What is the perfect labor length?

[Artisan]

For *YOU*, of course. There is no magic formula for everyone. But if the birthing fairy waved her magic wand, and you could choose the length of your labor, what would you pick?

And sorry, the birthing fairy does not help the baby magically appear in your arms with no effort whatsoever. :LOL

[AugustLia23]

My labour was 29 hours start to finish, and honestly that was okay. Next time I could do without the 10 hour stall though, so I guess 19 hours would be nice for the intensity of the labour I had.

[Peppamint]

4 hours was good, but I started out at 4cm stretchy, 90% effaced and bulging bag of waters. 4 hours would be too quick if you started at 1cm I think.

[Mallory]

My first was over 30 with almost 4 hours of pushing and it was too long.

My second was 10 hours and maybe 3 pushes, and it was perfect!

I hope this one is like my second in lots of ways. The most important being that it started about 5 in the morning, so I did start out on most of a nights sleep, my first started about 10 at night so right off the bat I missed a nights sleep.

[danav]

Both of my labors were a good length, I think. First time - water broke around 5 am, baby born at 12:35 pm. Second time - walked around 3-4 cm and effaced for weeks, labor started gradually after my morning midwife appt, knew I was in labor by 6 pm or so, baby born at 10:16 pm.

I'm having daydreams this time about waking up a little crampy, having my sister (who is a midwife and hopefully will have flown into town just in time) check to find I am nearly fully dilated, and giving birth an hour or two later. Wouldn't that be nice? Or maybe being on our way to the birth center for a regular appt (it's 1 1/2 hrs away), and my water breaking on the way, starting labor...getting there in time to get in the birth tub and give birth shortly after.

Actually my perfect labor length this time will be either VERY short (like an hour or two) so I know for sure there is no time to get to the birth center and decide just to stay home with my sister (this includes here getting here from out of state in time). OR...labor clearly starting but being mild enough for a couple of hours so we can get to the birth center before active labor kicks in, then birthing within a couple hours of arriving. The main point is that I don't want to end up being in the car in transition, or giving birth in the car!

[bri276]

an hour would be nice!

I did 13.5 hrs incl. 3 hrs of pushing. too long. Realistically 2-3 hrs of good solid contrax with like 10 minutes of pushing would have felt ideal- not long enough to get impatient, but long enough to feel like I'd actually experienced it.

[ZeldasMom]

If the birthing fairy were waving her magic wand for me I would ask for labor to start at 8am after I had a good night's sleep and to have the baby in the late afternoon/early evening.

There is something nice about laboring in the quiet of the night while everyone else is in bed though too...

[Storm Bride]

I've never pushed a baby out, so I don't know how long I'd want to spend pushing....I'll say two or three hours as that seems to be a fairly standard length and most women seem okay with it.

I had about 21 hours up to transition, and that was great. So, let's say 24 hours, including about three of pushing. I think that would work for me.


Honestly - I've had all three babies by c-section. I think any length of labour that didn't end surgically would suit me fine.

[orangebird]

5 hours sounds good. With a nice gradual buildup. My last birth was too fast. The second, 15 hours, was nice but it could have been shorter, I was up all night in early labor, I would like to condense that part.

Mine were:

5 hours with 2 of pushing
15 hours with 20 min. of pushing
1 hour with 10 min of pushing

[CarolynnMarilynn]

I think that about five to six hours all told is quite perfect -- I actually polled the other midwives in my practice on this very question and that was our consensus. I think that shorter can feel quite overwhelming, and longer can feel indeterminable! I am projecting my own experiences of course! In the six hour scenerio I would imagine a slow progression of contractions starting about 5 mins apart and a cervical dilation of around 3-4 cm (if checked). Then progressing to longer, stronger and closer together contractions over a few hours. Then, I would like to be feeling some gentle pushing feelings that build, and a baby to be gently eased out over a few contractions, thus sparing my perineum (always have a second degree tear -- can't seem to make myself slow down). Baby up on my chest, and a placenta that plops out after a few contractions!

That is my answer and what I aspire to if we have another baby!

[philomom]

I had a mere hour and a half last time. That's too quick. My dh said he was "behind" on all the cues I gave him from the times before. What a ride! A little too intense when it's that short.

Three to four hours might be right on.

[Undercover Hippie]

My last was just under 4 hours and that was about perfect. The labor itself was lovely--moved quickly but wasn't overwhelming. It was all manageable, including transition, until about the last 20-30 minutes which were very intense. I hate pushing, so getting it done in 8 minutes with no tearing was all right. However, if the pushing could be more calm and enjoyable then 30-45 minutes of it might be a little easier on everyone. Then if I could make the placenta come out quickly with no excessive bleeding, instead of an hour of trying to get/keep the bleeding under control, it would be perfect!

[Artisan]

Interesting replies!

I had one labor that was 5.5 hours, and one that was 3.5 hours. I would pick a sixish hour labor if given the choice. It allows time for the gradual progression of labor without things dragging on forever and ever. 3.5 hours was rather overwhelming. I went from 3cms with a posterior baby and contractions every 7-10 minutes to transition a couple of hours later.

[chiro_kristin]

I think 5-6 hours sounds lovely, although I'll be thrilled with anything less than the 55 hours I just experienced with my ds! tho it was totally worth it

[Belle]

I was actually pretty happy with my 11 hour labor. I got plenty of sleep before I went into labor and pushed for a little over an hour. I wouldn't have any problem with a labor that is that long again.

My mom's been telling me about her 36 hour labor with me since I was born. I was pretty relieved that it wasn't the big ordeal that she went through.

[jerawo]

I just had my first with a 9 hour total labor, and it was pretty good. The first 5 hours were spent in early labor which I could breathe though while on the toilet. Hard labor and transition occured during the next 2 hours, which was hard but happened so fast I didn't have too many tough contractions to get through. I pushed for an hour, which seemed long and exhuasting, but I know it could have been a lot longer. Next time I'd like less pushing, but everything else can stay the same (or be shorter). My MW made it for the last hour, so I'd like to make sure she arrives before the baby is born in the future.

[applejuice]

Four to Six hours would be optimum for me.

Wonder what an obgyn would say?

[MamaTaraX]

Wonder what an obgyn would say?

It'd probably depend whether or not the OB/GYN had given birth herself or not

I have no idea what I'd want the labor fairy to give me! My first was 24 hrs total but only 2 hrs were hard and that was fine with me. Pushed for 30 minutes. My 2nd I had prodromal labor for 12 days followed by 8 hours of very hard labor. I swear it went from peace to transition and lasted the whole time (he was posterior untila couple minutes before birth). I liked that labor too, for different reasons. FOr this birth, since the moment of conception, I have dreameda 6 hour labor. I go to bed, wake a couple hours later in labor, it's around midnight-1am. The baby is born in the sunrise about 6 hours later, in the water. I dreamed this when I conceivedand it has held. We'll see come January.

Six hours sounds good to me, as long as it's not 6 hours of slamming into me like last time. That was SO INTENSE and I didn't even have the usual posterior baby back labor. it was a great labor though, they both were really and I'm looking forward to doing it agian in about 4 (!!!) months!

Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (6), Butterfly (2), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)

[Undercover Hippie]

Just a sidenote to MamaTaraX--I think those labor visions can be very powerful! I had one and the actual labor really did follow the important/strong elements of my vision. Hope yours does too, it sounds lovely!

[jmhammond]

0-pushing in 5 hours. A bit intense, maybe 7 hours? but it felt so good to push after such intense labor.