Labor Thread for FTMs

[tiffrobot]

I had a slow leak with DS which is what eventually hospitalized me, as I thought I was just a FTM having bladder troubles until I realized even after a couple hours it was constantly wet, even if it wasn’t pouring out.

With DD I was having contractions, made it to the hospital, was checking in talking to a nurse sitting on my bed, had a contraction and felt a very obvious “pop” and said “hoooooly my water just broke” and they checked it right there and whisked me right to a delivery room because things were not moving slow whatsoever lol. It went from uncomfortable close contractions to very painful very close to pushing contractions once I felt it break.

[helloerrbody]

Water Breaking -
We had terrible storms, and I was standing at my dresser getting out underwear when a GIANT clap of thunder sounded. I jumped and felt liquid come out. I thought I probably just peed myself, and I figured that if it was my water then more would come out while getting ready for work. I got ready, went to Starbucks, went to work, and was dry, so I figured it was urine. Then I was sitting in a chair and barely moved and more came out. I could tell this time since I had underwear on that it definitely came from farther back than the urethra. I was 37 weeks and shocked. I called my midwife who told me to come in for a swab. I was rushing around at home an hour later and felt the gush coming on and was able to run to the toilet in time. So, definitely no "pop" for me, and it was 2 small leaks first before baby must have moved enough for the majority to come out. It was many hours later when I started having painful contractions.

[watermelonseed]

My water never broke! Well after 6cm & an epi I heard them say “ok let’s get the hook now” 😳😳😳

[rebeccabunch]

I feel like there’s a disproportionately high number of ladies whose waters have broke before on the board! Isnt the stat like 10%?

Mine has never broken on its own.

ETA I think it did break during DS2s Labor without the hook but I didn’t feel a thing bc of my epi.

[flippinchica]

My water broke on its own but it was after having contractions they kept me up all night long so it doesn't fall under that stat.

[Deleted]

Dec 1, 2017 19:54:35 GMT -6 rebeccabunch said:

I feel like there’s a disproportionately high number of ladies whose waters have broke before on the board! Isnt the stat like 10%?

Mine has never broken on its own.

ETA I think it did break during DS2s Labor without the hook but I didn’t feel a thing bc of my epi.

I remember thinking that in each of my previous boards too. I think only 10% of people have their water break spontaneously as the first sign of labor (before contractions or anything). I think that statistic is a lie :-P Mine ruptured spontaneously with DD2 but at the hospital as I got to 10 cm.

[benandjerrys]

Dec 1, 2017 21:19:22 GMT -6 peachesncream said:

Dec 1, 2017 19:54:35 GMT -6 rebeccabunch said:

I feel like there’s a disproportionately high number of ladies whose waters have broke before on the board! Isnt the stat like 10%?

Mine has never broken on its own.

ETA I think it did break during DS2s Labor without the hook but I didn’t feel a thing bc of my epi.

I remember thinking that in each of my previous boards too. I think only 10% of people have their water break spontaneously as the first sign of labor (before contractions or anything). I think that statistic is a lie :-P Mine ruptured spontaneously with DD2 but at the hospital as I got to 10 cm.

Yes this also came up on my previous bmb. Ours was much higher than 10% too!

[bassa]

My water didn't break until I was very far into labor. I'm pretty sure it was while in the throws of the torture-level contractions, on the hospital bed, and two nurses were helping me change position to get ready for the epidural. I remember saying "a lot of liquid just came out of me and I don't know if it was pee or blood or fluid."

So, add me to the 'not first sign of labor' camp.

[marygracerich]

My water broke spontaneously but my dr had done a membrane sweep 15 hours before it so it had help. I had contractions every so often for weeks before the sweep. She did the sweep and I had only one contraction around 11pm. I woke up at 12:50am and couldn’t go back to sleep. 2am-ish I lost my plug. 4am on the dot (I know because I was on my phone and awake when it happened) my water broke. As soon as it broke my contractions were three minutes apart. I had no early labor. I went from not being in labor to very hard contractions in an instant. G was born 9 1/2 hours later. That includes 2 hours of pushing.

