What was the start of your labor? (POLL)

[~~Mama2B~~]

What sign began the start of your labor and how long after that first sign until your DC was born? I think this will help me, Jes and any other first time mamas who are UCing!

Thanks so much!

Kristi

[Aliviasmom]

I didn't UC (I ended up with an emergency c-section), but labor started with contractions that stayed regular and got harder. By the time I got to the hospital ( I was at a 7!

[redhen]

I woke up the morning of the 12th and wiped to find a big ol globby pink tinged mucous plug. I had increasing (but not painful) contractions all day, by around 8 pm they were 5 min apart and I went to the hopsital. A crazy, rude nurse hooked me up to the monitors and after berating me about the stupidity of my planned natural birth I was so upset that my contrax stopped and my cervix CLOSED and I was sent home. I stayed home until around [hmm... I am forgetting. 12-2am I think] and went back to the hopsital dialated to 4. I labored in the tub and started pushing shortly after 10 am, she was born at 10:28.

Soooo, my daughter was born around 26 hours after losing my plug. Unrelated, but I don't doubt for a second that had I not had to deal with the rude nurse and had I not been taken in & out of the tub to be monitored that my labor would've been far shorter.

[emiLy]

I voted for contractions, but I wouldn't say they were hard!! After a few hours, I realized they were sticking around and it went from there. I could have easily not noticed them for another 2 hours or so. From the first twinge of one, it was about 9 hours but I only about about 5-6 hours as real labor since those first few hours I was completely comfortable, sitting at a restaurant booth!

Kristi - I have been wanting to ask you, are you sure of your dates? You could be off by a few weeks!

[sadean]

Since this is on the UC board, I will just talk about my UC birth. My water broke (while I was posting on MDC) at about 1:00 a.m. Contractions started a couple of hours later at about 6:00 a.m. Baby was born at 7:00ish p.m.

[~~Mama2B~~]

Originally Posted by sadean

Since this is on the UC board, I will just talk about my UC birth. My water broke (while I was posting on MDC) at about 1:00 a.m. Contractions started a couple of hours later at about 6:00 a.m. Baby was born at 7:00ish p.m.

I'd like to hear about any births you're willing to share about! If you went into labor naturally, even if it wasnt a UC, it will help me out!

Kristi

[~~Mama2B~~]

Originally Posted by emiLy

I voted for contractions, but I wouldn't say they were hard!! After a few hours, I realized they were sticking around and it went from there. I could have easily not noticed them for another 2 hours or so. From the first twinge of one, it was about 9 hours but I only about about 5-6 hours as real labor since those first few hours I was completely comfortable, sitting at a restaurant booth!

Kristi - I have been wanting to ask you, are you sure of your dates? You could be off by a few weeks!

Check my cheerleading thread for all the sordid details of this due date mystery! I'm pretty sure of my dates, but I can't figure out what this baby is still doing in there!

Kristi

[AbbieB]

DD came 3 weeks past my EDD.

I was effaced for 4 weeks or so (DH was checking and had no real idea of what he was feeling He kept saying, "There's nothing there, I can't feel anything, just something hard." Yeah, duh! It was an effaced cervix and a baby's head pushing down!).

My mucus plug came out with the one vaginal check the midwife did about 2 weeks past my EDD. All I can say is Ewww. It was kinda gross to see her pull this bloody/snotty thing out (it was kinda stuck to the glove-she didn't intentionally pull it out).

I had several false starts, lots of strong but not painful contractions that would go away after a several hours.

But When real labor started (or the serious labor) the contractions started to need concentration for a few hours before they became painful. Labor lasted 51 hours from the time this set of contractions started until DD was in my arms.

[2bluefish]

Picked "other" because the only identifiable symptom that I am going to deliver soon is transition with contraxs one on top of the other. I think I lost my plug with dd around 6 weeks prior to delivery. I had contraxs for weeks. I had small leaks to my water bag. My cervix slowly softened and opened. All these things can happen, and I can still have days to go. Both times I did ended up pushing my body to finish, even then I couldn't identify any difference in labor until I was very close to delivery. I don't really *have* to concentrate until I am in transition.

