Lots of moms (and partners) dream of having a fast labor but sometimes fast labors can be really intense especially if the surges are close together right from the start. This is where all your slow focused breathing practice will really help!
We asked GentleBirth parents about their speedy labors.
“I went from 3cm to 10cm in 15 minutes. I almost delivered her on the antenatal ward, surrounded by 4 other women. We bypassed the labour room and went straight to the delivery room. 2 pushes and she was out. I’m hoping that each of my labors go like that. I had it in my head that I wanted an epidural, but there simply wasn’t time. And it was the best outcome for us. I was able to have a quick shower, and get into bed for some well needed sleep.
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I could feel Alice’s head in the car - all I could do was keep focusing on the Labor Companion playing in my ear. Tracy seemed to say exactly what I needed to hear. We made it into the hospital at 1am and baby Alice was born at 1:06am (labor started at 11pm…and I thought I had another 24 hours to go!).
At 6.15 am was sent away to ward as I wasn’t in active labor.....at 7.15 I had to be pulled out of a toilet cubicle and ran up the corridor to labor ward where another woman had to be taken from the room and I had my.little boy at 7.25.....it was so hard to stay present and to be honest I was in shock after it.my waters broke as my husband was trying to pull my pants off and baby was born less than 2 mins after it was surreal.
An hour and 40mins last week from contraction at ten to holding him by 11.40. Delivered him onto the floor in a hospital corridor. My second to arrive like that only minutes after getting to hospital.
My first baby was 4 hours and 50 minutes from the first contraction and he was born breech at home. My second baby was also born at home, head down in the caul, my water broke as she came out and she was born in 50 minutes from the first contraction. I never went through a transition with either of them, went straight into strong contractions and it was intense and felt much longer. But I was on a natural high after each birth and recovered really fast.
Went from 3cm to him being born in 10 minutes barely had time to get my knickers off!
My first was a slow paced 5 hours GentleBirth baby and on my second she came out extremely quick. I had pains earlier in the afternoon so decided to nap, woke up at 6pm with things really kicking off, at the hospital by 8pm and DD was born at 8:20pm. I was admitted at 10cm with waters bulging. It actually shocked me with how quick it all happened, and even though it all went okay and there was no interventions, I still felt it all spin out of control for me. I was shivering afterwards and couldn’t get warm, ended up throwing up on the ward after, a midwife told me that’s a normal reaction to a quick labour as the body was in shock.
3 hours start to finish on last baby! The staff ran me on a bed down the halls to a labor room. I hardly pushed and he was out. It was so intense that when they went to hand me my son I had to ask them to please give me a minute! I needed my brain to catch up with my body especially after a calm waterbirth on 1st child but both experiences were great. It takes you a little bit of time to process it all in your head.
I went into the labor ward and while they were trying to get the trace machine on me baby was crowning so that was abandoned. Checked in at 9.50 - baby born at 10.01!
Did you have a fast labor?
