Fast labors in this DDC - Page 2

[ChildoftheMoon]

Another fast December labor here.  Less than two hours, 2 pushes.  10 pound baby, 6th child, unassisted waterbirth.  I was only in the birth pool for 15 minutes.  We were ready for a fast labor because I have had fast labors each time.  1st- 8 hours, 2nd- 4 hours, 3rd- 4 hours, 4th- 2 hours, 5th- 3 hours, and then this one was the fastest!  I did have a lot of braxton-hicks for the last two weeks of pregnancy, but nothing like I ever felt like I was in labor.  I drink RRL tea throughout my pregnancies, I think it helps for a strong uterus.  This was my longest pregnancy, 41w1d. 

[Climbergirl]

I woke up at 2 ish and had DS2 at 4:14.  This was my first vaginal delivery.  DS2 barely had any molding.  DS1 had significantly more molding and was born by c-section (although, I pretty much got all the way and he was 9 pounds).  My doula said she thought that since DS1 was so much bigger, that he kinda "paved" the way and my body just opened up when DS2 was being born.  Although, my perineum had not gone through all that, so it did not stretch quickly and I ended up with a 2nd degree tear.

I did some RRL tea.  I did go to a chiro religiously.  My eating was not all that great, but I was not as stressed the way I was with DS1 (was working on a very stressful project).  I gained less weight with this pregnancy as well.  I was doing Hypnobabies (and had one of the maintenance tracks on when I was sleeping right before I woke up).  One theory is that I slept through early labor.

I am glad it was a fast labor.  But, I really did not integrate the whole experience at first.  I literally was holding my baby in shock.  It took me a while to come out of the shock to even really look at him (I just held him really close and kissed his head).  The placenta came quickly too and the midwife assistant said it looked very healthy and that I must have been eating well.  Must have been the raw milk I was drinking ;)

I like the energy/"in the stars" theory.  Maybe it had to do with the solstice and eclipse? 

[rad]

All my labors have been fast so I was pretty much expecting a quick birth this time too. My first baby came after a 4 hour labor from water breaking to finish. If I counted from first contraction to finish it would only have been about 3.5 hours. The next 4 births were about 2-3 hours. I certainly wasn't expecting an only 1 hour labor from start to finish this time though. It was almost surreal. I was 40w6d and absolutely nothing was happening at all. I hadn't had any contractions at all. Then my water broke. My contractions started at 4-5 minutes apart the first 20 minutes. Then they suddenly got so close together I could barely work through them. After 40 minutes of that I pushed my little guy out.

Originally Posted by mahiisland 

Love hearing your chats about fast labors - very encouraging!  Does it seem like the ones with lots of prodromal labor or practice runs had the quickest births?  Do you think the odd alcoholic drink helped? 

That doesn't seem to be the case with me. I have never had any "practice" contractions or prodromal labor before labor started with any of my 6 babies. Basically my body does absolutely nothing and then once my water breaks, contractions start and they start hard.
 

[mahiisland]

ooh climbergirl!  you were drinking raw milk!  great, me too?  Do you have an animal you milk or did you get it from somewhere?  Still love reading these fast labor stories, very encouraging for a FTM who is still waiting for birthing time!

[rlee*]

add me to the list of fast labors!!

my EDD was 12/10.  my BOY, Devan Phoenix was born 12/01.

i was supposed to have an apt with my midwife on 11/30 at 4pm--showed up but she was at a birth, felt uncomfortable assuming it was just b/c i had been 'holding my pee' to give a urine sample.  got home around 6-630pm, cleaned kitchen, asked DH to clean bathtub, started feeling uncomfortable around 8, started timing around 830, called a friend around 9-930 to ask her if she thought i was in labor, called midwives at 10, midwives recomended i take a bath (at 10ish also) 1st midwife showed up around midnight, 2nd 1230, about 30 minutes of pushing, had baby in arms at 338 am.  total active labor 6-7 hours.  1st birth.  perfect homebirth.  baby boy-7lbs 12 oz!!!

i religiously drank RRL tea entire pregnancy--strong infusions for the last trimester, super strong infusions the last week or so before birth.  chiropractic adjustment one week before birth, exercised regularly, ate well-mostly vegetarian-lots of probiotics, calcium and magnesium.

congrats to you all!!!

[BarefootGirl]

Mine was 10 total from tiny bit of spotting to baby in arms.  Pretty sure that is short for a first birth.  And really, the first 3-4 hours I wasn't sure it was really since the contractions weren't any worse than bh.  We left for the hospital only 4 hours before he was born and I still thought it was questionable. We got to the hospital at 1am and by then knew it was REAL. I was two cm dilated then.  About an hour and a half later I was 6cm.  I only pushed for 15 minutes. He was born at 4:10am.

[TyrantOfTheWeek]

I was in labor 3 hours. Daniel was my 5th baby, and I went 10 days past my EDD.