https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 20 May 2026 23:23:18 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2317087 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 19:54:30 +0000 KayKay 2317087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't really have any sort of consistent BH with either kid, and the docs had to break my water, so I say my labors started when I had consistent, noticeable, timeable contractions (not necessarily painful at first). Using that criteria, LO1 labor was like 60 hours and LO2 was 2.5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2317066 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 19:37:19 +0000 sapphire 2317066@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had contractions starting around 3pm but it wasn't until about 8pm that they were regular and timetable. They weren't really painful for a couple more hours. I consider inset 8pm. Had LO 8pm the next day so I consider it 24hours of labor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316976 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 17:54:08 +0000 daniellemybelle 2316976@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had time-able, painful contractions for 5 days with LO. Obviously they spaced out at times and were not strong enough to put me into real labor but I also basically didn't sleep for 5 days (and eventually got a morphine shot to deal with it!). </p> <p>I don't count that - I count from when my water broke and the contractions began to intensify. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316961 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 16:54:52 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2316961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My contractions were pretty much regular from the get go with both kids. Labor was 24 hours with Charlie and 8 hours with Olive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316949 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 16:34:46 +0000 ldh112 2316949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've wondered about this as well! I had contractions 10 minutes apart all day, right up to the time my husband came home from work at 6pm. Then, they shifted to 5 minutes apart. From that time until my daughter's birth the next morning after 8am is what I have considered "true" labor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316798 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 13:27:04 +0000 birdofafeather 2316798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I count from my water breaking but contractions didn't start for another hour or two. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316740 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 12:56:57 +0000 MenagerieMama 2316740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BadgerMom: ha! I was with DH luckily and I was too focused to notice if anyone gave me funny looks. I was pushing the shopping cart so I had that to lean on. But we did go to trader joes after that and I made him go in by himself I was so uncomfortable I thought I'd scare everyone! I was dying for him to come back. Sitting in the car to wait was a terrible idea. I joke that Costco kicked me into active labor though! All the walking and sampling ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316704 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 12:29:34 +0000 Foodnerd81 2316704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've always counted it from when I woke up having contractions, but they were definitely mild. Since they had a start and end, I figured that's when to start counting early labor. ACTIVE labor didn't start for a while after that but I actually don't know what time. </p> <p>I had a long early labor- like 6:30 am I woke up with mild but consistent contractions. They didn't get more painful than my worst period cramps until more like 7:30pm. Called midwife around 9 because they were about 5 minutes apart by still not excruciatingly painful so she said to wait. Right after that they got very painful but less consistent. Finally had baby at 7:30 am. So 25 hours from first contractions but more like less than 12 from start of active labor I guess. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316667 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:58:59 +0000 littlejoy 2316667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My entire labor was 6 hours ... I counted it from the first contraction. It was bad enough that I thought, "I think I'm having a baby tonight!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316630 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:31:27 +0000 BadgerMom 2316630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MenagerieMama: :shocked: Were you alone at Costco? Did anyway say anything to you, or just give you crazy looks? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316626 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:29:33 +0000 BadgerMom 2316626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@travellingbee: Oh man. LO was born at 38w2d so I was CONVINCED for the first couple hours that my contractions were just BH's and I was going to be like this for another couple weeks. And I still had doubt in my mind that "this was it" until it got REALLY bad lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316624 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:29:12 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 2316624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started counting from timeable 'serious' contractions. With my first, I had a very long early labor but I count from when the contractions were actually painful and regular. The second time my water broke, but since I didn't start contractions until about 13 hours later, I don't count labor as starting until then. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316623 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:28:32 +0000 mrsrain 2316623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd been having lots of BH contractions. My first real contraction felt... Purposeful. Real. That's when I consider it to have begun. 