How much did labor shorten?

[DirtRoadMama]

With my first, I was planning a UC. After 20 hours of active labor, I wasn't sure I had the heartbeat, so I went to the hospital. 10 hours after that, I was ready to hang myself with a sheet from the pain (yay monitoring so I can barely move!!!), so I got an epidural. 11 hours after that, she was born, with 3 hours of pushing.

Suck.

Anyway, I'm hoping this next birth will NOT take 41 hours. How long did your first one take, and then how long did your second one take?

This time I'm doing a homebirth with a doula and a midwife. I think part of the reason DD took so long was because DP was not at all present emotionally to help me through labor (he was my only laboring partner), and then when I decided to transfer I was angry and scared of being in a hospital. I'm hoping that careful planning of those who will be around me will help things open up better and faster and gentler. (is that a word???)

[wonderfullymade]

Well, my first was 7 hours.
My second (persistently posterior bub) was 11 hours
The twins were 5 hours, after walking around with no labor, 4cm, and 90% effaced for weeks before hand...
My last was 21 hours, after walking around 4cm, 90% effaced for a month before hand...

Sorry, not a very good encourager.

[staceychev]

First was 18 hours of active labor/pushing. I was dilated 3 cm about a week before that, but can't remember effacement. She was posterior.

This one, I was 3 cm and 50% over a week before, had weeks of prodromal labor, and the actual labor itself was four hours. Barely made it to the hospital.

(The big joke around here is that my midwife said, "Well sure, 2nd births are often shorter. But your first labor was 18 hours... you're not going to have a 4 hour birth after that. It won't be that much shorter...")

[kittywitty]

25 hours
9 hours (induced)
5 hours (induced)
8 hours-UC waterbirth

They say you labor more like your sisters than your mother-I only have brothers, so that's irrelevant. But my mom's labors were actually quite similar if you change #3 to about 2 hours.

I think your plan sounds good-a good support team makes all the difference, IMO.

[emaye_to_2]

I'm not sure this is typical but my first labor was almost 16 hours and my second was about 3 hours total! During my second pregnancy my midwife kept telling me that there's a good chance things will move much more quickly this time; she said that quite a few times but I didn't believe it. About the only thing I didn't *plan for* was a speedy labor.

[mbhf]

My first was 36 hours and 4 hours of pushing. I thought for sure I would have at least 15 hours for #2 and planned for my ILs to drive up (8 hours away) to care for my oldest during the birth. That didn't work out for me at all, #2 was born less than 2 hours after I woke up feeling sick. #3 was longer, about 12 hours but it wasn't anything like my first, labor was just very slow that time. #4 was very short, she was born about an hour after my MW arrived "just in case" even though I told her not to come.

[holyhelianthus]

My first was an induction and was 21 hours. My second 15. My third 45. The twins were a c-section so I got to 5 and they took me in. I think that was all of 3 hours? But I always got to 6 and even 8 fast and then stalled for hooouuuuuurrrrrrsssss.

[callieollie]

My first was 28 hours of back labor, with 3 1/2 hours of pushing and then a vacuum extraction. He was probably posterior.

My second was a little over 3 hours with 4 minutes of pushing.

[mommyfied]

I was *just* reading Ina May's Guide tonight and was reminded of the story about the woman she witnessed dilate in reverse. She was 8 cm and went back to 4 cm just from a change in the people who were at the birth. I think if you can pinpoint things like an unsupportive DP and being angry and scared, they probably did prolong your labor.

When I compare my two labors, I think that once I was 'relaxed and ready' the time it took me to dilate was exactly the same. My first was several hours longer because it took a while to get settled in at the hospital. Things didn't start happening until the nurse finally got done with the 1000 questions and routine stuff and left me alone with DH and my doula. The second time I was at home.

[2sweetboysmom]

Originally Posted by mommyfied

I was *just* reading Ina May's Guide tonight and was reminded of the story about the woman she witnessed dilate in reverse. She was 8 cm and went back to 4 cm just from a change in the people who were at the birth. I think if you can pinpoint things like an unsupportive DP and being angry and scared, they probably did prolong your labor.....Snip...

I am 99% certain this hapened in my first labor as well. The first time I read Gaskin I said "Oh, so that's what happend." My first was an induction for Pre-E. I was coping really well despite ruptured water and high level Pitocin. The one nurse I trusted and felt safe with came in and checked me because I was feeling slightly pushy and found me to be a VERY stretchy 7+ and fully efaced. The charge nurse came storming in and demanded to do another check (she had been hounding me, my mom, my dula, and my husband from the minute I checked in to get an epidural and in general was a huge UA-violation) She checked me and declared me to be 3 and only 40%!!
In subsequent labors I have always started to feel pushy at 7cm, and then with in 20 minutes or so am complete, which further confirms my theory of what happened in that first labor.

1st labor - induced for pre-e 6.25 hours, 45min pushing.
2nd labor - arom after week of prodromal labor 7 hours, 30 min pushing.
3rd labor - induced for IUGR 2.25 hours, 1-2 min pushing.

[emmalizz]

.

[fruitfulmomma]

36 hours, don't know how long of that was pushing. less than 2... the midwife was there for maybe 6 hours prior to birth so a lot of it was pretty easy just tiring.

22 hours - began pushing about 5 hours before that and discovered I was swollen and her head was turned at one point... stopped pushing for a while and tried some things and then transported to the hospital for pain meds and she was born about an hour later.

7 hours from induction by arom and I was already at 4cm when they broke my water.

Maybe 12 hours, don't remember off the top of my head... Midwife came by around lunch time to do some things to help start labor and then I was having pretty regular contractions by supper and then she was born around 3 in the morning I think.