[mrsp84]

As for water breaking: I was induced so I didn’t have that gush of water come out like some ladies experience. I’m actually glad that my water broke while laying in bed in the hospital. I had labored for about 24 hours before the doc came in and inserted the hook to break my water. From the time my water broke until the time I delivered, it was about 9 hours. And, I felt like water kept coming out during each contraction. There was so much!

And contractions. I had an epi and the nurse kept telling me to listen to my body and push when I felt a contraction. I didn’t feel a thing, but the monitors were saying otherwise. That was part of my frustration when the end of labor came because I expected to feel the urge to push. That never happened.

[sunfrogger]

mrsp84 they broke my water for me before epi. I was also very glad I was laying down. Eeeeep.

My epi got low right as I was pushing so I had a bit of struggle pushing the right area but I felt it all including the ring of fire and definitely had the BM urge to push once I hit 10cm.

[helloerrbody]

Adding - never saw my mucus plug so I’m thinking it didn’t come out until pretty late in labor when I wasn’t paying attention to that kind of thing.

[ajetter]

mrsp84 My first epidural I couldn’t feel a single thing. I had the slightest pressure that indicated it was time to push, but I couldn’t feel contractions, had no idea if I was doing anything. I only had to push through a couple contractions but waiting in between the two was so awkward because I was not working hard at all, we were all just kinda sitting there staring at my vag. Do do dooooo. I’m pretty sure the movie Hitman was on the TV and DH was like “maybe I should turn this off?” Lol.

My 2nd and 3rd epidurals were nothing like that.

[Deleted]

Word of advice: put a waterproof mattress pad on your bed. My water broke as I laid down to bed the night before I was scheduled to be induced. It was a ton of fluid. Luckily we were planning on replacing our mattress shortly there after but cleaning a mattress with a newborn wasn’t exactly in my to do list.

[snowyowl]

Add me to the list of people whose water broke first.
I had no contractions beforehand. I remember getting out of bed to pee and feeling a weird popping sensation and thinking, “what if my water just broke?” But nothing happened and I went back to bed. When I next got up, that’s when I got the gushing. I called and said I was 100% sure my water had broken because there was no way that much liquid was coming from anywhere else. Contractions probably started an hour or so later.
I was 38 weeks and my doctor had checked my cervix the day before and basically said I was maybe a centimeter, so I probably had some time. Guess not! I don’t know if the check itself hurried anything along.

[Deleted]

For STMs, be prepared for the possibility of prodromal labor. I had 2 days of timetable contractions (every 3-5 minutes). The intervals were inconsistent and would change with activity/rest and they were shorter than real contractions (less than a minute long). It was mental and physical torture. The great news is that they work wonderfully for kicking your body into gear, so once real labor kicked in it went FAST. Don't be discouraged if it happens to you, I have heard it is more common with subsequent pregnancies.

[Queen Mamadala]

I had an unnecessary 3rd degree episiotomy with dd1 due to suspecting she was LGA. It was still a practice back then. It really wasn't necessary, but didn't feel a thing once I was numb. I opted for a late epidural (I was 9 cm when I gave the go ahead) due to the pressure, but it was 45 minutes by the time the anesthesiologist arrived, and I was complete right after. It was pretty pointless. I also developed a headache and felt itchy all over, so they turned it off, which is why I needed a local for the episiotomy. It was done as she was starting to crown, gave a push, stopped, did the cut, then pushed a couple more times and she was born. From the time she started crowning to birth was maybe five minutes. I labored down for 30 minutes before she was low enough to making the few pushes effective.

Recovery was fine. Sore for a couple weeks, but nothing too bad. They sent me home with stuff to help during the healing process.

With dd2, due to her very rapid descent and birth, I had a labial laceration and skid mark, and required stitches for the laceration and was given a local before my midwife started the stitching process. I planned/had a med-free/low intervention birth.

I planned homebirths with the next three. It's been 11 years since I've had to plan for a hospital birth, so there's a lot I have to think about in terms of logistics and what to take that I kind of forgot about.

