Really thick questions about labour-sorry lol.

[trashit]

I never really understood how it all happens.. Well-do you start getting contractions then your waters break or the other way round? Do your waters break, then the babies gonna come very soon? And why did my mum say she was in labour 3 days but the mw told me labour only lasts a few hours? sorry for being reli thick!x

 

[MUMOF5]

Everone is different and every labour is different hun. Some labours last for days, some for hours, others for minutes (like my son - 35 mins ). Sometimes labour begins with your waters breaking, or sometimes they dont break until the very end (some babies are even born in their amniotic sac). xx

 

[katieeandbump]

hi hun! waters can break before contractions or after! usually if u have say a water birth ur waters would break just before the baby came out! but if u wer in hospital theyd probs would of broke them for u... people are in 'early labour' for days but 'active' labour is usually hours as far as im aware? i think u have to be 5 cents or something like that to be classed as active labour but leading up to those 5centimetres can take ages!! lol hope i helped x

 

[chuck]

Remember there are different stages of labour too, early labour can last for days or mere hours, active labour is the pushing part which is usually only a couple hours at most, third stage is where you get the placenta out.

So people can explain how long a labour was in different ways.

When it comes to water some break before active labour some dont.

 

[jmac]

As the others have said, everyone is different and have things happen in their own order personal to them.

There are generally three stages to labour - as I understand it first stage is when your cervix is dilating (and you'd typically feel contractions/have waters break (no guarantees on this one)); second stage is once you're fully dilated (typically about 10cm) and ready to push out LO; third stage is delivery of the placenta. Between first and second there's an interim phase known as transition which a lot of people report as being the point where they 'hit the wall'.

Here's hoping we all have low pain, average time, no wall hitting deliveries!

 

[LuckySalem]

I was in labour for 3 days but only in active labour for 6 hrs.
My waters went 2 days before baby was born but MW wouldnt believe me and made me think I'd had an accident.