10 hours with prodromal labor off and on for the whole week before. The night before had prodromal for about 4 hours and then went to my midwife appt in the morning and she swept me. Once I got back into the car I was having contractions and by the time I got home an hour or so later I was definitely in labor. Baby was born a little after 10 that evening.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by wonderfullymade

Well, my first was 7 hours.
My second (persistently posterior bub) was 11 hours
The twins were 5 hours, after walking around with no labor, 4cm, and 90% effaced for weeks before hand...
My last was 21 hours, after walking around 4cm, 90% effaced for a month before hand...

Sorry, not a very good encourager.

Yeah, similar story.

First was 11 hours.
Second was persistent posterior, 13 hours.
third was 2 hours, start to finish.
fourth was about 22 hours of regular contractions. Born about 36 hours after my water broke, and a few hours after starting pitocin. (and I had checked myself and was about 4 cm. dilated before my water broke, but when they did a sterile speculum exam after I had been having regular contractions for an hour or more (and was thinking, gee, if I started at 4 cm and my last labor was 2 hours long, I must be really close to having this baby!) the midwife and student who looked at my cervix said it looked about 1 cm dilate. ONE?? For a fourth time mom a week after her due date? WTH?

There are so many factors at play when it comes to length of labor. An important one is how you define laor -- is it labor, are they just pre-labor contractions? (Maybe my last labor was only 2-3 hours long and only included the pitocin-induced contractions, and the rest was just prodromal labor. By official definitions WRT dilation and contraction frequency it probably was, but I'll count the sleepless night, thank you. )

[Adamsmama]

#1 was 29 hours!!! with 20 min of pushing (with help of forceps/vacuum and a frantic OB)
#2 was 9 hours (less than 5 min of pushing)
#3 was 7 hours (induction) (less than 5 min of pushing)

[Aka mommy]

#1 was 39 hours (posterior only through labor)
#2 was 12 hours (posterior presentation)
#3 was 2 hours (normal presentation)

[slasuta]

#1 - 4-5 hours of active labour with about 15 minutes of pushing. I had an epidural placed at 9cm and didn't push right away when fully as I didn't feel an urge. 7lbs 3oz

#2 - one very intense hour. The first contraction was extremely painful and it went from there. No epidural this time. Still about 10-15 minutes of pushing. 8lbs 6oz

For both pregnancies I had lots of prodromal labour so I only count from when contractions are painful and progressive.

[snoopy5386]

With DD1 my water broke at 9 am, contrax started at 7 pm and she was born at 1:30 am after 2 hours of pushing.
With DD2 my water broke at 9:30 am, contrax started at 2 pm and she was born at 6:30 pm after 1 hour of pushing.

So either 7 hours or 2 hours shorter depending on when you define labor starting.

[happysmileylady]

With my first, labor was approx. 16 hours from start to birth. It was a pretty steady progression through the whole 16 hours, for the most part. I was at 2cm for like 2 weeks before my first real contraction, which was at 11:30pm the night before. I finally decided I was in labor around 5am the next morning and when we got to the hospital at 8am, I was like 5cm. My contractions kinda leveled off at that point, but kept dialating. At 4pm that afternoon, I was at like 8cm, then had 1 shot of nubain and at that point felt like I had to start pushing. I went from 8 to 10 within like 5 minutes and DD was out after just 15 minutes of pushing.

My second, I was not so lucky. I consider labor to have been 53 hours long. Many folks wouldn't, but that was when the first contraction started. At my dr appointment just 2 days before, I was closed up tight. The contractions started on a Wednesday morning, DH and I went to the hospital later that night, after very sporadic contractions. At that point I was only 1cm dialated. The hospital told me I was in labor but that it was going to be a long time and since I was so close (just 2 minutes, tops,) they suggested we go home. So we went home, and contractions slacked off enough for me to go to sleep. DH went to work on Thursday and my mom came and I was bleeding quite a bit and contracting off and on but I never felt like they were steady enough to go to the hospital. We didn't actually show up at the hospital until Friday monring, at 5am. This time they kept me, the contractions were finally pretty steady at about 5ms apart, but I was only 2cm at that point. I was kept in triage for several hours as they were very full and had no rooms available. When they moved me, at 1pm, I was still only at 5cm. At 8cm, my water broke, kinda on it's own, doc tapped it when she was checking me and gush, and like before I started to feel that I had to push. This was 5pm, and I was concerned about pushing too early, so got the epidural at that point. Within half an hour I was at 10 and pushing, she was born in 4 pushes, just sliding out in between.

So for me, labor lengthened quite a bit, but my time after transition and pushing shortened some. However, in the interest of full disclosure, there were 13 YEARS between my first labor and second. It's like my body was starting all over again basically.

I am concerned about what will happen this time around. I am pg again, and this one will be born just 22 months after the last. Once again, I am glad to be so close to the hospital.

[DirtRoadMama]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I'll admit, I was hoping for every story to be one about how much shorter things went, but an odd thing happened as I was reading your stories.

I felt you were all being very honest with me, and not just stroking fears away. I feel stronger for it, and more prepared to just welcome my baby, no matter how long it takes. for you all taking the time to respond!

Keep the stories coming!!!!

[Right of Passage]

#1 23 hours, 2 hours pushing c-section
#2 3 hours, Don't know how long I pushed way less than 10 minutes
#3 4 hours, only 40 minutes requiring my attention, 4 pushes and done

I'd say Dh and I were both far more emotionally prepared for the third birth. The first time was lots of fears and being in the hospital did not help. The second was like a train wrack in intensity and my sweet DH wasn't prepared for that and I had some fears of it ending in a c-secton that I hadn't talked about. Then the third we had done a lot to mentally prepare and talk about fear and things went better than we could have imagined!