze and "I've got to push this baby out"
2nd stage: 5 minutes, two pushes.
Third stage managed.

1st stage
Early phase: woke up 2am (all 3 times- bizarre!) Once my contracxtions start, they really start. 1st time tried to run a bath, but abandoned it half way through.

Active stage: mw wanted to monitor me "between contractions" THERE IS NO BETWEEN CONTRACTIONS! DH tells me my hair has gone all "Monica" (cheers for that!) Wallowing in pool and gulping down G&A like it is going out of fashion. Thought I'd gone blind due to G&A, but turned out to be a net curtain dividing the room Managed to get evryone a bit worried, though!! Which leads me nicely into..

Transition: regress 3 billion years into primitive cavewoman and try to escape into the air vents. very important to me to get into those air vents, without anyone noticing. Needed to get out of the pool, but didn't know why. Didn't know what I wanted- confused and distressed.

2nd stage: Ok, let's DO this. Much better to be DOING than just feeling. Although with no3, decided I'd had enough "doing" (he was OP) and I wasn't doing any more. No siree. Bullied into more "doing" by DH and MW, who suffered much abuse.

3rd stage: Had the jab, and -oh look- gave birth to my liver!! Is that ok?

Early phase - my waters have either broken or I've pissed myself (really wasn't sure). Hospital confirmed waters had broken. Went supermarket, few twinges but not convinced it was contractions. Not regular, not very painful

Active phase - TENS, bath, lots of walking round, lots of sitting on the loo trying to poo so I wouldn't push one out during birth

Transition - not much different to Active

Second stage - 2 and a half hours of hell and being told I wasn't pushing hard enough (Response: "I am fucking pushing"). Contractions went away when head was out and I briefly wondered whether I would have to walk around forever more with a baby's head sticking out of my fanjo

Third stage - too busy staring in awe and my gorgeous dd to notice tbh

First stage:

7am to about 7.50am early phase - like wind but stopping and starting, laughing through ctx with ds1. Downstairs.

about 8am to 9.45 - active phase, it hurt a lot - nothing helped, I panicked, in bath, out again, nothing was really any use.

9.45 transition, on toilet, being sick, screaming - ctx now on top of each other

10am, staggered into bedroom, pushing, really in hell now and afraid I was going to break. Waters broke. Baby delivered 10.32am and then I bled a lot - was shaking and looking down at this blood pouring out of me like a tap was on.

Had synto injection and the midwives stopped panicking but I was in shock. Didn't have to transfer.

I didn't want to hold the baby after all that, just remember he came out gurgling and I said 'someone take him, someone, I can't.'

Within a few hours he was the love of my life

1st stage -
lying on bed quite excited thinking this isn't as bad as everyone says and how selfless I am to be doing this without an epidural.

2nd stage -
'I want an epidural NOW!'
'Too late - sorry.'
Throwing up and refusing to get out of the bath and generally being chastised by midwives for being a willful patient.

3rd stage -
Thank god that's over. Body shaking.Bit scared to hold baby in case I drop him (due to shaking.)

Any more thoughts, anyone?

And thanks to all that have already posted.

1st stage from 9p.m until 12 in both pregnancies. Bearable but gritting teeth and silent swearing when the contractions came.

2nd stage In PG 1 from 12-8a.m BLOODY PAINFUL LOTS OF SCREAMING. Actual pushing stage only lasted minutes 3 pushes and out she flew literally!!
PG 2 from 12- 2.30. BLOODY PAINFUL BUT EVEN MORE INTENSE THAN 1st ONE LOTS MORE SCREAMING AND SHOUTING. Pushing stage again only took 3 pushes but I really didn't want to do it!! MW had to persuade me before I would open my legs.

3rd stage Lovely relaxing sensation as the placenta came out in minutes.

1st stage -- I throw up repeatedly. Most people seem to save this for transition, but I get it out of the way early . I can cope pretty well with contractions at this point, provided I'm mobile and they don't go on for ages and exhaust me.

Transition -- I swear and claim that I can't do it. Decide that having a baby was a really bad idea.

2nd stage -- actually not bad after transition. In fact, relatively speaking it's quite pleasant...

3rd stage -- consider having physiological third stage but ultimately can't be bothered so get injection and placenta comes out easily.

1st stage -threw up, temperature went up, heart rate went up - contractions didnt seem so bad given how shit I felt..what I would say is that didn't have obvious contractions (even went on here to post ) and nor was waters breaking that obvious (apparenlty the waters aren't clear - thanks lulumama) so I dont go along with the when you're in labour you knwo theory as I had a general kind of horrible period pain rather than obvious contractons. Oh and Tens machines do help you lie to your dh when your pain is getting more intense and its taking over an hour to get to the hospital

2nd stage - god knows had an epidural by that stage

3rd stage - retained both times - was so out of it on epidural/hormones that was quite happy to chat away to the world and his wife who appeared to be needed to do a spring clean up my fanjo

No contractions, waters burst with a BANG! (woke me up)

This is a piece of cake, still no contractions got given stuff (medical term) through a drip. Some little contractions.

Given pethedine and told to push when feeling (crappy) contractions.

Couple of hours of pushing and changing position, midwives give me oxygen and call for help.

Cord around baby's neck, Dr uses forceps.

Have no recollection of delivering the placenta.

DS was late so I was induced...
1st pessary: spend morning pacing the corridors of hospital, a few contractions which gradually tapered off. Strapped to monitor and left on bed for over an hour, raging mad by the time midwife came back with extra dose of pessary.

2nd dose, within a few minutes strong contractions. Sang operatically through them, then began to get grumpy and cross. Given blood pressure pill. Demanded gas and air, threw up blood pressure pill, sobbed, insisted had changed mind and was not having a baby, got sternly ordered to use gas and air properly by mum, began to trip tits off.

Transition: sudden urge to poo or something, leap off bed while trailing monitor wires, waters break all over the floor, rushed into delivery room shrieking.

2nd stage, pushing, swearing, shrieking, gas and air taken away, demand epidural, told it's too late,lovely midwife gives me ropes to pul on and pops in a catheter ( apparently hindwaters hadn't gone) - out comes DS.

3rd stage: don't remember very much apart from quick injection and splat of placenta and MW going, that's what we call a dirty duncan. Lovely DS. That's my baby. He's here. Shaking like mad and ravenous, and then have to be stitched back together, ugh ouch but at least they brought the gas and air back.

Message withdrawn

First stage:
Early phase - that point when you wander around wondering if you're in labour and thinking "this ain't too bad".

DS 'I really want a pizza for tea. DP go and get us pizza' DM 'Are you sure you'll be able to eat pizza?' 'Oh yes, I feel fine.' I managed two mouthfuls.

DD 'I want to go for a walk to the shops in town.' DP 'Are you sure thats a good idea?' 'Oh yes I'm sure doing lots of walking with Ds helped me in labour'

Active phase - 3cm to transition - that point when you revise your previous opinion...

DS - I managed two mouthfuls of said pizza a moaned a lot on the taxi journey so much so the driver tried to give us the journey free!

DD - Get to shops and regret decision to go...

Transition - that point when you go from 8 to 10cm and want to go home

DS - The midwife asks me if I am ready to be a mum as I'm fully dilated. i fully deny I want a baby.

DD - DP says I once again became a complete and utter fruit loop.

Second stage - 10cm - that point where you decide to kill your partner if he tries to rub your back again

DS - Couldn't give a stuff what anyone is doing to me.

DD - Couldn't give a stuff what anyone is doing to me.

Third stage - placenta time

DS + DD Nothing compared to what I had just been through!