Worried about another super-short labor

[jennaesue]

Each of my labors has gotten dramatically shorter. DS1 was 18 hours (but he was induced, so I guess that makes sense,) DS2 5 hours, and DS3 was only 1 hour and 20 minutes. He was born 20 minutes after I got to the hospital. So I am worried that I am going to have this kid along the side of the road! Has anyone else had a very short labor? If so, was your next labor also short?

[Mrs_P]

mine have gotten shorter with all of my pregnancies and i do know someone who had her baby within half hour of anything happening - i suppose trick is if you know its short plan to leave right at the start before gets bad so you have time or try for a home birth and the midwives will come to you. Alternatively your dh can call an ambulance if you go into labour but i would really try to avoid the side of the road LOL!!!! stay put if it comes to it

[Tiffani3]

Mine were Ds1 17 hours
Ds2 15 hours
Ds3 3 hours
And all natural births.
So dramatically shorter hoping for a home birth this time so just hope I'm at home at the time, or I'll be joining you on the side of the road! Lol xx

[Rosie85]

Yikes you scare me! My first was 18 hrs induced as well. My second was 5 hours. So your telling me my next might be only an hour and a half!? Haha

[Wanting-a-girl]

Ds 1 10 hours
Ds2 30 mins!
Ds 3 induction 3 hours

[Mrs_P]

once my waters went with ds3 mine was only two hours so they do get less, it gets easier though so as long as you are in the right place its great, in fact i really quite enjoyed it with ds3

[fairyfrog]

First baby 4 hours, second baby 2 hours, third baby 45 minutes, fourth baby 25 minutes, fifth baby 4 hours.(these times are from onset of first contractions) The third baby scared me because I woke up from a nap, rolled off the couch and my water broke! With all my other kids the water only broke within seconds of the baby being born. I wasn't ready to have a baby at home. First baby was in the hospital. second and third baby with a midwife, fourth and fifth baby at home. All of my babies were 10 days early on the dot except the last one which was 10 days late. I attribute the last one being four hours due to the fact that he was 9lbs 6 oz 23 inches long with a large head (I am 5'2" with a very short torso)and I think he didn't want to be born in the water because as soon as I got out of the water he slipped right out. All but my first and last babies were born in the water.

Anyhoo if you are more comfortable with births in the hospital let your doctor know the times of each birth and when it gets close maybe they will check you in early(high risk of delivery in a car and all) or maybe check into a hotel next to the hospital. Have your babies all been born on time? Either that or look into home birth...definitely safer than being born on the side of the road.

[jennaesue]

I would love to consider a home birth, but my dh is against it. :(

My first baby was 6 days late (and then was induced), second was born 2 days after due date, and third came the day after his due date. With the third, I did have some warnings earlier - I took a bath around 9pm and I *thought* I felt a gush of something, so I thought my water broke, but then it didn't leak. I knew something was going to happen soon, but I didn't want to go to the hospital too early. I went to bed, and awoke at 3am to a strong contraction, I waited and then five minutes later I had another contraction and my water broke. My contractions were 2 minutes apart in the car on the way to the hospital. Luckily it was the middle of the night, so there was no traffic. Dh ran red lights and broke the speed limit. The good thing about it was that the nurse do not mess with a woman who comes into the hospital practically ready to push out a baby! They did not make me hook up an iv, put on the blood pressure cuff, or the pulse ox monitor (which are all things that really annoyed me the other times.) So it actually turned out really well, but I really do not want to have a baby on the side of the road! I think this time, I will have to go in as soon as I have a sign of labor starting, even if I think it might be too early. Another good thing is; with ds3 we had to wait for dh's mom to get here from her house a half an hour away, but this time we have a new neighbor I am good friends with, so as long as she is home, I could probably get her to stay with the kids until Grandma gets here.

[jennaesue]

Ds 1 10 hours
Ds2 30 mins!
Ds 3 induction 3 hours

Was the 30 minute labor a homebirth?

[Wanting-a-girl]

Was the 30 minute labor a homebirth? no almost a car birth lol almost got stuck behind a train I literally walked in the hospital got in the bed pushed once and he was out lol it was terrible my by far worst labour ever it was sooooo intense it's not even funny but very worth it indeed... He's my little autism genius

[Violet_]

DS1 - 20 hours 40+1 7lbs 13oz Labour started with contractions
DS2 - 3.5 hours 38+2 7lbs 8.5oz Labour started with waters breaking
DS3 - 4 hours 40+0 8lbs 4.5oz Labour started with contractions

All natural.

Almost had DS2 on the side of the road as the closest hospital that delivered babies was 2.5 hours away.

With DS3 as soon as I knew it was the real thing and not false labour we headed straight to the hospital (lived much closer this time).

Next baby, we won't be messing around either.