[NatureMama3]

well, in one sense it started several weeks before baby was born with prodromal contractions, slow dilation, etc.

In another, it started 9 hours before he was born with STRONG, regular contractions. My water didn't break until he was coming out (after his head). The mucus plug, etc came out around 5cm during labor.

[rixafreeze]

I was having a hard time sleeping so around 1 am I went downstairs to listen to my hypnobirth CD, hoping it would put me to sleep (usually does the trick!). Soon after I started feeling intense contractions and noticed pink-tinged mucous when I went to the bathroom. So I had 2 signs fairly simultaneously.

I never felt like my contractions started out slow & gentle and gradually got more intense. They felt fairly intense and were close together from the first one.

[Romana]

It was actually two signs: I woke up feeling off, went to the bathroom and was having bloody show, and almost immediately regular, painful contractions started. They were about 2-3 min apart and about 30-45 seconds long. It was pretty much just like that for 21 hours straight (of course, increasing intensity etc. but just as regular) until dd was born.

Julia
dd 1

[Intertwined]

My first two don't count....I was induced.

With Noah I woke up to active labor. Contrax were 5 minutes apart and I could not sit still during them and was even more active between (pacing and nesting).

Ella started with contractions that began to build. They were erratic and nutty and I think it was about 20 hours in before I really believe THIS was going to be it. I 'do' prodromal labor for weeks and weeks (even with my first....I was labeled 'preterm labor' and all sorts of horrid things were done to me) and so I have a hard time believing it when it really starts to happen.

I have no show until very, very close to the end. With Noah my bag broke when I was pushing. With Ella is trickled open three times before labor and then DH got drenched when her body delivered. It was all hung up behind her I suppose.

[koofie]

I chose ctx became hard and regular, but they started by becoming regular but not hard. I knew it was labor when they were exactly 7 min apart, but just a bit uncomfortable.

[hetaera]

so, I wasnt sure what to put. I was technically induced, but I was already dialated to 2 or 3 (I forget) and really ripe, so they just started pitocin. I'm pretty sure I was probably contacting some before that but they were barely noticable.
I put other.

[Aurora]

My first two children were born by c-section and I never labored. My last two were both UC's and both started with my water breaking.

[crittersmom]

With my first I didn't know what to think either.I had been having timeable contractions from 34 weeks on.By 36 weeks I was dialated to 4 cm and so soft the Dr wouldn't let me fly cross country for a family emergency. ( I went anyway).The contractions started getting more intense 10 days before my due date and were just like in the books so I went into L&D and spent the night and by morning they had stopped.The day before my due date I had just gone to the bathroom and rolled over when I felt like I had peed.Then the contractions started again but they felt like I had to poop really bad (not like the books either).I went and tried but nothing came out but man did I feel "that need".I had him 5 hrs after my waters broke.
My second started out pretty similar.Contractions for weeks, slow dialation and then bang! He was an induction but it only needed a nudge.
my third I finally understood that I have long prelabor and then bang those around me need to be ready. I kept feeling an urge to poop that got stronger and stronger in the days before DD was born and then my water broke and the contractions started and she was here 50 minutes later.
Right now I am having my usual block of contractions that peter out after awhile.Non of my labors seem to follow what is written in the books but when I come to MDC I see lots of mamas who have similar ones.

[momazon4]

I voted for hard and regular contractions but the funny thing is- the contractions never really got regular. I questioned if it really was labour. Then my body PUSHED and there was ds so I figured it WAS labour after all!!

[cottonwood]

#1 -- mild cramping. Baby born 56 hours later.

#2 -- water broke. Baby born 13 hours later.

#3 -- had a couple of sessions of intense contracting (after sex) one and two weeks before birth, and during the second one my forewaters broke. When consistent labor began it was with mild cramping and baby born 32 hours later.

#4 -- cramping and loss of pink-tinged mucus for three weeks before birth. Two nights of prodromal labor before birth. Third night began with mild cramping and baby was born 14 hours later.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

My 1st started w/ a water leak and a loooooooooooooong early labor. My UC baby started w/ strong ctx that got stronger and closer very quickly. I have no idea if I was dilated beforehand.