How do you determine how long a labor is?

[Mum2princessA]

I'm asking this cos I'm not sure - is it once contractions begin?

When the contractions become 2-3 mins apart and painful?

Or is it when your waters break until your baby is born?

I have had friends and sister saying their birth was only 2 hours but they had contractions 8 hours earlier and sound like they don't count it?

Ta!

 

[mrsparoline]

Doctors count from active labor, which is when you hit 4 cm I believe. I personally count my son's labor from the time I was in pain and contracting, because that sure as heck felt like labor to me lol!!

 

[Eleanor ace]

In the UK labour is counted from when you are 4cm with contractions (active labour).

 

[Hunbun]

Doctors count from active labor, which is when you hit 4 cm I believe. I personally count my son's labor from the time I was in pain and contracting, because that sure as heck felt like labor to me lol!!

I know its not offical but this is how I personally count it as well. I was horrified when I found out all the early contractions didn't count!

 

[xx~Lor~xx]

I counted mine from the first moment I was contracting and in pain. So start to finish.

 

[RachA]

Officially it's from 4cm. I think that's because how hit and miss it can be otherwise.
When i had my first i laboured over night, all night, for 3 nights - contractions were regular and painful. I then started in continuous labour at about 6pm on the 4th night and he DS 16 hours ish later. But my actual active labour was only classed as 16 hours.

 

[teal]

My contractions were every few minutes from the start. I was very vocal about that since I was expecting a slow start to labour
My waters broke, 30 seconds later first contraction and less than 7 hours later my son was born.
4cm to birth was 3.5 hours.

 

[robinator]

From the time I can feel it! Unless, of course, your water goes first lol