Fast births leaving you shell shocked

Just wondering if there are any others who have had quicks labours & births that have left you feeling a bit down?

DD was born 3 months ago and it was super quick. Waters broke at 6am, contractions started at 7am. But they were super mild and I barely registered them they were so far apart. Hospital at 9am for what I thought was a quick check (as I suspected my waters had mecc in them, which they did), contractions were getting a little stronger but nothing bad or seemingly regular. 10.30 everything ramped up and they came thick and fast. Immense pressure, lots of bite to the contractions. Asked DF to call the midwife back as I wanted to be checked, I couldnt go through hours of that pain! I was 8cm! 12.37pm DD was born! (I was treated amazingly by the midwives with me too, they treated me with such respect with my wishes to keep things natural)

And I never got that big rush of empowerment. I felt out of control, my hpynobirthing techniques went out the window and I got through each contraction through pure instinct, begged for drugs (even though I didnt really want them haha)/yelled/swore/done whatever I needed to. I couldnt get in the zone at all, I couldnt get my head in it properly. I had to take each contraction as it came. I was in denial I think that it was happening so quick. And then I felt awful that I didnt get that sense of joy and empowerment. I felt DD's head as she was crowning, and from then it was amazing despite her coming out with her shoulders sideways (ouch!). No troubles bonding with her or anything. It was just before that point that got me down. It took me a good few weeks to process it all and how i felt about it. I felt bad I couldnt say "I loved my labour." I loved the birthing bit, but not before.

Now though I can say yep, it was awesome! I am so proud of my body and how I got through it all without drugs. I feel that empowerment and wonder when I think of it now. Its just funny when I tell people how quick it was when they ask, and they say "Oh that must have been great!". Well yes and no, it would have been great if I got a bit more time to get in the zone before bam being in transition lol!

My second was fast. I woke at 6, waters broke and contractions were long and close together from the beginning. I was still able to breathe through them though, I was in the bath until pushing, and it wasn't until transition and pushing that I lost it a bit, started crying and saying I couldn't do it. Even then it was just during contractions though, I was fine in between. DS was born less than 3 hours later at 8:50am.

Afterwards, I felt incredible. It was such a rush to have gotten through that, my body did it on it's own, and here was my gorgeous boy in my arms. I felt so empowered and so much love for my DH and midwife for their incredible support. It was fast and intense but I liked it so much more than DD's birth which had too much monitoring, interference and fentanyl.

FWIW, I think it's completely normal to just take each contraction as it comes and let instinct take over - birth is a primal and instinctual thing, to me. I yelled during mine. I cried to DH telling him I was sorry I was so bad at having a baby, that I didn't want to anymore. But no matter what I was saying, at the same time my body was instinctually moving wear it needed to help my baby down and out. My contractions hurt, and I can't imagine feeling calm and empowered during that time, though I know it happens for others. For me the feeling comes after. In the aftermath of it all I can reflect and think wow, that was awesome. I am awesome.

I felt like that with DD1. I was 3 hours from first kind of ouchy contraction until she was out. I went for a check at the hosp too (we left the bags in the car) to be told I was 8cm. DD was born just over an hour later. I felt shocked and a bit confused really. I didnt really have time to think about it.

I was expecting the same for DD2. I think that since I knew the night before I was getting induced it helped me a bit. Even still, it was 2 hours from starting the drip (at which point I was maybe 1-2cm) til I was holding my baby!

Its so weird that I felt almost like I had failed somehow, I felt silly for feeling and saying that I couldnt do it. Which I then felt silly for feeling like that, as logically I knew that was ridiculous and I had done it! I had got my drug free birth, and of course I felt like I couldnt do it as hello I was in transition as soon as things got real. Df surprised me, he had always said I should just get drugs asap. Each time I said I wanted some he would say "no you dont, you're doing it! You're doing it how you want!". Helped get me to the peak anyway before I got my breathing into it. Inbetween contractions I was fine, I was laughing (even in the breaks between pushing!), chatting, apologising for swearing so much lol and was so relaxed. I wonder why feeling that sense of achievement took time to come, so odd. I can honestly say now though it was amazing. Intense, fast, painful... but amazing. I am wowed at how my body just completely too over, it knew what to do and was doing it. My head just couldnt keep up!

I went from nothing to transition to birth in under two hours with vic (1st labour was 31hrs)

After he was born i was shaking fairly badly and the first two hours post birth are hazy. I didnt feel the 'high' i did after Dj more a 'wtf just happended here??' Kind of feeling.

my last two births were under 2 hours each. Funnily enough with DD2s birth i felt that birth high and empowerment despite the fast birth as somehow i was in the zone and really ready. but then with DD3s birth, like you described i didnt get that gorgeous high and feeling of pure joy and empowerment (despite her birth being 20 minutes longer). I just felt tired and a bit shocked and well, underwhelmed by it all. i had other visions of how it would go (despite it being a beautiful birth, i wanted it to be in the day with my friends and both my girls surrounding me...it was at midnight with just the midwives, DH and my eldest DD.

My fist was 5hours and second was 1hour and I quite like it that way although it is very wham bam
I found though I got quite damaged from my body not having as much time to slowly adjust and I could never sleep the first night I was still wide awake

My husband calls me a birthing machine lol

yep quick births can take it out of you.

My last birth was 36min from when i 'thought' i maybe in labour to baby being born (luckily we had planned a homebirth, but would have preferred the midwife to make it). It took me a while to process it all because it was just surreal

my DD before that was only 45min from 1st contraction to being born

and my 1st and 2nd children were only 4hrs from start to finish as well

My last birth was a bit like that, it was under an hour from first Contraction & he was prem so he was taken to the SCN after a very quick cuddle.
I had the shakes really bad & was a bit shocked by it all, even tho i knew it would be fast & i knew i wouldn't get to hold him etc it was still a huge shock.
I didn't enjoy his birth but i guess that's more because i knew things would be different & i think i actually dreaded it.
I wonder if he had been full term if my feelings would've been different.