[3boys]

DS1 was four weeks prem and was very fast. I got out of bed and my waters broke I just made it to the hospital which is five minutes away!
DS2 was about five hours
DS3 was back to back and I laboured for 36 hours.
At this rate this child will take me a week to push out lol.

[jennaesue]

DS1 was four weeks prem and was very fast. I got out of bed and my waters broke I just made it to the hospital which is five minutes away!
DS2 was about five hours
DS3 was back to back and I laboured for 36 hours.
At this rate this child will take me a week to push out lol.

oh, wow, your labors went in the opposite direction of mine! 36 hours! You poor thing!

[OneLastDream]

Ds1 36 hours
Ds2 2 hours
Ds1 about hour and half but 8 mins after waters broke so hoping waters don't go first next time otherwise ill be delivering in the street!!!!!

[OneLastDream]

That was meant to say ds3!!!

[NearlyDone]

All of my labours were fairly short after dd2 was nearly born in the car i go as soon as i get a pain....had a post partum heamorrage with dd2 so cant have a homebirth..
dd3 was around 2 and a half hours(was 8cm when i got to the hospital) she took 2 hours after we arrived as she was back to back
dd4 was 2 hours
ds was about 40 mins(we were in hospital to be induced but was contracting too much when i arrived)
all you can really do is try to go asap the hospital always tell me to come when i feel ready anyway because i never got the typical 5mins between contraction/then 4/then 3/then 2 ect.......mine have always been all over even very late in labour so i dont trust that xx

[jennaesue]

I talked to my OB yesterday, and she said induction will be an option for me as I approach my due date, because they don't want me to give birth in the car, either (my dh is joking he's going to put a tarp down in the back of the van just in case. ha ha.) But I am not a fan of inductions - ds1 was induced and that was my longest, hardest, and just all around worst labor BY FAR. I ended up getting an epidural (which I didn't want to do, but the labor was just taking so long, I needed rest), I pushed for two hours, I had to get an episiotomy (sp?) and still had a severe tear. I lost a lot of blood and fainted after delivery. It was an all-around horrible experience. My natural labors were a breeze compared to that - I did them medication-free and both times baby was out in a few pushes. I did not need an epidural, and I either did not tear or had a very small tear. I felt a million times better after both births than after ds1's birth. So I am really hesitant to do another induction!

[jennaesue]

all you can really do is try to go asap the hospital always tell me to come when i feel ready anyway because i never got the typical 5mins between contraction/then 4/then 3/then 2 ect.......mine have always been all over even very late in labour so i dont trust that xx

Yes, I think that is what I will do. I really did know labor was going to start with ds3, but I didn't want to go to the hospital too early. Next time, I'll go as soon as I have an idea that something is going on!

[LacePrincess]

DS1 was slooow, typical first birth. Don't remember exactly how many hours but over a day and a half and got booted out of the hospital 3 times. Argh!!!

DS2 was about 8 hours I think.

Both DS1 and DS2 was slowed down by the epidural I think.

DS3 was fast. Water broke at 11pm, he was crowning at 1:20am! So yes, another 1hr20min birth here, lol. But the water breaking was a huge factor, it totally threw me into a really fast labour, and I was in transition in the car. Yipes. I hated it as DS3 was posterior and got stuck on my pubic bone (he didn't have time to turn since he dropped so fast when my water broke). I was too far along when we got to the hospital so it was medfree (not by choice, lol) but good thing as I was able to eventually shift him enough to get him out without a c/s.

[Justjessica]

DS1- 3 hrs 40 mins start to finish
DS2- 90 minutes start to finish
DS3- 33 mins start to finish

With DS1 pains started 11pm. Went to hospital at midnight was told to go home as I wasn't even 3cm but pain was so bad I asked to stay to have gas and air. Baby was born at 2.40 in morning. I only got put on labour ward at 2am as had been waiting in a holding corridor to go up. The staff didn't believe me when I said I wanted to push so I jumped on a bed and started pushing him out myself then they took notice.

With DS2- I was fast asleep dreaming I was in labour in a plane and nobody would help me. There were no drs or midwives on the plane. Then DS1 woke in the middle of the night crying. I went into him then realised I must actually be in labour. Phoned midwife, she came to me and it was all over in 90 mins after waking up.

With DS3- I woke up at just after 3 cos I felt like I needed to go on the loo. Realised maybe it wasn't going to be from the end I thought. Phoned midwife 3.20 am, he was born at 3.53. Midwife arrived 8 mins before he popped out.

So the advice I was given at my booking appointment was to phone an ambulance first and labour ward 2nd. She said absolutely don't get in a car as I'll give birth in it. Though DH doesn't want a home birth as he doesn't want to have to deliver the baby himself. He's scared and I don't blame him. But my midwife said the only way I will get any help this time is by ambulance so that's my birth plan!

[strawberrymom]

DS1- 36 hours - 3 hours pushing!
DS2- 12 hours - 6 minutes pushing
Both were all natural except for breaking of the water.