Fast Labors « Back to Group Discussions

[sarahusesthis]

Is it just me, or has everyone been having super fast labors here?? Reading the sept ddc, fast labors there as well... I wouldn't mind having a quick one :)

[Vegan Princess]

Be careful what you ask for. :-) I think my 8 hour labor was much more pleasant and easy to recover from than this less than 4 hour one! But yeah, I think I'm still glad it was fast versus like 20 hours!!

Cindy

[OkiMom]

I have had a 16 hour labor, a 1 1/2 hour labor and a 3 hour labor.. With my 16 I was sore and tired afterwards but I could move and walk.. My 1 1/2 hour labor I was almost readmitted because my recovery was so hard. They were worried about how slowly I was recovering.. My 3 hour labor my husband had to basically carry me inside our apartment because I couldn't get out of the car..

Id take a 6-8 hour labor, maybe Id be able to move afterwards..

[UnderTheOldOakTree]

Given that I had a 34 hour labor last time, I'd take something a little shorter this time, but after hearing from several friends lately who had labors under 2 hours (the shortest was under an hour and it left her reeling)  I'm thinking that 6-8 hours sounds just about perfect.

My midwife says that she's never had anyone who saw my chiropractor go beyond 6 hours.  That kind of scares me in a way....of course I'm also totally prepared to be the one who breaks that record and goes much longer.

[pregnova]

I've been thinking about this a bit too! The september due date club is just plain scary with their fast labors! lol Mine was so hellishly long last time that I DEF. want something shorter, but I'd still prefer something in the 8-12 hour range. I think anything faster and it might just be overwhelming to be doing ourselves although I'm trying to be prepared for that possibility. I will mention that even with my crazy long one last time, recovery was a breeze...I was walking around no problem shortly after the birth...it does sound like the faster the labor, the more it takes out of you. 

lol...but then again, I really don't care, I just want this baby out! (once we're healthy!)

[micromama]

I'll take whatever the universe gives me, but my first labor was 55 hours and I have absolutely NO desire to repeat that experience. I'll take fast anyday-- but hey, 10 hours seems positively breezy to me :)

[sillymom44]

I agree-- there seems to be a lot of fast labors.  My philosophy is that Mothering mothers are more in touch with their bodies, more calm during early labor, and don't neccesarily count early labor (the 2 days of "maybe this is it" cx's) as labor.   Who knows.  :)

I konw that I had 8 hour labors both times, so I am counting on that this time.  I know that b/c I am not using interventions unless medically necessary, that my body will do what needs to be done (at least I hope so).  I have to drive 45 minutes to the midwifery center, so I hope baby doesn't come too fast!!! 

[forumyonly1]

i was wondering if some of the mommies just weren't counting early labor as labor? I always count labor from the time i know i'm in labor.... for both of my completely natural birth that was from contraction number one.  that being said.. with my daughter i could feel a change when i went in to "active labor" (even though, believe me, i had been actively laboring for 18 hours by that point) and my "active labor" was only 8 hours long.. so I don't know if some people just don't include that 0-4cm bit or not?? either way there are a TON of fast births on MDC right now! hugs to those mama's!! i 'll take what i can get!! lol

[pregnova]

Yeah. I tend to think that most of the mamas are counting from when they're sure...which for a lot is active labor on. lol...I count my labor from the first contraction I felt because from that first one on, I was SURE it was labor, and having them every few min. without pause and having to 'deal' with them. But, at the same time, I know that from the point I actually hit 3cm to when I held a babe in my arms was only 8 hours...so...not sure where I should have counted from ;-)

[dannic]

the only one of my labors that I don't count completely is my last where my water broke as the first sign...an then there was nothing until hours later...so I usually count when things started happening with that one; with my others, each time, I have waked to active, intense labor. 

I agree with Cindy.  MY shortest was 4.5 hrs of intense fullon back labor and left me feeling shell-shocked, though everyone said I handled it beautifully (midwife told me I needed to tell her when transition hit because she couldn't tell--I was totally in transition but had to focus to make it through).  I was traumatized.  LOL

So, if I did count from waters breaking on my fourth, it would look like this:

1st-13 hrs

2nd-5.5 hrs

3rd 4.5 hrs

4th- 12 hrs, but I've always counted it as 5 because I had nothing going til I hit active labor--which is my typical labor--nothing and then, BAM, active, intense...

