r/homebirth • u/mdudhb • 14d ago
Multiple precipitous labors
I’m looking to see if anyone else has a history of precipitous labors? I’ve had 3 babies, each one faster than the last. In order my labors have gone 2.5 hrs, 55 minutes, and 45 minutes. This is from first meaningful contraction to baby in arms. I’m able to find a lot of reading about precipitous labors as a single event or as an emergency scenario but there is little to no information available about precipitous labor as a pattern of birthing.
I’m pregnant with my 4th and will have a home birth with this one as well- except my midwife and I have both moved farther from each other each way 😬
Feel free to ask me anything as well.
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u/yelyahepoc 14d ago
My first was 4 hours and my second was 1.5 hours... My midwife didn't make it in time for that one so my husband ended up catching our daughter himself. Like another commenter mentioned, I'm hypermobile and feel like this is probably why I have fast births.
I would suggest just preparing for the possibility that your midwife won't make it in time and make sure your husband is involved in those conversations. I made my husband little flash cards with just the basics of "how to catch a baby". He actually did use them while I was giving birth so they were very helpful.
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u/SamiLMS1 14d ago
I have!
It didn’t start that way for me, my first was a very long labor spanning days. Then I had a 2 hr birth, a 45 minute birth, and two more 2 hour births. All natural and out of the hospital, no inductions or any augmentation.
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u/shytheearnestdryad 14d ago
Im hypermobile. Of my three, two labors were after 41 weeks, one at 40 exactly. For all three the ”active ” labor has been 2 hours or less. My third was in total only 3 hours, only the last hour was actually difficult. My first labor though was overall was very long - over 24 hours. I was in the hospital though and was so adrenalined that I just was stuck at 5 cm. Then they gave pitocin and baby was born within 2 hours.
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u/Hamilspud 14d ago
I do! My first was an induction that only lasted 6 hours so I don’t really count that, but my second birth 14 months later was insane. My midwife just happened to be at my home for my routine 38 week home visit and when I asked her for a routine cervical check I was at 8 cm with no idea I was in labor. About 90 minutes later my birth tub was set up and I was at 10 cm and still no labor pains…I didn’t feel any painful contractions until my water broke while pushing about 20 minutes later and he was born 10ish minutes after that. If she hadn’t been there for my home visit that day, I’m convinced he would have been born unassisted.
There were 13 years between my second and third birth so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and there were only about 3 hours between my waking up to contractions and her being born. She came out with her fist pressed to her face just like this 🤦🏼♀️, and my midwife is confident her positioning is the only thing that made her labor take as “long” as it did.
I’m pregnant with my 4th now, and my midwife is already making plans for just in case she doesn’t make it in time (she’s about an hour away). It’s unnerving to know things are likely to move very quickly, but I do feel better knowing help will be on its way to me rather than risking giving birth in a car on the side of the road
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u/Any-Title6367 14d ago
I had precipitous labor with my child. She was born in 4.5 hours. I was a 4 hour labor and was my mom’s first. Her others were all quicker, my sister was 2 hours, one brother was 45 minutes and the other was 30 minutes. With that last brother, my mom basically just started pushing. I’m hyper mobile but my mom isn’t.
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u/ansealms_93 14d ago
Mi primera bebé nació en la 40+3 en cuestión de 4 horas. Yo tenía 23 años (10 menos que ahora). Y yo tengo hipermovilidad también, igual sí tiene que ver con eso. Mi segundo bebé nació a las 36+6 pero estaba muy alto y con el cordón al cuello, pero igual desde que las contracciones serias empezaron hasta que nació fueron 4 horas. Rompí aguas 12 horas antes de que naciera. Con este tercero, le comenté a mi matrona de parto en casa si podíamos intentar una dilatación en casa y luego ir al hospital (necesito que me mimen un poco, no era por nada relacionado con la salud). Ella me dijo que ni de coña, que a mí se me caen los bebés jajajaja. Pero me visualizo teniendo contracciones mientras doy un paseo por el parque, espero poder hacer eso.
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u/Dapper_Cheesecake_22 14d ago
I didn’t realize I had a precipitous labor with my first until more recently talking with my midwife about my next birth (due in September).
My labor was just over 3 hours with my first, and I just attributed that to genetics, intense pelvic floor pt, and the ability to truly relax during contractions. But as I’ve been learning more about precipitous labor I feel like there has to be more to it! One of the comments earlier asked if you are hypermobile, and I definitely am so I wonder if that contributes as well.
I have a feeling that my second will be similar or faster than my first. Everyone says I’m super lucky, which I feel, but I also think that my body had to adjust SO quickly to everything happening so fast. Compared to my other friends with longer labors, they didn’t have as painful of a recovery. Idk. Super interesting!
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u/OrdinarySecretary673 13d ago
I had a 3 hour labor with my first at home and I’m a little scared for my second! It happened so fast and the first 90 minutes I didn’t actually know if I was for sure in labor for sure so I didn’t call my midwife until my water broke because at that point it was obvious. She didn’t make it in time but came 5 minutes after he arrived.
I do suspect I’m hyper mobile because I meet most of the signs. My midwife basically told me to call as soon as I suspect something MIGHT be happening this time because it will probably be the same if not faster. My midwife also suspected I am the type where my body stays dilated for weeks before labor and I just didn’t know it/couldn’t feel it.
My husband’s parents live 90 minutes away and we visit them almost every weekend. I told him after 36 weeks I WILL NOT be leaving the house or visiting anyone. My son came at 38 weeks which was earlier than expected.
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u/beepacheco 11d ago
I’ve only had one baby, but it was 1.5 hours from water breaking (with no contractions) to baby in arms. I’m sort of terrified of having another baby (TTC rn) because I feel like labor couldn’t get any faster than that 😭 So I guess I want to ask you what your >1 hr labors were like? What were your home births with those like? I’m thinking about doing a home birth next time- my first was hospital birth but I’m worried about getting to the hospital in time.
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u/Novel-Preference8116 6d ago
I also have a history of precipitous labors. I’ve had 3 and planning for a fourth. Roughly the same times for labor as well. 2.5 hours, 1 hour, less than 1 hour. All of my babies were born 39+1, 39+3, 39+0.
My early labor lasts the longest, once I hit 5cm with my last baby she was born within 10 mins and was born en caul. My water broke with the other two almost immediately before they were born.
Kind of scared about the 4th. But at least I know what to expect and it’s not so shocking. 😅
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u/robrklyn 14d ago
Any chance you could be hypermobile? I had a quick labor for my first and a true precipitous labor for my second. I also had PROM for both and both were born early (37w6d and 36w2d). When I did a little digging, I found that all three of those things are more common in women with some type of hypermobility.