How do you judge how long your labour was?

[*Beema*]

I don't think we would even contemplate how many hours mine was prior to C-Sec with DD2 if we go on when the ctx started .... 8 weeks!

DD1 was when my waters broke, was the start of the first stage, the actual ctx starter 45min later at 5min appart.

[beckoes]

vic, i was telling DH about you and how you were having cx for so long etc etc, his jaw dropped and he said ''your telling me she was in labour for eight weeks???''

[Sagres]

I count from when my waters broke because this is when my MW and I knew it was the real deal and not just the warm up act. So that makes it a grand total of 2.5 hours long. But if you go by the 4cm theory mentioned here it would be a bit less than that.
If I count from when the period crampyness got less period crampy and harder to ignore (but still been well short of 4cms) it would be 3.5 hours.

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

According to my hossy notes, i was induced with gels (this was my only form of induction, no drip required), two lots, first lot put in at 3pm, 2nd lot at 10pm. - rolled over in bed at 12.50am and waters broke, active labour started at 1.00am (with contrax 5 mins apart from the get go) dd born at 8am, so 7 hour labour in total

[Iona Macca]

The hospital worked mine out to be from when they broke my waters (I was induced) - it added up being a 15-16hr labour from that but contractions didn't start till 12pm when they put the drip in and then I had Luke at 10:50pm

[Cassius2]

i count mine from the time that my waters broke as that was the only time that contractions were consistent in pattern and had a bit more length to them. prior to that they could be 1 min apart, or 15 min apart and only lasting max 30 secs but on average maybe 15-20 secs.

but my midwives have recorded labour as lasting 2.15 hours as they reckon that my contractions probably in the hour before DD2 was born were probably already established labour . they arrived after my waters broke though and to me, i only count the moment from when they broke as 'labour' as that was when it was all i could concentrate on lol. (sooo...1.15 hours).

HTH!

[Beach Mama]

I count mine as 36 hours because I can

Really though my gel was inserted at 9pm I half slept the night, gel again at 8, waters broken at 12 and no contractions til the drip started at 2pm. They weren't ouchy til 6 and then epi at 1am, and c/s at 9 so mmmmmmmmm really if I count from contractions I guess I should say it was 19 hours!

[Visitor7]

My hospital notes count mine as from when I was 3cm onwards (established labour). So going by those notes, my labours were 4 hours for DD1, 50 minutes for DD2 and 5 minutes for DD3.
I don't count it as that though. I count labour as when the contractions started. So that would be 9 hours for DD1, 6 hours for DD2 and 3 hours for DD3.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

My hospital notes had my total labour as 23.5 hours that was from when my waters broke and my established labour was 10.5 hours.

[Indadhanu]

I counted mine from when my waters broke and my contractions got regular. So just before midnight on the 3rd. My contractions had started earlier that night, I told Shel I might be going into labour at about 5pm Sunday, but once my waters broke things got regular. For a while, until I got to the hospital, then they got irregular, then I went home and they got regular, then I went to the hospital and they got irregular... Anyway, midnight Sunday to 5.20pm Tuesday, so I count my labour as about 42 hours.

Going by the 4cm thing, well I was stuck before 4cm for a loooooooooooooooooong time. I think had you counted from the time I got past 4cm, it was only a 6 hour labour. I was on the syntocin for longer than that I challenge anyone to say being on syntocin isn't 'real labour'!

[Fleur]

With DS I have absolutely no idea how long I was actually in labour for. I had a really long pre labour with ouchy and often fairly regular braxton hicks for about 2 weeks before hand. They would tease me and come regularly about 10 or so mins apart, and when I would get excited and hopeful this was IT! they would die down and go away.

Sounds a lot like what I had with Pie, pre-labour for 4 or 5 weeks, so when real labour started it was a few hours before I took it seriously.
My contrax started around 2am, I eventually got sick of trying to sleep & got up around 5am, was holding the kitchen bench at 7:30 while trying to make kids lunchs, lol... I called DH to come take me to my hossy appt cause I couldn't drive anyhow.
Got to hosptal & it stopped then started again, at about 1pm, had an internal & was 9cm and she wasn't born until 6:30 pm. My waters broke about 10 min before she was born, and my contractions were 5 min apart the whole time.
I count it from 1pm cause that's when it got really ouchy, but in truth you could say it was more like 13.5 hours, longer if you count from 2am

Panda, I had a hind water leak but labour started when my waters broke & contactions started straight after, 12.5 hours until she was born.

