https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 23 May 2026 17:54:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926182 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 12:22:47 +0000 mrsjyw 1926182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>8am-3am when I got an WPI. Wasn't painful until 8pm though </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926165 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 11:55:28 +0000 bushelandapeck 1926165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With DS, 6 hours, including pushing. With DD, 3 hours, with pushing. I didn't have an epidural with either one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926163 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 11:53:57 +0000 rachiecakes 1926163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As soon as my water broke contractions were fast &amp; furious. I actually thought I was having a seizure - I was at risk because of pre-e - it was back labor but I would black out, see stars, couldn't speak and had ringing in my ears. There was no gradual build-up of intensity and I never felt anything in my abdomen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926142 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 11:29:33 +0000 Cole 1926142@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I had like five mildly painful contractions and the rest were super intense. I was petrified they were just going to keep getting worse but turns out I hit transition less than an hour into labor so they actually got a tiny bit more bearable after we got through that. I was only in labor 6.5 hours though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926109 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:40:31 +0000 birdofafeather 1926109@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hm, my water broke at 830, I started feeling contractions at 930 and by 1030 I was breathing through them. Hit transition around 1230 and she was born at 315. I felt them all! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926103 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:33:53 +0000 delight 1926103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not really sure what part was active labour. Is that the part that really hurts? I started having contractions at 6am and went to the hospital at 4pm but they didn't get painful until 6pm. I'd say I had 3 hours of painful contractions before my epidural. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926072 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:52:41 +0000 coopsmama 1926072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>30 hours (out of 35 hours total) with my first and maybe 2 hours out of (3 hours and 50 minutes total) with my second. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926069 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:51:18 +0000 jhd 1926069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Corduroy: oh my! that is a long time! ouch!</p> <p>I can't even remember! I had an epidural but I can't even remember now when I asked for it. All I know is back labor was no fun. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926056 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:41:04 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1926056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>11 hours then I said uncle and got an epidural. I was induced. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926050 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:34:38 +0000 Mrs. Deer 1926050@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Baby #1 - 12 hours of active labor and maybe 9 of those hours were intense contractions. </p> <p>Baby #2 - 15 hours of active labor and about 5 hours of painful contractions (though right up until the last twenty minutes or so I felt fine inbetween contractions unlike my first labor). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926044 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:28:56 +0000 Charm54 1926044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Painful contractions for 20 hours, from 9pm-5pm the next day when I got an epidural. The epi worked for a good 3 hours (I even took a nap!) then it wore off right before I pushed but they were more manageable than before , so it still "took the edge off" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1926039 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:27:09 +0000 Corduroy 1926039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in labor 57 hours, 51 hours of painful contractions. I don't even count the non painful hours in my time. I didn't reach "active" labor (using &gt;3cm definition) until 30 hours in but contractions during that time were closer together and more painful than some of the later ones. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925670 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:16:50 +0000 matador84 1925670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For my first, water broke contractions immediately followed. With second, contractions, water broke delivered. But, my labors were so short I had serious tidal wave contractions and I had no non active labor! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925659 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:02:59 +0000 Foodnerd81 1925659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I guess about 10 hours of painful contractions. </p> <p>Started having contractions at 6:30 am, but they just felt like period cramps that came and went. Got more intense throughout the day but it was at least 12 hours before they were worse than my worst period cramps. I called the midwives at 9, and right after that I remember they started gettig a lot more intense. Checked into hospital at 3:30, had baby at 7:16 am. No pain meds so I felt every single one, but I really think the loooong slow start helped me work up to the intense ones at the end. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925651 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 19:56:11 +0000 yellowbird 1925651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A million? I had a failed induction with super painful full contractions for 24 hours, convinced the doctor to send me home and started having painful contractions on my own a few hours later for probably 10 hours before I got an epidural. Misery! