Speedy birth - quicker each time?

[LuluHB]

DD1 was induced and looooooooong because I didn't want to push things so drip was delayed after gels, rate of drip kept very low etc so she doesn't really count (to my mind) in talking about birth time. DD2 on the other hand was so fast. I'd had pre-labour for weeks with her - a few times thinking this was the real thing but it always petering out to the point where I probably didn't really take too much notice of when it was the real thing. My hind waters broke and I trundled off to hospital. An hour later things got intense and that's when dilation went from 4 cms to DD2 on my chest in 15 minutes.

So, my question is can I expect this little girl to be even quicker than her sister? Last time around we lived 5 minutes drive from the hospital. We're now between 40 and 70 minutes depending on time of day, peak traffic etc so timing could be a factor. My DH works from home so provided I don't stray far, we don't need to factor in extra time for him to get to me to then drive me to hospital.

It has been something I have had in the back of my mind but not really worried about, but then my MIL yesterday starts asking all these questions about who my "back up doctor" and alternate hospital are. When I said I didn't have any she gave me one of those looks - you all know those looks . Then she said well obviously I'll be asking for either a c-section or induction then. WTF?? No. Not considering either as an option for any reason except medical emergency.

Am I being naive? Should I have some sort of backup plan beyond "well, if things get close we just call an ambulance and I birth on the freeway"? There are hospitals closer but not significantly, and for various reasons I have enormous trust and a need to continue with my OB, and he only delivers at the one hospital.

[Julie Doula]

The third birth is often called the 'wild card' birth. Mine was - I had SROM, my first ever, and intermittent contractions - and in the end, less than 2 hours of active labour before she was born. So you just never know!

It sounds like you are blessed to have a 'Mercedes Benz' model of birthing body! Yay! I think it's fair to presume that this birth likewise will be quick and straightforward. At least be prepared for the possibly of an expedited birth!

I totally do not understand this:

obviously I'll be asking for either a c-section or induction then.

eh? You've already proven that you give birth exceptionally well, so therefore you need medical intervention or major abdominal surgery, with all the risks inherent in that? That makes no sense.

I don't understand how something that is clearly a wonderful, desirable situation (to have a fantastic birthing body) gets distorted as if it is a negative, a terrible problem that's gotta be fixed!

No fixing needed - you have a wonderful body that works very well.

You could have a midwife come to you, and have the baby at home.

You could hire a doula to support you and help you get to the hospy in time, and she could catch if you end up having a car-birth.

You could move to a motel near the hospy when you sense you are close, and have your doula join you there, and nip over to the hospy when you're in full-blown labour.

This article might be a timely read for you! How to Deliver a Baby at Home (Emergency Situation)

"Try to get her up in a squatting position. This will shorten the birth canal and gravity will work in her favor."

- Actually I would suggest a kneeling or hands & knees position. Squatting is not always a very easy comfortable position for most women to adopt, though some do take to it. On hands & knees the woman feels grounded and anchored, the pelvis is opened, the tailbone and sacrum can lift and there is least stress on the stretching perineum. Otherwise this article contains sensible, practical advice.

This from Jenny Blyth is good too.

Good luck - enjoy that super birthing body.

[DANNIIM]

I was expecting a quick third labour after a 3 hr second labour but nope bub turned prosterior and I ended having a 7.5 hr labour.
What I did was head into hossy quite early and generally they are happy to have you if you air your concerns and know your history.


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[LuluHB]

Thanks Danniim. I'm birthing at the same hospital again as my girls and they've always taken the view that if in doubt, just come in so hopefully mine will be as good as yours was.

Julie - I'm also not sure I ever got that feeling of knowing I was close - the prelabour was so strong and started around 35 weeks but DD2 wasn't born until 41+2. Other than just giving it time to see if it develops, is there any way of telling prelabour from genuine labour? Those articles are interesting - particularly the bit about fast labours usually being too quick for problems to develop. Found that pretty reassuring.

[Julie Doula]

fast labours usually being too quick for problems to develop. Found that pretty reassuring.

Yes - this is what my midwife said to me after I had my DD2 in the shopping mall. A fast birth is usually a straight-forward progressing birth and so usually the babies just - come out! And all you have to do is stay calm and catch.

Like this!

Intense pre-labour is hard work mentally (is this it? is this it?) but they do fantastic work to soften everything up and get all the hormones running hot, and loads of pre-labour is usually a pre-cursor to a wonderfully progressing, smoothly unfolding birth. So none of it's wasted. It's just hard yards, especially if it goes on for weeks on end.

