Thick and fast or slow and steady?

[MrsFabuloso]

#1 was a long birth but thick and fast with the contrax. I was induced and went from nothing to contractions every 1-2mins in about 2 hours. But she took over 22 hours to be born.

#2 veeeery slow. I had contractions and prelabour for about 1-2 weeks before he was born, but when I finally went to hospital I was 9cm dialated and ready to give birth. They broke my waters an hour later and he was born in 3 pushes.

#3 was slow and steady. By far my best birth. I had contrax start slowly at about 5am and built up over the day until he was born at about 11pm that night.

[zap]

Very interesting read! Will be back later to tell my stories!

[Jellyfish]

It was slow and steady for about 8hrs. Then my waters broke and transition hit; suddenly everything was unexpectingly intense, thick and fast. It was about 4hrs after that that DD was born.

[Taurean]

My labour with DD was a mix of both. Pretty steady but it progressed quickly for a first labour - 9 hours from the first niggle. Had DD not been posterior (and stuck!), it would have been really quick.

Here's a brief rundown:
- 6am contractions started, 10 minutes apart. They were just mild period type pains which I dozed through - didn't realise they were contractions.
- 7.20am waters broke. Contractions instantly ramped up to about 5 minutes apart.
- 9am arrived at hospital and contractions were 3 minutes apart and I was 3cm dilated.
- 12 noon - epidural followed by a huge show so my OB did an internal. I was 9cm
- 2pm started pushing. DD was posterior and stuck. She became distressed after approx 45 minutes of pushing and still no head on show.
- 3.10pm DD born - vacuum extraction

[Trillian]

I've had both and I don't think I really have a preference. Either one is still hard work both mentally and physically.

[skybie]

very interesting!!
my body doesnt like to labour quickly, slow and steady for me, and tbh, i think id preffer thick and fast, getting it over with quickly, coz lets face it, it all hurts why drag it out?!
DD1-23hrs from first cx to being born
DD2-13 hours
DS-13 hours

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Both of mine would be thick & fast I guess, DD1 was 9hrs from first contraction my waters broke and she was born 20min later.
DD2 5hrs from first contraction, waters broke born 8min later.
At the start things were 'easy' but as soon as I needed to push it was all or nothing.
I was told a quick labor can be worse than a long as the body can go into shock ?


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[Tinks]

All 3 of my labours were thick and fast.

ZF, I went into shock after all 3.

[zap]

Both where thick and fast. With ds 3 they didn't think I was in true labour till I started pushing. My waters where broken and he was born twenty minutes later! They had nothing ready fir him! With ds4 they joked about history repeating itself as they where breaking my waters but jokingly couldn't promise me my baby in my arms with in twenty minutes! He was out in 9!

[loulabelle]

Ds was slow and steady until transition.
Dd was induced, completely different type of contractions and very thick and fast.


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[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

All 3 of my labours were thick and fast.

ZF, I went into shock after all 3.

I was in shock after DD1 but with DD2 I kind of psyched myself up for it the Drs wanted to induce me though as they were worried it could be bad for DD2


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[Sagres]

I was told a quick labor can be worse than a long as the body can go into shock ?

Yes my body went into shock afterwards. My ob was trying to do some stitching up and my whole body was shaking involuntarily. I don't know how she managed to do such a good job in those conditions!

[Liz]

I didn't go into shock. I got jittery for a bit but felt fine. Wasn't woozy or anything. I was jittery after the others as well and they weren't fast labours. Midwife thought it might have been a blood sugar thing since I'd been so ill that day. Going in to shock is a serious condition, I don't think just having the shakes is shock.

[PumpkinZulu]

I didnt go into shock, buy my haemoglobin was shot and I was very close to needing a transfusion, but refused Had some iron supps and OJ and I was good to go. Left the hospital 9 hours after birth. My body was VERY efficient with my contractions. I was exhausted for days after, but that also could have been my iron. I would love love love another labour like DD's!

I'm loving reading these ladies...so interesting!

[LuluHB]

DD1 was sloooooooow - 34 hours of labour, 90 minutes of transition. Completely exhausting, and the only time I actually got any rest was at the 24 hour mark when I asked for an epidural.

DD2 was very, very fast. 1.5 hours of niggles - TBH I wasn't convinced I was actually in labour , 10 minutes of contractions where I was still able to wander the hallways and chat to my DH, followed by 7 minutes of oh my where did that pain come from?!?! Like Sagre, when DD2 was on my chest I was almost convulsing I was shaking so much but they wrapped me in some thermal blankets and it subsided relatively quickly. Not nice, but I walked out of hospital 5 hours later so it was a pretty small price to pay.

I would definitely hope for the fast and furious if I'm lucky enough to go through labour again - just hope it wouldn't be any quicker because now that we've moved I'd never have time to get to the hospital and I really don't want to be one of those women you see on the news giving birth on the side of the freeway!

[ella79]

mine have both been very slow and steady. WEEKS of pre-labour contractions, sometimes regularly every 5-7 minutes for hours on end, and then they would disappear again until the next day (infuriating!!), and then 17 hours of active labour with my first, and 11 hours with my second. both of them were 2 hours of pushing. my daughter's birth actually felt easier, even though it was longer and went overnight and into the next afternoon, but i think it might be because i was SO SCARED about giving birth the first time that i was pleasantly surprised that i made it out the other end alive!! with my son, i didn't stress too much about the birth in advance (afterall, i was a pro, had done it all before), and i found his labour a lot more difficult. the pushing phase was especially hard, and absolutely exhausting, but i guess he was 9lbs 7oz, and in between each pushing contraction he kept slipping back up the birth canal which was excruciating!!
i am due with #3 soon (in fact presently overdue!), and am hoping this birth will be a bit quicker (and hopefully easier - wishful thinking!!) - i would be happy with about 5 or 6 hours i think - i don't want to risk not making it to hospital, and want a little bit of time for the contractions to "ramp up" so i can get my head around the idea of actually being in labour!!

[MrsBexie]

My whole labour was just under 12 hours but actual labour was 3hrs and 50mins.. So the 12 counts 8hrs of pre labour that SUCKED!!
mine were incredibly painful from the start and 3mins apart lasting 90secs each! My first cx felt like my uterus was being ripped out! Lol.. After each cx i was crying for it to be over, i didnt feel in control, or relaxed or anything. It was so painful i couldnt breathe. I would love to have a slower labour with building cx instead of crazy cx from the very start!!


Sent from my iPhone so sorry for the spelling and punctuation!!

[Fleur]

My labour with Pie was most definitely slow & steady.
My contractions started out about 7 minutes apart & never got closer than than 5 minutes apart. In between I was quite comfortable, in fact I was worried it was taking too long & maybe not progressing enough.

When things did amp up, it was fast & furious, one contraction on another, engaging, waters breaking, crowning & second stage all literally in minutes - but that was only about 20 minutes all up & until then, nice & steady. Which I have always been grateful for, as I was stuck to the bed and I don't know how I would have coped with hours of furious labour & being bed bound.
On the other hand, how nice a gentle labour like that would have been if I had been mobile!

I can't remember my other labours very well, but I know they were different, starting slow but bulding faster than DD2. I remember hazing out a bit with both DD1 & DS1 and the last hour or so being a bit fuzzy.

With DS2 we never really got to that point before we had a CS.