Long labour and birth pool?

I have mixed feelings about this, to be honest. My most recent labor was about 18 hours long-probably in reality a bit longer. I wanted to get in the tub several hours into labor but my midwife wanted me to wait til I was dilated to a 6 first because it can slow labor down. She is right that in can slow labor but at the same time you need to be comfortable. I had a very putsy, but managable labor. I knew exactly which positions gave me the strongest, most effective contractions but they were also the most painful and unbearable ones. So for most of my labor I chose the comfortable positions that didn't quite get me the most effective contractions, but things were still happening. Maybe I am lazy or scared of pain but I would prefer a managable long labor over an unbearable short one. All that to say, I did wait til I was dilated to a 6 before getting into the pool. However if you choose not to get vaginal exams during labor, how will you really know? So I would personally just do whatever you want! If you want to get into that pool 10 minutes into labor, then you should. Maybe that is bad advice but that is what I would do.

Oh wait, that wasn't even your original question. We started filling up the pool as soon as I felt the desire to get into the pool. It took awhile to fill up.

I have long labors, as well. My last labor started at about 6pm and I had him at 7am. So, 13 hours for my fourth labor and delivery.

We filled up the tub when we called the midwife. When things were serious enough to call her, it was time to get the tub ready!

I had a really long labor too. 36 hours and 6 minutes total. I didn't get in the pool though until it got really hard...after my water broke. My water broke at 1:11 am, and then I had ds at 8:28 am. We started filling the pool around 2 and I got in as soon as there were a couple inches of water and stayed in there for about 5 hours. I had planned on having ds in the water, but ended up having him in the living room cause...well, I'm not really sure why. I was out of the water when pushing started cause I'd been running to the bathroom and I was so exhausted! MW told me I needed to get wherever I was gonna give birth cause it was gonna happen soon. So, I crawled into the living room and leaned over the couch cushions until DH set up a nice little spot for me to lean back on and relax between contx.

While pg..everytime I thought about giving birth...I always imagined doing it in the water. Mostly because I thought it would take some of the "being wide open and all my glory showing" to the people around me. But, in the moment, I just didn't care. I just wanted to be comfortable and have that baby any way I could.

Mandy

I thought I might have DS in the pool too. I pushed his head out while in the water and the rest of him had to come out on our bed. I still haven't figured out whether I can consider that a waterbirth or not. I'm leaning towards not since he wasn't fully birthed in the water.

But I do agree with the PP, as soon as labor was hard enough to call the mw to come, it was time to fill and get in the pool! I got in around 6:30 am and DS was born at 12:50 pm (could have come sooner probably, but I wasn't feeling the urge to push yet). And for some perspective, my first labor was 37 hours (horrible hospital birth with pit, epi, the works) and my second was 16 (both started with ROM). Homebirth rocks!