Pre-labour usually peters out either when you get up and the sun comes up and you start moving around; or when you go to bed. (Usually the former, because hormones tend to like the hours of darkness and often ramp up at night, and also melatonin synchronises with oxytocin, your main birth hormone.) Another way to tell if it's pre-labour is if they peter out or reduce in intensity or are spaced further apart when you are distracted, such as the phone rings and you talk to someone, or you go out in the car or for a walk, or you're watching something on TV.

Signs of full-on labour -
* there is bloody show, which means your cervix is opening and you're losing your mucous plug;
* the contractions are lasting a good minute and are close together, (like 3-4 within 10 minutes) and stay like that for an hour or more;
* you feel 'open' and the baby feels low - you can feel that downward progress in your body as your baby comes through your pelvis;
* you feel that unmistakeable "I have to poo!" sensation;
* if you gently have a feel yourself you can palpate your opening cervix and maybe even touch your baby's head pouting through the opening cervix - you might feel forewaters which feel like a water-filled balloon, and something hard just behind ... the head!
* you can't carry on a conversation anymore during contractions, and even between contractions you're in 'labour-land': eyes closed, intense concentration - it might look like you're asleep but it's like a deep trance-like relaxation state
* your waters break (although this can occur before active labour, but waters breaking after a considerable time of strong sustained active labour is a significant sign of progress)
* there's a change in your voice - low grunting or roaring
* your sacrum is bulging - this is visible to whoever is with you
* you don't want clothes on, you feel you want to strip down
* you feel like you want your 'cave' - your quiet, dark, safe space

This article, External and Observed Signs of Dilation, Descent and Progress might be helpful, so you know what to notice when you're trying to figure out 'where you're at'.

The most important thing though, is 'listen' to your body and trust your gut - the mother knows best what's going on in her body.

[Sagres]

I discussed this a bit with my ob and the midwives at the hospital because my first birth was quick (2 hours) and I had lots of time constraints with getting to hospital second time (getting DD1 some where or waiting for some one to come look after her, potentially DH getting home from work, not being able to take DD1 in an ambulance with me if I was home alone etc). One of the very experienced midwives at the hospital said that second labours are often about half the time of the first one, which scared me a bit, not the labour but the getting everything in place in time! I thought this idea was a bit too, well simplistic, so I did a survey of friends and family and online friends and amazingly is was accurate for the majority of women who had spontaneous labours (of course it was all different for inductions and the like). I'm not sure if this necessarily applies for 3rd or subsequent babies, and I'm still not sure if it is all a bit too simplistic, but it is food for thought.

Anyway, my midwives and ob all made sure I had backup plans and things in place just to be on the safe side. I mean hopefully you don't need to utilise them, but personally I would suggest putting a few things in place just in case, like arrangements for child minding if you need it FAST (or being able to take the older ones to hospital with you, which was part of my plan B), ensuring you have ambulance cover or other options for hospitals if that is what suits.

Something to consider also is that babies can get a bit shocked and distressed when it happens very quickly, my DD1 was a bit stunned when she was born and needed oxygen and some help to look lively which was easily taken care of in hospital. If you do get to hospital or plan to be home with a birth attendant or an ambulance gets to you they can look after this if the need arises, but if you literally are on the side of the freeway there is no equipment or expertise to do it. So not a huge risk because lots of babies are born quickly and don't need help, but just a point to consider and perhaps try to have some vague plan in place to avoid the freeway side delivery (and the embarrassment of being 'that' woman on the news who had her baby on the side of the road LOL!)

[kristi14]

Should I have some sort of backup plan beyond "well, if things get close we just call an ambulance and I birth on the freeway"? There are hospitals closer but not significantly, and for various reasons I have enormous trust and a need to continue with my OB, and he only delivers at the one hospital.

Sounds good to me . Trust your instincts the whole way through. Ive had long births and short births. First was 3hrs 20mins, 3rd was 49hrs, 7th 42mins. It all depends. I wouldnt hang around when you start getting contractions but you cant predict how fast or slow this labour and birth will be.

Is homebirth an option? Something to consider maybe if you are up for it?

[PinkPalace]

mine were both 2.5hrs once in established labour. so no difference here x

[Ladylove]

*bump*

The latest issue of Mother & Baby magazine has a feature on quick births.

[~ Mylitta ~]

My first birth was a 9 hour labour, with 1 1/2 hours of pushing.

My second labour was 3 hours of labour and 7 minutes of pushing (half of which I didn't even push!). I went from 3cm to pulling my baby out in less than half an hour.

Like you, I'm a little concerned about how fast things might progress this time. I've been told that if things go really fast at home and we call and ambulance, the paramedics will prefer to deliver in the home rather than risk a delivery en-route if they think you are really that close to delivering.

My deliveries have been rather uncomplicated though, so I'm not overly concerned about the thought of delivering at home. I've even got a stash of nice new towels that I have ready in my bathroom if I need them and am going to assemble a few other things "just in case".

