Was my labour really long?!

[hanfromman]

I'm 20 weeks pregnant with second, and know that second labours are generally quite a bit quicker than the first. My first was 30 hours from first contraction to baby coming out, and I pushed for about 1.5 hours.
But everyone I know seemed to have much quicker first ones than mine (under 10 hours) and a thread on here I saw a while ago seems to confirm this! I thought it was quite normal for labour to last 2 or 3 days so thought my 30 hours wasn't too bad!
So just out of interest is 30 hours long, and if anyone had a first labour this long (or longer), how quick was your second?

 

[mum2beagain]

My first was 52hours 2nd 9hours and third 16hours it really does depend every labour is different x

 

[jlw617]

I think everyone is different, my first was about 14 hours, my second was technically about 6 hours but I didn't get heavy contractions until after my water had been broken and from that point it was only a couple hours!

 

[shinona]

My first was 45 hours from start to finish and I pushed for well over 3 hours before having a forceps delivery. My second was 10 hours from start to finish and I pushed about 3 times (v quick). My third I was induced at about 10.30am with a pessary, first contraction about 1pm ish and baby born at 11.34pm after only a few pushes.
Hopefully you're second will be quicker and you won't push quite so long x

 

[MummyToAmberx]

I dont like to say oh thats long because we all work so different.

My 1st i was in early labour for 14 days then 27hrs from when it kicked off properly till she was born. 10min pushing

2nd 6hr20mins. 20min pushing
3rd 24hr latent phase then 3hrs from 3cm to delivery. 3 contractions pushing

 

[Quartz]

I think it depends on whether you are looking at early labour or active labour or both if that makes sense.

So if you asked me I would say I have a quick labour as I went from 2cm to DS being born in 21/2 hours and for those 21/2 hours the pain was all consuming.

But by your criteria of from first contraction to birth it would be 26 hours. But for nearly a day it was early labour and the contractions were painful but I could walk, talk, eat and fitfully sleep

 

[mummytobe_93]

I think 30 hours is pretty average for first timers to be honest. I don't think they truley count how long labour is until you're in active labour though.

My first from first contraction to being born was probably around 35 hours. I was pushing for over 2 hours.

My active labour from 4-10cms went pretty fast though it was just early labour that was long. With your second I heard that you don't really get that long early labour and it's much faster usually more than half the time quicker. Fingers crossed!

 

[ParisJeTadore]

36 hours here. 26 hours of very painful labour and oh my was it loooong and torturous. On the upside, second labour was 13 hours and a million times better!! Generally, although not always, second labours are shorter.

 

[greats]

Mine was just shy of 20 hours with 2 hours of pushing, and that included being given pitocin in my IV and them breaking my waters. I'm praying this time around is much quicker, especially the pushing part lol I was dead tired after pushing!

 

[Eleanor ace]

It might look longer because usually people count the length of their labour from active labour, rather than first contraction. So they may have had 30+ hours of contractions but only been in labour for 10 hours. The majority of 2nd labours are shorter, I've read birth storied where women have had a 24hr+ labour with their first and then delivered their 2nd in under an hour!

 

[mummy2_1]

My first contraction was on the Wednesday, active labour started Friday 9pm ish I pushed for nearly four hours baby born Sunday 00.40.

 

[emyandpotato]

I had my first contraction on the 7th and LO arrived on the 11th. I have been told that a lot of this time won't be considered active labour but I didn't get checked out til I was pushing so no idea how long they would consider my labour to have been. Notes say 8 hours but they've guessed this as I was home til the last hour.

 

[ela312012]

Mine was 22 hours, water broke from the word go So pretty tough going right from the start n contractions kicked in a couple of minutes after. I was pushing for a couple of hours x

 

[NotNic]

First was 18.5hrs from waters breaking (contractions starting 30mins later), though pushing was 5hrs

Second 11hrs from first mild twinge to birth.

I actually progress fairly quickly once I get to 5-6cms. Second labour 6cms-to delivery was under 2 hrs.

 

[ClairAye]

My first was 38 hours from waters going, 37 hours from first contraction and I think 10.5 hours or so active labour, 1 hour 5 minutes pushing and my second was 9 hours from first contraction and 8 minutes pushing.

 

[MemmaJ]

I had my first contractions on the Friday evening and my twins were born on the Sunday afternoon. However I didn't go into hospital until Saturday evening, and I was 4cm dilated then - so technically I was only 'in labour' since Saturday evening, despite all the contractions for 24 hours before that.

You're only counted as being 'in labour' once you're 4cm dilated, and with first baby's it can take a long time to get that stage because your cervix has to soften, thin out, come forwards, and then dilate. Those early contractions are mostly all for that, and it can take some time because your cervix has never had to do that before.
That's why subsequent baby's are quicker, because your cervix has done it before and it generally never fully closes back up after you've had one baby.

So don't worry, I'm sure this one will be quicker

 

[MrsKChicago]

I started having mild, barely productive contractions on Saturday night, and had the baby at almost midnight on Wednesday. Actual active labor was about 24 hours, half of which was with an epidural and a very small dose of pitocin. I pushed for about an hour. I got the impression that the midwives and nurses thought it was a long active labor, even for a first baby.

 

[prgirl_11]

34 hours with one hour pushing

 

[bathbabe]

My first labour started at 1:30am (ish), got to hospital at 7am, told I was 3cm at 8am, started pushing at 10am and had him at 10:51.
My sister in law tho was having contractions for 3days and never got past 3cm and ended up with an ECS due to the placenta starting to detatch I would say thats a long labour!! X

 

[midwife1992]

First baby first pain 0100, thought it was I need a poo pain, 0130 contracting 4-5 in 10 minutes. 0300 get to hospital and checked 8cm dilated, 0501 baby born (forceps delivery due to fetal distress, he didn't like me pushing lol) so a very quick and intense labour, I've told my husband with the second we're heading to the hospital after my first contraction and if I try to persuade him it's not labour ignore me, pick me up and take me to hospital haha! Was convinced it was pain related to needing a poo haha!!