12 hours later I had my daughter in my arms 😍 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316620 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:25:44 +0000 travellingbee 2316620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BadgerMom: I had BH contractions regularly for a long time before that- timeable BH's for weeks so I really just have to go with when it felt real, you know? That's when they were painful a and time able </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316617 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:24:21 +0000 MenagerieMama 2316617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I counted regular painful contractions that interfered with my ability to do anything other than labor! I started having regular, timetable, uncomfortable contractions in the morning (retrospectively early labor) but worked, etc. It wasn't until I was having to stop and huff and puff while shopping at Costco that evening that I really counted it as true labor! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316615 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:23:26 +0000 MrsKoala 2316615@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BadgerMom: I did. Contractions started when I got to work. Prior to that I had had like three contractions total! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316614 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:23:10 +0000 snowjewelz 2316614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BadgerMom: Haha I know! That's why I was like hmmm... I guess there is no start to labor really for me until it was time to push, lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316611 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:21:50 +0000 BadgerMom 2316611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsKoala: Did you go into labor during the day? I think had I started getting contractions in the AM as opposed to right before bed, I would have considered myself to have a longer labor than I do now as I slept through a good chunk of the early contractions.</p> <p>@bushelandapeck: Water breaking makes it easy, there's not much questions with that one definitely gives you a definitive starting point! :happy: </p> <p>@lovehoneybee: That's what I go by too, since I obviously wasn't too uncomfy when I was asleep!</p> <p>@Truth Bombs: Whoa! No lead in there!</p> <p>@BabyBoecksMom: That's kind of how I always expected it to go, but since my water didn't break until the end there wasn't as much of a definitive "this is it" marker.</p> <p>@Corduroy: @travellingbee: That's pretty much how I see it too. For me I was asleep but as they got more intense I was awake and had to concentrate!</p> <p>@snowjewelz: I didn't even think of that! I shouldn't have made it just for natural starting labor. Just because you start a pitocin drip (or whatever induction method) doesn't mean you're in labor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316595 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:12:15 +0000 mfa_lady 2316595@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I say when my water broke--because super painful, 2-minute apart contractions started right after that.</p> <p>I had all back labor, though, and so if I had any signs of early labor, I didn't know it because I was waiting for something to happen in my belly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316591 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:08:49 +0000 travellingbee 2316591@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I start from timeable contractions. I had a few random painful contractions earlier in the day but nothing that made me say, oh this is labor. I started really noticing them and timing them T 10pm and he was born at 11:15am </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316579 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:00:48 +0000 snowjewelz 2316579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good question... I was induced, I guess I consider my labor to start once I was dilated enough to get on epidural and pitocin... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316567 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:48:42 +0000 Corduroy 2316567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I count from when I stopped doing other things and every thought &amp; action was about labor. That coincided with timeable/painful contractions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316564 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:47:24 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 2316564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both times, it was when contractions started, but for DD1, I *knew* it was really labor once my water broke (about an hour after contractions started) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316558 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:43:22 +0000 Truth Bombs 2316558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me personally I consider the start of labor to be when I had my first contraction. But my first two contractions were 4 minutes apart and never slowed down. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316554 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:40:59 +0000 lovehoneybee 2316554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For Evan it was contractions that I couldn't sleep through. I had back labor with him, and it took a long time for them to really get consistent. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316550 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:34:22 +0000 bushelandapeck 2316550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For DS, my water broke before I had any contractions so I consider that the start of labor for him. With DD when I started to feel real, noticeable contractions is when I consider I was really in labor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316549 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:34:01 +0000 MrsKoala 2316549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I consider the start to be timeable noticeable contractions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-the-start-of-labor#post-2316548 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:31:42 +0000 BadgerMom 2316548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you went into labor naturally... and you say, for example, I was in labor for 24 hours, obviously the clock stops when the baby is born, but when do you consider the clock to start? </p> <p>When you felt mild contractions? When you realized this was the real deal? When contractions got painful? When your water broke? etc?</p> <p>I had a pretty quick labor, but DH always tells people my labor was super short. I didn't wake him up until the contractions got pretty bad, so whenever he tells people that I always respond with "Ha! whatever, he slept through the whole first half!" </p>