I always think of childbirth as a really long process, like 24+ hours. But so many birth stories lately seem to have really short labors! Just curious about the stats here on HB!
So… for your FIRST child, if you went into labor naturally, how long was it from the time either your water broke OR whenever contractions became painful until your LO was born?
106 votes
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
27 hours from the time contractions got painful (8pm Friday) until she was delivered (11pm Friday). Hoping second baby goes faster !!
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
31 hours from the first contraction I couldn't sleep through until he was born.
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
I voted 24 hours, but that is only because my water broke at 34 weeks and I had 4 shots to stop contractions, which, um did NOT work. Once they stopped giving me shots, because it was a lost effort, I was at a 9, it took about 10 - 15 minutes before LO arrived.
grapefruit / 4049 posts
20 hours total for my first baby... but that's from really early labor where contractions weren't too bad and I was still functional. We even walked (about 10 mins) to Babies R Us and looked around a bit, then ate dinner and watched the end of the Super Bowl while having regular contractions. Counting from pretty painful contractions, I'd say about 13 hours.
My second birth was much quicker... 6 hrs total.
pomelo / 5469 posts
I voted 24-28hrs because that's when they started and they gradually increased in pain. Roughly I'd say from when I couldn't talk through them until birth was 15hrs.
Also, just wanted to add...before I had LO, I assumed that most labours were around 24hrs and that really scared me. I usually don't deal well with pain nor lack of sleep. But it was totally do able, nothing as bad as I thought because it passed pretty quickly and adrenaline got me through the whole thing and following days.
persimmon / 1096 posts
About 11 hours from painful contractions (6 PM Saturday) until LO was born (5 AM Sunday). They broke my water at the hospital around 10 PM? It didn't really speed up until I got the epidural around 2:30 AM. I progressed from 5-10 CM in 2 hours after that.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
13 hours from the time my water broke until he was born. That includes 3 hours of pushing though (he had two knots in his cord and it was wrapped around his neck which was preventing him from coming down all the way on his own).
Looking back though I was in labor the whole day before, I just didn't know it! I thought it was just normal BH and pregnancy pain from gaining 55 lbs...
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
I started feeling contractions at 8am, but ate, showered, walked, got ready etc. They weren't painful until probably 1am that night/morning?
I had DS at 1244pm, so around 12 hours or so
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
My first contraction was a 9:30pm, they got painful around 11:30pm and she was born at 9:46am then next morning so less than 12 hours from painful contractions to baby.
cherry / 220 posts
5 hours from water breaking to little mans arrival. Didnt have contractions until the Dr. did a cervical check about 2.5 hours before he arrived.
pomelo / 5258 posts
55 hours from when I figured out I was in labor, 51 from when the contractions were really organized (about 7-1-1), 46 from real hands-and-knees, no sleep pain.
papaya / 10343 posts
@Corduroy: Oy. I know they say no one gets a gold star for delivery, but I think you deserve at least one after that marathon.
@matador84: Yours is one of the birth stories that made me start this thread! You better prepare yourself for a home birth if you guys plan on #3! haha
Loving all the variety of answers here! I know every situation is different, but crazy just HOW different they can be!
pineapple / 12566 posts
About 7 hours with an epi. If I had not had one, I think I would have progressed very fast. I arrived at the hospital at 7cm.
apricot / 365 posts
Water broke at 8 pm Wednesday, she was born at 10:21 pm Thursday. But contractions didn't become painful until sometime Thursday morning so it really wasn't that bad.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
Waters broke at 0500, active labour established at 1030ish, LO born at 1426 the next day!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I was about 13 hours. No epidural, I didn't want any breaks or rest time, I just wanted it to be done with.
papaya / 10560 posts
@Mae: haha I figured!!! Someone made a joke at the hospital if I sneeze next time I'm pregnant I'll need to immediate go to l&d!
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
Water broke around 9pm and she was here at 2:34pm the next day, so close to 16 hours.
pomegranate / 3980 posts
first time it was 49 hours the second I needed a c/s but water broke at 5am, contractions started on the way to the hospital already 2 minutes apart, and by the time I was checked at about 6:30am I was already about 8 cm dilated.
pear / 1517 posts
11 hours start to finish, no drugs and my water broke on its own when I started pushing.
pineapple / 12053 posts
Water broke at 830 am. She was born at 315. So less than 7 hours all in.
apricot / 319 posts
6 hours and 1 minute from the time that contractions became "Yeah, these are contractions, ouch ouch ouch" and not "Hm, cramps?" ETA: 15 minutes of pushing, give or take.
coconut / 8475 posts
8h of labor. I just woke up to a JOLT of a contraction, so I want to say I was having slight contractions before that, but I was asleep so it is hard to say for sure. So, from what I know, it was 8h of labor and could have been less because the last hour, we were just waiting around to see if he would turn, which he did not, so he cam out with his head sideways. 15min pushing.
coconut / 8483 posts
Woke up at 430 with cramping that I couldn't sleep through and he was born at 627pm. So 14 hours. Pushing was 30 mins and we probably had about an hour or two of waiting around for him to come down after I got to a 10. I was 6cm when I got to the hospital at 1130am.
watermelon / 14206 posts
Yeah, the March Mamas have been sooo fast! I'm glad I'm having a c section, otherwise I'm sure I'd be the exception, lol.
With DS it was 8 hours from water breaking to birth.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
10 hours from when contractions were painful. 14 from when contractions were pretty consistent.
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
44 hours from when contractions were uncomfortable and consistent.
Around 24 hours from when they were painful.
My water was broken for me about 6 hours before she was born.
nectarine / 2591 posts
My labour was 13 hours start to finish. I noticed contractions at 6:00pm. At 2am we headed to the hospital and thats when it started to get really bad. She was born at 7am. Would of been sooner if she wasn't posterior.
squash / 13764 posts
9 hours from the time my water broke til he was in my arms. Only 20 minutes of pushing.
grapefruit / 4903 posts
My water broke at 7:20pm, and she was born at 10:10am the next morning.
coconut / 8861 posts
My labor was 14 hours start to finish. I started getting contractions after work noticeably around 7pm or so. I was uncomfortable when I got home, but still ate dinner and packed away yarn. By 11pm, things got really painful and went to the hospital around that time. I delivered him around 8:30am the next day.
coconut / 8498 posts
A little over 14 hours from first contraction to baby, but about 5 hours from first contraction to 10cm. That second half was some weird unexplainable fluke.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
13 hours from first painful contractions but they were bearable. About 11 hours from the first can't breathe kind of contractions.
pomegranate / 3113 posts
A little less than 7 hours from the time my water broke to DD's entrance into the world! Contractions started about an hour after my water broke, got fast and regular but not overly painful pretty quickly, then really intense for about 45 minutes, and then I pushed for 2 hours.
clementine / 828 posts
12 hours from water breaking. I think it would have been quicker, but my epidural stalled labor. Pushing was 1.5 hours.
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