Labour length

Never really thought about this until now, but when do you actually class your labour as starting.....do you go from your first contraction, or from when your water breaks??? With my last 2, the midwives have halved my labour time to what I had it as. And once I went by first contraction and the other I went by my waters breaking.

My midwife counted it from when I was in 'active labour' - so having strong, regular contractions. 14 hours.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Ellie Shikari:</b>" My midwife counted it from when I was in 'active labour' - so having strong, regular contractions. 14 hours."</blockquote>




This is how my midwife did it as well. I was in active labor with my last for 2 hours.

Quoting Ellie Shikari:" My midwife counted it from when I was in 'active labour' - so having strong, regular contractions. 14 hours."

       

For me 1st time - 18 hours, 2nd -22 hours

Quoting Ellie Shikari:" My midwife counted it from when I was in 'active labour' - so having strong, regular contractions. 14 hours."

This!
With my first, I was in labor for 13 hours, 2nd for 4 hours and 3rd for 3 hours.

My labor was about 8 hours.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Ellie Shikari:</b>" My midwife counted it from when I was in 'active labour' - so having strong, regular contractions. 14 hours."</blockquote>

Ah k. That makes a little more sense now.

It's from when you're either 4 cm and contracting regularly or from when your water breaks and contracting reguarly. For example, with my second my water broke without contractions so that wasn't the start of labour, I got to the hospital and was 3-4 cm dilated, still without contractions so still not considered labour. After 14 hours they induced and I immediately got regular contractions so that was considered the start of my labour. With my third baby my water didn't break until I was 10 and pushing so the start of labour, I was contracting regularly before reaching 4 cm but wouldn't have been considered in labour yet, as soon as I reached 4 cm while still contracting regularly then my labour was considered to have started. With my first it was easy, I didn't have contractions then suddenly my water broke and contractions started right away. I went in and was only 1 cm, 30 min later I was 4 cm. Now I consider my labour to have started when my water broke even though I wasn't 4 cm yet since they were 3 min apart and hard contractions and it took me no time at all to get to the 4 cm mark so I tell people that that labour was 2 hours and 48 min. However according to hospital standards it didn't start for another 40 minutes after that since that's when I got to 4 cm so they consider it a 2 hour and 8 minute labour.

I've always thought it was from the first contractions of active labor. Both of my labors were 10hrs.

I always thought it was from when your waters broke. So with my first it would've been 17 hours, and with my second it would've been half hour. I'm just hoping that I get to hospital before my waters break this time, coz I don't want to be giving birth on the side of the road lol

Quoting Teagan Lee:" I always thought it was from when your waters broke. So with my first it would've been 17 hours, and ... [snip!] ... hoping that I get to hospital before my waters break this time, coz I don't want to be giving birth on the side of the road lol"

If it wasn't until your water broke then my labour wouldn't have started until I was pushing at 10 cm (obviously not possible) making my labour about 20 minutes and it was definitely longer than that.