HB oldtimers & time of birth

[jenny82]

I was doing some reading up last night and noticed in a few places, that if you have children already, for some reason, you are more likely to have your baby at night and not having the kids awake while it is all going on. Did this happen for you? Is it a myth or is there something behind it?

I was going to hire a doula, just to have some support when I go into labour. We have no childcare and I was just worried about trying to mange them on our own. Now it looks like we can't afford it (somebody ran into me & wrote off my car booooo). I am pretty sure I will be fine at home and I feel good. However, the only thing I want to control than I can't control is the timing

So yeah, how many of you had your babies at night or very early in the morning?

 

[aliss]

11pm and then he came out by 10am (it was a long one), seriously I just put on Disney Jr and that was good enough...

 

[NDH]

I didn't have #2 at home, but my first contraction was at 11:30pm and the baby was born by 6:50am if we'd been at home dd1 wouldn't have been disturbed at all I'm sure.

 

[willowblossom]

Both times I started labour in the early hours xx

 

[smallpeanut]

First proper contractions at 9pm. He was born at 00.06 x

 

[jenny82]

This is good thank you!! I have gone into labour previously during the night/early morning but given birth about 12. I really want this one to be earlier in the day. Obviously nothing can be planned but a sliver of hope will keep me going a bit longer

 

[Erised]

I started the 'easy contractions' more than 2 days before giving birth, but realistically I could have handled her around during them (she was home in the morning / evening and night but at MILs for a couple of hours in the afternoon). The more painful ones didn't start until around 10pm, last stage started around 4am and gave birth at 8.31am =)

 

[hinkybinky]

When I had my homebirth assessment, the midwife kept talking about leaving all the houselights on so they could find the house, asking what the parking was like at night, saying they always liked biscuits because it was the middle of the night etc... so I asked her the same question! She said that often once you have put the older kid/s to bed your body relaxes and that's when the oxytocin kicks in and decides it's time for bubba to come. She said often the siblings will sleep right through it and just wake up in the morning at the right time to meet their brother or sister. Sounds so lovely!

 

[jenny82]

It does all sound so lovely doesn't it?! We will be fine, I just need to keep telling myself that I know it will all be ok, its just my youngest is just so clingy. If she knows she can't get near me, she will want to be near me more!

 

[Misscalais]

With my 2nd I went into labour at 5am and had him at 3:38am the next morning. Was back home by 10am. But I had my mum staying at home with DS1. I had my bub at the hospital though not at home. If it were at home he would have slept through the lot. I only had 4 hours of active labour.

 

[Pearls18]

In nature it's a safety thing from predators to birth at night so it's quite common in women too.

I went into labour in the early hours and gave birth at 7am about half hour before DS woke.

 

[ttc bubby no2]

I woke up about 7am with slight pains and then by 2pm DS2 was born so it was completely in the day.

DS1 was fine and kept busy playing while I laboured. We did have a family member there to keep him occupied if required but if we didn't have someone I think he would have been ok.

 

[wishuwerehere]

I went into labour early evening and had her at 7.16pm. For me however that was the most convenient time for us to get a friend over to pick up our older daughter, so perhaps there was something subconscious in it!

 

[tablefor4]

Both of my labours were during the day with the birth in the early evening. One born at 8:30pm and the other being born at 6:45pm.

 

[Rebaby]

Labour started in the night but then went on all day (irregular contractions) By the teatime I was starting to get a bit tetchy and wanted OH to put DS1 (who was 23mths) to bed because I thought things would probably get going properly once he was tucked up and out of the way, and I was right

The only trouble is, that after more or less reliably sleeping through for several months, of all the nights he chose that one to NOT do! (I guess he picked up on the fact there was something going on!)

I had asked my best friend to be 'on standby' so when he woke at midnight and was refusing to go back to sleep we were able to call her (she lives about a 40 min drive away) and she came over and sat in bed watching cbeebies on iplayer with him, while OH filled the birthing pool and I got on with labouring. DS2 was born at 3.16am (11 minutes after the midwives arrived) so it was pretty fast and furious in the end once I knew I could just go with it.

I think our bodies know what they're doing but that it's good to have a back up plan just in case...if you can't afford a doula is there a friend who could come over?

 

[fides]

with DS2, I went into labor early morning hours; DS1, then 15 months old, was awake before I got in the pool. we were in a bit of a jam b/c the family member who was supposed to come watch him had turned her phone off (!!!) and we had another family member go to their place to fetch her; she ended up not making it in time. DS1 was really worried/super fussy, so DH decided to give him a nap. DH had enough time to put the 15 month old in his crib and run back down just in time for the birth, which was I think before 9 or 10 am.

Hoping this time the theory will work and I can have the kid while both boys are asleep.

 

[Kess]

I only have the one, but had him at 1-ish in the morning after waters breaking at 2pm. But I am a dog breeder and often dogs (and other animals so I'm told) go into labour in the middle of the night. As a PP said, I think it's a safety thing. I know some milk-producing hormones are highest 2-4am so maybe some birthing hormones are too?

 

[Pearls18]

I only have the one, but had him at 1-ish in the morning after waters breaking at 2pm. But I am a dog breeder and often dogs (and other animals so I'm told) go into labour in the middle of the night. As a PP said, I think it's a safety thing. I know some milk-producing hormones are highest 2-4am so maybe some birthing hormones are too?

That's interesting it was near 4am when I started getting twinges knowing something was going to happen, it was between 3-4am earlier on in the week that I had a couple of false alarms.