[LuluHB]

Thanks Ladylove. Will check it out.

Mylitta - that's my feelings exactly. I would far rather risk a birth attended by my DH or paramedics than have an early induction. Both my labours were problem free and although I'm considerably older this time, and an older mum anyway, I'm still hoping to get a similar experience. I'm still really annoyed with my MIL for her comments. I shouldn't be because I know by now that's just how she is, but I can't shake the annoyance. That silly, immature part of me wants to actually have a home birth just so I can say to her "I told you it would be ok". The rest of me that's more sensible wants my Ob and hospital!

[Julie Doula]

Something to consider also is that babies can get a bit shocked and distressed when it happens very quickly

This hasn't been my experience. I have been with women who've had 10 minute labours and the babies were born with perfect Apgars. Many things contribute to foetal distress, and a quickly progressing labour rarely will cause distress, as it couldn't happen in such a quick and forthcoming manner if there were any obstacle. Long, hindered labours, especially if privacy, mobility and gravity are reduced or eliminated, are more likely to lead to distress. Artificial means of speeding up the process can cause distress, as can anything that distresses the mother. But I can't find any information to support that quick labours are at higher risk for causing foetal distress.

LuluHB, homebirth too can be a perfectly sensible option for some people in some situations. Certainly it has a lot going for it in the sensible stakes, compared to induction or transferring in labour. Wouldn't it be lovely if the obstetrician would just come to your home, as they did in the old days and still do in Europe? Peter Lucas is a Melbourne obstetrician who attends homebirths. In the UK< if a multip labours fast, a flying squad of midwives goes to the home to save her transferring to hospital during a fast-progressing labour. Wish we had that kind of service here. Several women in my town, over an hour from any maternity hospital, have had unplanned unassisted births because there was no point even trying to get to the car. It's one thing to do it by conscious choice, it's another thing to have it happen because your only option to avoid it is induction, with all the risk involved with that. Why should a woman who gives birth so easily as well, in such a safe and normal manner, have to have intervention?

[Taurean]

I've only got two kids but my first was only 6 hours (7.5 hrs from waters breaking) and it was a tough posterior birth so it was quick considering.

My second was 37 minutes

Quick labours run in my mum's side so I'm expecting another quick one when we go back for thirds. Although they do say your third labour can be a wild card

[Jennifer13]

There's a story on a blog shared on FB of a woman whose first labour was 40 mins and second was 22 mins. For the third her DH wisely read up on what to do and the baby was born after 10 mins in their bath at home. Babies all perfect.

Now THAT is the Mercedes Benz of birthing bodies!

FWIW I recently read that quick labours are generally the most uncomplicated and the least likely to have any issues.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

With me my mum laboured for an hour and a half, with my sister 15 minutes.
I thought id have the quick birth luck.
Anthony - 5 hours
Claire - 22 hours
Bellah - 21 hours then csec
Twins - 4 hours according to the hospital longer according to me followed by csec

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[LuluHB]

Julie - in theory I love the idea of a home birth and I really wish there were more options for birthing mothers to have the birth in the location they choose, but TBH I would still be going to hospital - the idea of ME having a homebirth really scares me, and that's after having two stress free births already. Jennifer's home birth story just sounds so incredibly beautiful and perfect to me, and I would LOVE that for myself but I can't rationalise the fear and my anxiety wouldn't allow it for me ITMS. As much as I say I'll be fine if we need to call an ambulance, I know I'll be scared to death if it ends up that way.

I don't think DD2 had any stress at all after her quick labour, but my body was definitely in shock for quite a while after birth. No big deal though.

Taurean - your 37 minute labour is exactly my worry. Had my hind waters not broken with DD2, I wouldn't have thought I was having anything more than prelabour until things intensified 15 minutes before she was born.

Jennifer - I read a bit of the stuff that Julie has previously linked, as well as following where that lead me with google and I agree - its very sensible to have a read of what needs to be done if you have an unplanned unassisted birth. Clinging to the "quicker birth = less problems" theory too ;-)

After discussions with my OB I think I will just have to play it by ear and if I end up with a few false runs to the hospital then so be it. I think I will also get him to have a bit of a look-see each appt from 39 weeks to see if anything is starting - although I'm guessing with strong prelabour dilation could start weeks/days before the real thing anyway?

[Jennifer13]

You need to do what works for you.

After my DD2's birth, if I were to have another I wouldn't muck around calling my m/w out. I would think that a two and a half hour labour first time around would probably mean a short one second time, especially with the pushing being nearly half of that. I think I'll make sure my doula is close by - because DP would have a heart attack if he thought he'd have to do anything! GL!