Average labour time for a first baby?

Question

What is the average labour time for a first baby? How is that time categorised.....(early labour, first, second, third stages..) What was your labour time with your first, if you have children? What do you think makes labours longer, and is there anything that makes them shorter? Do people think a short labour is more intense than a long one? What would you prefer to have?

I'm asking because I'd like to know why mine was so fast, trying to find someone else who had their first in less than two hours from first pain to explusion of the placenta..... it's traumatic to have your first baby alone at home with no pain relief whatsoever!

Answer 1

Ive heard that having a baby too quick can be really tramatising, think that its better having one of a decent length then you have time to get used to the pain as it builds up in severity. My first labour was 11 hours which im told is good for a first baby and I have to agree that it felt good...not too long and not too short. Then my second labour was just under four hours long.....not so much time to get used to the increasing pain, somehow seems to have made it harder? Im now expecting my third and am told that often susquent labours are shorter so im prob up for a two hour one like yours.....
The only thing I did different in my two labours were that with my first I lay on my back...which they say isnt great as the baby has a harder time getting down the birth canal, then with my second I was squatting whcih they say is easier as your going with gravity.

Answer 2

My labour was 9 hours officially but i was in pain for a lot longer than that, i'd say about 24 hours.
Every labour is different and theres is no set schedule but it is generally accepted that a first labour can take significantly longer than subsequent ones.
Saying that, as i said, everyone is different and a 2 hour labour is normal just the same as a 2 day one.

As far as what makes labour longer or shorter. I think that being comfortable with your surroundings and being happy that the labour is happening in a way that you would like will make it less intense and painful. A few things are supposed to make labour quicker, such as being in an upright position or a genetic predisposition to quick labours (ie your mom had a quick labour). Also medical cocktails such as a drip with oxytocin in it will speed up labour.

No matter how short it is, it can be just as intense as a longer one though I do feel for you as i can understand that it must have been a very scary time. Would definately prefer a shorter one though. :)

Answer 3

My first labour was 49 1/2 hours from when my waters broke and contractions started to giving birth I was in complete agony for only 12 of those and my official labour (from the cervix sortening to fully dilating) was only 2 and 3/4 hours. I had pethadine( good stuff you do think you are Lucy in the Sky with diamonds) but never got the epidural because it happened so quickly. It can be any length of time text books are just text books. Read them but go into labour with an open mind. I would prefer not to have labour at all but you do forget the pain. You know it was really really bad but you do forget it the moment the baby is born.

Answer 4

i have three babies and all my births were different starting long and getting shorter from my understanding they time labour from about 4 cm as they call the established labour i was about 16 hours with my first baby and then 4 and a half with my second and then 2 with my third i personnaly thank the quicker the better although it is intense because you get really tierd with a long labour with my first i had pethadine for pain relif but my other two i had nothing which i thought was much better. my best advise is don't be scared of labour knowledge is the best pain relif know what is going to happen and just enjoy it because it is amazing good luck x x

Answer 5

I really don't think there IS an average time. (I had 2 C-sections, so no personal experience as such although I did have 13 hours of labour before my second C) However, my sister had her first baby, who weighed 10 pound ounces, in an hour and a half, but a friend had 3 days with her first.

I know it sounds stupid, but from what I've seen, attitude helps as well. Those who screech "I can't do it, it's killing me" seem to suffer more than those who realise that it HAS to be done, you will get through it, and its all worth it in the end.

If you're asking because you are expecting your first, I wish you all the luck in the world.

Answer 6

They tell you 12 hrs total, but all women and pregnancies are different.

My first was 2 hrs total and other 5 varried. I had longer labor 4 to about 18 hrs with others. So mine were nothing like the book.

As far as I am conderened, shorter the better, and no my short ones were not more intense. I had all six natural so I felt it all.

Doing your keegle exercises also helps.

Pratice on concentrating and learning how to push is really important, because as soon as you can get the baby over the crervical lip, they usually just come on out with a push or too.
A book I was given on natual childbirth, said focus and imaginging the baby making a j shape. Focus and think pushing down then up and out. This seemed to help me.

Answer 7

Labour is different for every1 if you have an epidural this slows it down. You have to be 10cms dilated before you can start pushing, my advice to you is to stay at home as long as poss, have a bath, make sure you have everything and then go to the hosp. For pain relief, just have gas and air and pethidine, this will not slow the labour down, even though it is painful it is worth it in the end.

Answer 8

My labour with my son lasted around 20 hours but everyone is different,with my son though the longer i stayed in labour the better until he showed signs of becoming distressed,he was born at 26 weeks and i needed to get 2 steroid injections to help his lungs,so the longer the better so i could get the 2 injections.

Answer 9

Labor is different for everyone as you can see from all the different answers. I labored for nearly 24 hours, 15 of which was hard labor, one hour in transition and 1 1/2 hours of pushing. This was my first delivery, my second delivery was totally differnt!

You had rapid labor, and that will be an important point not to forget as you have baby #2. One of my friends had rapid labor too, but her mom was there when she went into labor. She too had the same situation in delivering all 4 of her kids so when my friend said "my back hurts" her mom rushed her to the hospital. She barley got to the hospital and had the baby!

Answer 10

Mine first was around 9 hrs and 2nd labour lasted for around 4 hrs. In my first case, i noticed blood at 8 in the morning and went to the hospital. I lay in the hospital bed for the whole day.Then i was given some injection that very night and the pain started. It was mild first but gradually becoming intollerable. My son was born next morning at 6.