labour during the night?

[tasha_84]

i have a question just out of curiosity..is there more of a chance that labour will start during the night or is it much of a muchness? because i have hardly heard of anyone going during the day its usually at night...

[Kazbah]

I started mine at around 1pm, another lady from my belly group started hers shopping at Coles ... I guess that during the night you're not distracted by stuff, so then the hossy is called ...

[MantaRay]

I have heard a theory that women go into Labor at night more often as it's nature's way of there being a better chance that DH is around. It's an interesting theory but there's probably not truth to it. I went into Labour at around 9pm with DS1 and around 3pm with DS2 (and that was a 3 hr labour), so I've had one of each. I think it could happen at any time for you - maybe you can update in here when it happens and we can see whether it was true for you or not?

[rosehannah]

Interesting point, I have heard it commented on before that animals often birth at night under the cover of darkness so maybe we're not that different. who knows!

[Tinsel]

Hi Tasha

I receive weekly emails about bubs development and in the last one it had this:

Did you know? A woman's uterus is much more sensitive to her natural oxytocin hormone at night. Hence the reason why most labours start once the sun goes down!

[StrawberryMumma]

I heard that this was true- it is more likely that labour starts during the night (maybe on the discovery channel?? Just recently)..but I can't remember for the life of me, why they said it happens that way!! There was a reason...

[blue daisy]

great question

oxytocin levels are at their (blood serum) highest levels between the hours of 2-4am...and oxytocin is the hormone that promotes uterine contractions

also the tendency for us to go into labor at night is also based in our primitive ancestory...where it was safer to birth at night

also we are at our most relaxed at night...no adrenaline to suppress our oxytocin levels

xx yogababy

[Zee]

I started getting the little niggles etc at 9pm but nothing really started happening till 2am. I was induced though so I guess mine dosnt really count.

[visitor1]

DD 1 was around 10pm at night
DD 2 was 6pm

[~Trish~]

Both my labours started at 4am on the dot! It must be true (for me anyway) that oxytocin levels are at their highest between 2am-4am.

[SweetPea]

Mine started at 1.30am with waters breaking and contractions starting. Very interesting question!

[Yael]

Mine started around 9.30/10am with DD, and she was born at 2300hrs.

DS my contractions started around 2200hrs, was induced the next morning, and he was born at 2240hrs.

[dee73]

Mine started at 2.30am, and the great majority of friends with babes started in the early am hours also!

[Olive]

my waters broke at 6.30am, DD born 36 hrs later

[Tobily]

I think this is true.

As others have already posted we produce the highest levels of oxytocin - which is the hormone that causes the uterus to contract - in the dark.
I think there's partly an evolutionary reason as well - for our ancestors going into labour at night meant that there were others around to help and the darkness provided protection from predators.

It's also for this reason that the female body is capable of completely stopping labour if she feels unsafe or threatened. How many women have you heard of that are having good contractions that just dwindle to nothing as soon as they set foot in the hospital? They're under bright lights, being talked to and watched and monitored - and their bodies just decide that no way in hell are they giving birth here lol.

[katnap]

my waters broke about 10pm on a thursday night, DD was born at 6.52pm the friday evening...

[hannahfroodoo]

I have heard this theory too - that since we are relaxed at night, labour is more likely to start.
But my contractions started at 6pm so I don't think you can really predict anything by it...

[Tyige]

I was induced with DS at 8pm and started getting contractions around 3am. With DD I went into labout around 1.30am. My SIL went into labour with DD3 at 3pm but she is the only person I know that went into labour during the day.

Ellie