My 3rd birth was 87mins I felt very empowered by her birth but i had a big PPH after she was born & that left me feeling sore, weak & a like a complete failure

My 2nd birth which was 2hrs 30mins was perfect, very calming & empowering.

Overall they have all left me feeling a bit shocked by how fast things happened.

DD2 was only 37 minutes :o You could say I was a little shell shocked but strangely high too. I spoke A LOT to my midwives over the four days after her birth to sort out my head. It helped a lot.

We knew DD2 was on her way as my waters broke at home but contractions didn't start until almost 2 hours later and they were on top of each other within 10-15 minutes so it felt like I went from nothing to almost transition so quickly! I felt like I didn't get time to adjust to the pain at all, cause I guess I didn't, lol. I had about 15 minutes of contractions before I went into my zone, as my DH and sister call it, with my eyes closed and moaning and didn't really open my eyes again (bar to sight my OB) until I started pushing. It was certainly strange, shocking, painful, too fast but extremely amazing too.

I was the talk of the ward too so I had a lot of middies pop in to visit me, the 37 minute labour mum. Lol

My second born was 2 hours from first pain to birth and I was in shock after his birth.
I did have the problem with bonding though.
I didn't have time to process I was even in labor.
That was almost 9 years ago now and im still working on that bond.
It is such a tricky thing to work through when things go so fast!

I was fast asleep then woke up at 3am with needing to go to the bathroom. It all happened pretty quickly from there. Midwives told me to call them back in an hour, after 30 mins and having an earth shattering contraction while climbing the stairs to pack my bag! I rang them and said I'm coming in. Had to drop DS to my parents place and the contractions were so strong I was finding it hard not to scream. Ended up in the back seat on way to hospital head down and bum in the air trying to stop baby from coming. Crawled into the labour ward where I was told to get up, what will you be like when the baby is really coming! Then midwife realised I was ready to go, a few pushes and there was my baby girl :)

Such a different experience to when I had Ds, though it was scary knowing I alone had to do it. No one else could push her out. I was famous on the ward as it was a funny story and it was so fast!

DD1s birth was 2.5 hours and yes I felt quite shell shocked afterwards.....for a few days afterwards when I closed my eyes I kept reliving it and it just left me feeling rather spooked! Like you say, I've often described it as my body was on the 2.5 hour labour schedule but my mind was on the 12 hour schedule! Just never really got a chance to get into the zone, a lot of strategies work with starting something and building it up to match the strengthening contractions but when you seem to miss the slow build up it is bloody hard to start your 'coping' strategies during transition!

While I felt shell shocked I don't think I ever felt like I'd missed out or hadn't had the full experience. I don't know, I guess I don't really buy into the whole idea of an ideal empowering birth etc. so I didn't see it as a lesser experience, birth comes in may shapes and sizes and I just got the concise edition!
BUT for a long time I did feel like I had not 'done' labour very well and had just not handled it well. I think time and having a much calmer (but still quick!) second birth with a better prepared headspace has taught me to cut myself a bit of slack. As a midwife said to me 'you really did your first birth the hard way didn't you?'..... quick is not the easy ride everyone assumes it is, it can be pretty hard so be gentle on yourself :)

My first was an emergency c sect at 34 weeks, with dd2 I was told to expect an 8 hour labour, I had a lot of pre labour early on from 35 weeks the contractions were very strong so I was on nifedipine for 2 weeks. It stopped working, I had an on with my ob early in the day and was barely dilated but the contractions got stronger that afternoon and my eaters started to leak. My waters got broken and it turned out to be a fast labour of 40 minutes. I didn't even realise it was happening that fast until a midwife noticed I was pushing while they were filling out paperwork for an epi, they had told me the pain was going to be that intense until morning, so I said I couldn't cope and a few minutes later dd arrived. I had a tear and needed stitches I am guessing because I had no idea what was happening, I was dazed but happy to have had a vbac. With ds my waters broke at home after 5.5 weeks of bed rest due to ds being engaged and lots of contractions. This time I was dilated about 3cm for the last few weeks and I felt more prepared. He took an hour because his shoulder was stuck but I didn't tear at all even though he was 9pd 11. The hardest part for me was the bed rest with other kids from 34 weeks and not knowing if I would get to the hospital on time which we barely did with ds.

I just had my quick labour! I would describe it just as teeki has.

I had a 6 hour labour. It was intense at the time, but I was just so amazed that I could do it that I felt great!

I did. Just over 2 hours from waters breaking to holding a baby. I gave birth in the corridor of the hospital as I just couldn't make it any further. I remember screaming "NOOO!" when they said the head was out. I couldn't believe it was possible. I was in shock & for a long time I felt so disappointed, embarrassed and upset I would cry whenever I thought about it. I'm fine now and can laugh but it took a long time to come to terms with it. If you want to read my thread about it, there is a link to DD's birth story in my sig and a link to the thread I wrote about the disappointing birth in the birth story.

-1 was 37+1 induced for PPROM. 3hrs labour unmedicated.

-2 was 38+3 spontaneous. 35mins (rapid) labour unmedicated.

-3 was 38+2 induced for foetal hydronephrosis. 3hrs 20min with gas and air plus pethedine injection.

-4 was 38+5 spontaneous. 3hrs with gas and air.

-5 was 39+2 spontaneous. 45 mins (rapid) labour unmedicated.

I never felt down after though...my labours were all very fast, I guess.