Beep - I had BH for weeks before, they were regular all day before but not painful until 6pm, but I was still able to doze through them until 2am, when I got out of bed & my waters broke. He was born at 5:30am so I count that as 3.5 hours.

I kind of count my labours from the point at which I was a) sure that I was in labour and b) ouchy enough to stop me carrying on as usual

[PollyA]

Sounds a lot like what I had with Pie, pre-labour for 4 or 5 weeks, so when real labour started it was a few hours before I took it seriously.
My contrax started around 2am, I eventually got sick of trying to sleep & got up around 5am, was holding the kitchen bench at 7:30 while trying to make kids lunchs, lol... I called DH to come take me to my hossy appt cause I couldn't drive anyhow.
Got to hosptal & it stopped then started again, at about 1pm, had an internal & was 9cm and she wasn't born until 6:30 pm. And my contractions were 5 min apart the whole time.
I count it from 1pm cause that's when it got really ouchy, but in truth you could say it was more like 13.5 hours, longer if you count from 2am

Panda, I had a hind water leak but labour started when my waters broke & contactions started straight after, 12.5 hours until she was born.

Beep - I had BH for weeks before, they were regular all day before but not painful until 6pm, but I was still able to doze through them until 2am, when I got out of bed & my waters broke. He was born at 5:30am so I count that as 3.5 hours.

I kind of count my labours from the point at which I was a) sure that I was in labour and b) ouchy enough to stop me carrying on as usual

Prelabour is headwrecking!
I had contractions ecery day for 4 weeks with DS and in the end I felt like I had made up my pregnancy (You start to second guess everything you feel)

[danniellabella]

I count mine from when my waters broke, which happened half an hour before my first contraction - I got regular contractions right from the word go. So, the way I see it, from when my waters broke to when I finally gave birth - 36 hours.

[Jas]

With ds1 I with induced 3weeks esrly did the whole gel the night before and I count from the next morning when i had arm and the drip started, contractions started immediately, it was 18.5hrs

ds2 I just say it was 7hrs 15mins exactly from the 1st tiny ittle contraction, only took notice of time as I was computer on bb haha and it was almost nothing, just a tightening really and it was about 4hrs from when i was in good active labour I would say...so yea thats what I say when talking about it.

I really get a bit annoyed when people tell the horror I was in labour for a week stories etc etc yes sometimes people do have really lond labour but most of the time the truth behind these stories is they had a lot of pre labour and its not likely they had very intense full on contractions the whole time.

while I'm on my soap box I also get annoyed when people say they had no drugs...just the gas....no drugs to me means no drugs including gas

]sorry if i've offendende anyone just needed to get that off my chest

[Arimeh]

LOL!!! Don't apologise Jas, your opinion is yours to have - never apologise for having it

Ok, so I guess if everyone else is counting from their first contraction (it seems the general consensus of the thread) then mine was around 13.5 hours long.

Geez that sounds so long.

Wonder how long my next one will be ...

[Jas]

me again...I did that last post and then went back andread all the other replies. I just wanted to clarify that I wasnt referring to anyone who posted here saying they had a long labour. I'm talking about women who do the real competitive i was in excriciating pain for x long...oh yea well I wish in excruciating pain for x long... we all see them at baby showers terrifying first time mums. Not talking about women who say was x amount of hours from beginning of contractions or waters breaking and x amount of hours from when contractions got intense and regular.

I just wanted to clarify that as I honestly wasnt having a go at any one and didnt want anyone to ready my post and think I was

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I was told from 'regular' contractions, DD1 was 9hrs and DD2 was i think 5hrs.
Someone said to count from waters breaking but for me that would be DD1 20mins and DD2 8mins..
No more for me, DP would need to be armed with a catchers mit and some towels

[Kazzo]

I was told that it was active labour too, so from 4cm is when tmy hospital considers labours starting time. My waters broke at about 4am. Went to hospital around 7am for monitering because contractions only every half hour. Waters were stained so induced with Synto at 10am. 2pm checked and only 1cm dilated but synto making contractions come every 7-8 minutes. Had pethadine and fell asleep for nearly 2 hours 1 hour later I was 10cm and pushing 2nd stage was 30 minutes so paperwork had 3.5 hour labour.
I will be interested to see how long my labour will be this time if I do not have to be induced.