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925587 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 18:40:25 +0000 MrsStar 1925587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For the entire induction, so 10 hours. It was back labor too :crying: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925512 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 17:05:05 +0000 ElbieKay 1925512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>17 hours. My water broke at 10pm. Contractions started at 2am. I got an epidural at 7pm when I felt that my labor was stalled out. My OB was telling me I was fully dilated but I couldn't push. Turns out that I was actually at 9.5. It took six more hours and some pitocin to deliver the baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925509 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:59:17 +0000 catomd00 1925509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Water broke at 1 am, contractions started around 130. At 9 am we went to the hospital and I was 4cm. They were painful but not unbearable prior to that. Once I was admitted they got more painful but I got an epidural within an hour of being at the hospital so I didn't feel them for long. Delivered pain free (didn't feel a thing, not even pressure!) at 530 pm after 90 mins of pushing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925505 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:46:54 +0000 sorrycharlie 1925505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sadly, the entire time. Lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925490 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:27:11 +0000 mlm2934 1925490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Painful contractions started mildly around 9am, and increased in pain until they were around the writhe level from around 11-2pm, requested epidural and had sweet relief around 3pm - delivered fairly pain-free around 5pm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925484 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:23:43 +0000 travellingbee 1925484@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BrandNewMom: omg I've never heard if that but sounds awful.<br /> Mine were painful and about a minute plus long from about 10pm until my epidural at 4am. They were 2 minutes apart from 2-4am. So 6 hours of contractions and 2 hours of very intense back to back ones. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925453 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:44:45 +0000 BrandNewMom 1925453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had stupid contractions. They were 45 minute long strings of them with a 2-3 minute break. (45 mins contractions, 2 minute break, 45 mins contractions, 3 minute break, etc)<br /> BUT I did the entirety of labor and delivery in 4 hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925439 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:33:52 +0000 winniebee 1925439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had them off and on for days, maybe a week before active labor. But the kind that made me shake and cry probably for 6 hours before I got my epi. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925434 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:29:29 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 1925434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With DD1, 16 hours--the whole time I was in labor and pushing.</p> <p>With DD2, 6 hours, which was the total length of labor and pushing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925430 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:28:09 +0000 Sapphiresun 1925430@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My water broke before I had any contractions. It broke around 10, I started having contractions around 1:30am, and they were painful by 3ish. Born at 11, so 7 hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925427 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:24:05 +0000 lamariniere 1925427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For both of my LOs, my water broke before I had any contractions. </p> <p>With LO1, they started within 2 hours of my water breaking and they were 2 min apart right away. I had the epi about 45min later at 7cm. I didn't feel much else until it was time to start pushing and they turned off the epi so I could feel the contractions. I pushed for about an hour, so I felt contractions for less than 2 hours. </p> <p>With LO2, I had an enema to jump start the contractions. When they did start, they were very quickly 2-3min apart. But within minutes of that, it just felt like one long horrific contraction. I went from 5 to 10cm in 15 minutes and my baby was born 45min after contractions started. It was excruciatingly painful, but I guess 45min for a med free birth isn't so bad!</p> <p>ETA: I don't think I ever had any "gentle" contractions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-feel-contractions-while-in-active-labor#post-1925422 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 15:16:09 +0000 DillonLion 1925422@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was induced 5 days late for pre-eclampsia. Up until that point I had not experienced any painful contractions during my pregnancy. </p> <p>I was on a dose of pitocin for quite awhile (12 hours or so) before I felt any contractions. But then they came on extremely intense and strong. I experienced the kind of contractions (where you have to vocalize/writhe while they are going on) for about an hour before I requested the epidural. </p> <p>The first epidural wore off a few hours later, so I began to feel contractions again for another 30 minutes before the second dosage completely numbed me from the chest down. </p> <p>That one was starting to wear off just as it was time to push. I was mostly numb everywhere except one area on my hip, so that area hurt until I delivered. The rest was just lots of pressure. </p> <p>So, I probably felt painful contractions for only about 4 hours total. </p> <p>How many hours did you experience painful contractions? </p>