[Queen Mamadala]

Dec 2, 2017 9:58:33 GMT -6 peachesncream said:

For STMs, be prepared for the possibility of prodromal labor. I had 2 days of timetable contractions (every 3-5 minutes). The intervals were inconsistent and would change with activity/rest and they were shorter than real contractions (less than a minute long). It was mental and physical torture. The great news is that they work wonderfully for kicking your body into gear, so once real labor kicked in it went FAST. Don't be discouraged if it happens to you, I have heard it is more common with subsequent pregnancies.

This is true. I've experienced this with all of my pregnancies. I figured it's why I make it so far into the process (usually nearing or in transition) before "labor" starts. I hesitate to even say labor, because it's not quite like what it's supposed to be. I was 5 cm and 80% effaced for a week before being induced with my first, and still wasn't actively contracting until 7.5 cm, 30 minutes after pitocin was started. There was barely any build up, so once I started feeling pressure at 8 cm, it took me by surprise. And similar with my second, induced at 6 cm, no labor, and got to 7 cm when the midwife was very perplexed and said they'd have to go the pitocin route if things didn't start soon. Labor did kick in a little while after taking a hot shower, at which point I was 8 cm and she was born 32 minutes later. 

My fourth was very similar to my first. Prodromal labor, but they were more like BH, and irregular, but I got to 5 cm and 80% effaced, then 6 cm the day we induced, and waited and waited with bouts of BH, did lots of walking around my neighborhood. For me, most of that time is spent waiting for things to start, and then they do and it's over shortly after. With him, we were expecting another fast labor in the 45-60 min range once things go going. Lol. Nope. He was born two minutes after I got off the phone with my mom telling her we'd call once labor started. We planned a water birth, but I was on my bed, having just received a VE, still 6 cm, when he was born shortly after. And it was totally unprotected. Nothing was prepped and midwife and her apprentice were sitting on my couch eating and watching Christmas movies when they rushed over to see his head was out. Craziness. Both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. 

I remember asking my midwife with my fifth when I should text/call her and at what point would I know it's time, because I didn't want a repeat of my fourth, but in a completely uncontrolled setting. It felt so silly asking how will I know when it's labor, and she did what I expected, "Oh, I think you'll know." Haha. No again. I had a bout of prodromal labor with her at just over 37 weeks and was 5 cm, 80% and 0 station for a week. My ass stayed close to home during that time and had a birth kit in my car. The only thing different with her was my membranes started leaking the evening before her birth. But after 17 hours, nothing was happening, so we induced, and we waited. I felt BH that were never painful or regular. They would come and go. My husband was the one who really pushed preparing the birth tub as a "just in case" labor started sooner rather than later. It was best to have everything ready. I was entirely unconvinced and dreaded the process because I didn't want my birth team coming over for nothing (it was Thanksgiving). But yeah, we got everything ready, midwife and apprentice arrived, and I got in the tub once it was ready. But in the back of my head it seemed so pointless since I wasn't in labor yet, but at least it was relaxing. I hung out in the tub for 35 minutes before my midwife asked to check me, and I was dreading it because I *knew* she'd tell me there had been no change, and why would there be? I felt fine. I was wrong. I was 8 cm and she was near crowning. The only thing holding her back was yet another cervical lip. My midwife held the lip back through a couple contractions (she felt them, I didn't) and she was born. She told me some time before they left that she legit didn't think I was near labor and thought they'd leave and come back later. 

So, yeah, I'm not good at knowing what's up until there's a baby mere minutes from being born. The whole "come in/contact me when contractions are 3-4 min apart that get progressively stronger, longer and closer together" has never been my experience. My providers always reacted in a sort of blase way in a "Oh, hun, you'll know. No worry." until they observe it. Lol.

[Deleted]

Queen Mamadala wow, those are some crazy birth stories!! I only "knew" it was time to go to the hospital because the true contractions woke me from my sleep - the prodromal contractions faded with rest. DD was born about 2 hours after we arrived and her arrival was delayed because they had to go to the 2nd or 3rd doctor on call to find one that could make it on time 😂 it will be interesting to see how this labor goes for sure.

[Deleted]

Also I get really defensive whenever someone calls them BH. They were true contractions, they felt just like my real contractions and hurt like a mother!! I begged for an epidural when I got to the hospital.