Have your labor patterns differed a lot from one labor to the next?

[brightonwoman]

With my other birth I had a long slow early labor stage (about 12hrs) where I could still do stuff and move around the house etc. I had kinda figured I'd have at least a couple of hours of that this time as well, so I had a list of things to do in early labor--stuff like gathering up the last few birth things (towels, washcloths, the crockpot--stuff I use and hadn't wanted to just leave in the birth box) and also cleaning the bathroom cuz I suspect DH won't get to it and they get ikky fast around here
Well, twice within the last week i've had middle-of-the-night contractions for 30-40min that were serious enough that I had to pay attention to them and they were either long or right on top of each other...So in spite of last time, I'm now thinking that this time I may drop right into full on active labor. Is that weird? I know some people have longer slower labors and some have shorter faster labors, but do some people have some of each?

[Lilcrunchie]

With DS (my 1st) I contracted for weeks. Lots of it was in my back, especially when in the car for some reason. Back then I got cervical checks and I was like 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced for a good 2-3 weeks before he was born. Interestingly, I didn't have any contractions the week before he was born. Things had mostly calmed down. My labor w/ him was about 6.5 hours. Water broke at 8am, contractions were immediately 5 mins apart and he was born about 2:20pm that day. Oh, and oddly those early back contractions (maybe he was posterior and trying to get into a better position?) were more painful than my actual labor contractions for the most part.

With DD, no early contractions other than typical BH. Went for a midwife appt a day before my EDD and they pressured me into a cervical check. No sign of any dilation (maybe I was fingertip dilated?). Went into labor 2 days later and labor was 3ish hours and for most of that I wasn't even sure I was in active labor (showed up at the birth center 10 cm dilated w/ no clue I was that far dilated).

If you are having those early contractions, I'll bet they are at least doing something to move you forward, kwim? I think that was the case when I had mine with DS.

Wishing you the very best!!

[Peony]

I've had three births, all three times I have woken up with contractions 6-7 minutes apart early in the morning. With DD1 I had 17 hours of contractions like that before they suddenly switched to 2 minutes apart, she was born 2 hours later. With DD2, they got closer together then then spaced apart again, I never timed them, but then suddenly they got intense, and she was born 10 minutes later after a 8 hour labor. Now with DS, my contractions started out really intense but stayed irregular, 6m, 2m, 4m, 6m again. No matter how far apart or close they were, they really hurt, much more then my other births. I felt like I got hit by semi. I had three contractions back to back and then I was pushing and he was out. That was a 4.5 hour birth.

I have had somewhat of a pattern, waking up with contractions, labor just going along and then all of a sudden it goes into full throttle and baby is on it's way very quickly. I never do cervical checks but I'm guessing I go through transition really quickly.

[ChaoticMum]

My first was long and painful due to back labor and a posterior babe. total 30 some odd hours. my 2nd and 3rd were fast. Second was 4hrs 3rd was 3 hrs from first contrax to hholding babe. but these babes were positioned correctly!

[JamieCatheryn]

My labors were very similar to one another. Very long early labors, intense move into pushing stage, strong involuntary pushing. Was not so long the second as the first, but still quite long.

[Belle]

Both were very similar. Except for Dd2's water broke 36 hours before labor began. Both labors started in the early am and had no warm up contractions. Just BAM! 2 minute contractions. 11 hours the first time, less than four hours the 2nd.

[lunita1]

#1, my labor started hard and strong within five minutes of my membranes spontaneously rupturing. Labor was straight forward and uncomplicated, 11 hours.

#2, my labor started slowly and progressed fairly easily until transition, at which point it became totally unbearable. She was posterior and remained at -2 until AFTER I started pushing. Born face up. 13 hours.

#3, I had about 3 weeks of almost nightly bouts of prodromal labor. Then I was awoken with very strong contractions when I was 41 weeks, and she was born about 2 hours later.

[crunchy_mama]

Similiar but #2 was shorter. I am curious to see if #3 is the same as the other 2 or something different!

[josie423]

Mine were virtually the same. I went into labor in the early morning hours with contractions about 6-7 minutes apart, by morning 5 minutes, the 2-3 and 1-2 for quite a while. Both labors were 12 hours, and I dilated at almost exactly the same pace. The only differences were with my 2nd baby labor stalled a couple times for about 45 minutes (during active labor), it was much more painful, and pushing took a few minutes as opposed to 30 minutes.

I'm anticipating a similar labor with this one, but who knows maybe it'll be short and sweet!

[EmmaWoodhouse]

Time wise, they were similar depending on gender. However, they are all different children and each labor was unique to each child.

My opinion is that you prepare for what ever might come and don't expect it to be a certain way.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

With my first I had a looooooong early labor after ROM. Total time from ROM to birth was 27.5 hours, probably 10-ish hours active labor. With my 2nd I had a lot of prodromal stuff. When labor hit, it was active from the first contraction and was around 4 hours long. I think be prepared and don't have expectations is great advice.