All of my labors started naturally, without water breaking. If you notice 2 a.m. seems to be "the" time for me! I don't use my birth pool until I get "pushy".
1) (Day before labor started we had a small fire...I overreacted and dropped to the floor from a really bad side cramp...other than that the day before labor started was normal.) Woke up at about 2 am uncomfortable. Noticed light contractions about every 10 min, took a bath to see if I could get them to stop. I lost my mucous plug. At about 5 a.m. woke DH up at, contractions were about 5 min. apart. At 5:30 a.m. called midwife...she arrrived a bit before 6 a.m. I was 5 cm. Contractions became 3 min. apart. Started pushing at 8 a.m. Water broke during crowning of baby's head. Baby born at home in water at 8:30 a.m. (I labored a lot on the toilet, side-lying on the bed, and on all fours in the hallway.)
2) (In the morning, my husband and I were intimate...I was 6 days over my due date.) Contractions started ever so little at 10 am. Continued to have putsy labor throughout the day. I went shopping, cooked food, spent time with family, and napped throughout the day. Lost mucous plug sometime in the early evening. Called midwife at midnight, when contractions were 7 min. apart (Thinking I may go fast). Contractions didn't really get going until at about 2 a.m., when they were 5 min. apart. I slowed danced labored with my husband with every contraction, then rested/slept on the bed in between....and of coarse toilet labored a bit. At about 6 a.m. or so contractions became 3 min. apart. I walked around our apartment and stopped with contractions. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep, but still very functional. A little after 9 a.m. I started to push. Water broke during crowning of baby's head. Baby born at home in water at 9:40 a.m.
3) (The day before, I had taken a horse drawn carriage ride through the park grounds...it was quite a bumpy ride...I was 7 days past my due date.) Contractions started just before 2 a.m. They were putsy contractions at least 10 min. apart, but when they came they would peak right away. (I realized throughout the day, it was because of baby position...his head wasn't directly on my cervix, but on my left hip.) I wasn't used to these type of contractions so I called my other midwife to come just in case since she lived a few hours away (the other one, sadly, moved away a month prior). I lost my mucous plug at about 7 a.m. I used the rebozo to try to lift baby out and reposition him, I did side stepping, walking, etc...Nothing was working right away. The whole day contractions were 8-10 min. apart. I walked over 5 miles throughout the day and of coarse nappped a bunch. I even walked to Pita Pit for lunch. I ate and ate and ate. At 7 p.m. we watched the Russian Waterbirth documentary. (I idolize the midwife who pushes her baby out with such calmness!) Anyway, finally at about 8 p.m. contractions started to get 5 min. apart.....I labored over a birth ball, over a chair, over the table, over the coach, on all fours, I labored standing up leaning on my doula, at about 11 p.m. contractions grew to be about 3 min. apart. I felt pushy at about 12 a.m., got into the birth pool and labored there for a while...contractions grew apart again (about 8 min.)...I labored on all fours...the children sat down near the pool...in between contractions I would talk to them). I felt the urge to push...and boy did I ever....all the food I had consumed had not been eliminated yet and I didn't think that is what it was....but it was! Along with the elimination, I pushed so hard that my water broke. After that was out of the way....I started to feel truely pushy at about 1:30 a.m.....I tried to push on all fours...but my body wanted to push in almost a lithotomy position with my husand supporting me as an anchor in the pool from behind. Baby was born just before 2 a.m. at home in water.