5th--I'll let ya know, lol. 

I think also, MDC moms birth where they are most liely to be comfortable; and your labor shortens (I've heard) when you are comfortable with your surroundings...

[UnderTheOldOakTree]

Originally Posted by dannic 

I think also, MDC moms birth where they are most liely to be comfortable; and your labor shortens (I've heard) when you are comfortable with your surroundings...

This is what I'm really hoping for this time around.  I was uncomfortable on so many levels (environment, the people around me, dealing with my own fears, sheer exhaustion) last time and I couldn't relax enough to progress despite being on a horrible amount of pitocin.  Things should be VERY different this time!

[Vegan Princess]

Dannic put it well. I am still trying to process my birth. It was all I hoped for and instead of feeling empowered like after my last birth, I am feeling a bit traumatized. LOL. I just had this convo w/my mom on the phone. Her 1st was 12 hours and 2nd was like 4 and she said she felt assaulted in a way.

For me, I felt like that day might be the day bc I felt so much pressure. But I was out shopping in target an hour before active labor - albeit hoping I didn't go into labor in target. I had been having crampiness and some contractions earlier in the day, but nothing more than any other day contraction wise. If I hadn't seen bloody show, I wouldn't have known it was starting. Luckily my midwife decided to just come over and see where we were starting from before traffic picked up for the day - and the contractions sort of organized and started to get a wee bit uncomfortable in the half hour it took her to come over. And I was already at 6cm and +1 station when she got there. But I was still smiling and laughing and picking up lint balls off my floor, getting things organized for myself and my 3 yr old, etc. So I think that was the start of active labor for me - but it sort of stayed pleasant until it was overwhelming all the sudden.

Cindy

[MotherBhaer]

My first labor was 65 hours from when I knew for sure I was in labor (posterior, asynclitic babe), so I'm thinking pretty much any labor will seem really fast to me this time. I agree that something in the 8-10 hour range would be just about perfect--long enough to realize what's going on and get everything set up (we're having a homebirth), but not so long that it's exhausting. So far, this babe seems to be getting into a better position than his big brother, so I'm hoping I'll get to try out a 'fast' labor this time!

[pregnova]

lol, MotherBhaer- I'm right with you. Pretty much any labor has to be better/quicker than my first! 

[OrangeMoon]

My first labor was 45 hours, second was somewhere around 15-16, so I am curious what will happen this time :-) My second was a million times easier than my first, but I agree with everyone else that somewhere in the 8-12 hour range would be awesome. It's really the lack of sleep in the long ones that's a doozy for me personally.

[micromama]

I am counting from when I knew I was in labor ( water broke). Contractions went on forever... They let me go 36 hours but I never fell into a regular pattern and needed Pit/ hospital transfer. Got checked and i was only 1 cm. From the time I was administered Pit, it was still quite a while although they turned the drip off shortly after and i wemt to 8 on my own, then got stuck there for hours. Ugh. Anyway, I need to put that negativity behind me. Hoping this birth is quite different!

[Angelorum]

I'll be happy in the 8-12 range too.  My first labor was 18 hours, but the first 5-6 hours of that was super easy, I wasn't even really sure that it was really labor.  The last couple hours of pushing were what wore me out, and did the damage I've been dealing with since.  I guess I'm more hoping for a much shorter pushing phase this time, I'll take the whole dilating phase exactly the way it was last time, as long as I don't have to push for so long!

[Aurora]

All three of my labors have come out of nowhere with my water breaking. All three times were late night/early morning while I was in bed sleeping (or almost asleep). Then, contractions started. 

1st- 3.5 hours

2nd- 1.5 hours

3rd- 2.5 hours

[OkiMom]

With my 2nd two I know exactly when labor started because I went from perfectly fine to bent over breathing through a contraction in about 2 seconds. they came on fast and furious. I remember with my 3rd I was actually carrying around my middle child and I almost dropped her, thankfully hubby was right there to grab her.

[chrissy]

My first was a hospital induction and lasted 2 days.  It was horrible. 

All of the rest have been born at home and have been crazy fast, under 3 hours.  I have had weeks of prodromal labor each time though, so I guess my body does a lot of the work then.

My fast labors do freak me out because they are just so intense, but it is preferable to the 2 day kind.