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Natural Birth
Out of hospital mamas - contraction interval?
If you had or are having a out of hospital birth what contraction interval guideline were you given? I will review this with my MWs at my 35 week birth conference next week but was wondering if my center's guidelines are similar to yours.
In our paging instructions the general guidelines say for FTMs to call when their water breaks or when their contraction are 3-1-1. It says for second + time moms to call when their water breaks or contractions are 6-1-1.
As a VBAC who dialated to about 4cm after 20 hours of irregular contractions I don't know yet where I will fall within their guidelines.
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Re: Out of hospital mamas - contraction interval?
i did not have any guidelines. my CPM said to call when i thought i was in labor (to give her a head's up) and to call her to come when I thought i needed her to be there.
i opened to 10cm after 16hrs of irregular pattern ctx and had a c/s many hours later. so i wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of ctx pattern either.
instead, i chose not to time them and to really just relax and go with the flow of my body.
i called my MW to let her know i thought i was in labor, but then i wen to bed and slept most of the night (until 5am). i called her around 7am to tell her today was really the day, thinking they were about 10min apart at the time. they were actually closer to 2min apart. (i was having a hypnobirthing and time was distorted). she was there 30 minutes later.
often, irregular pattern ctx result from baby's position. was your c/s baby posterior? if so, do you know how to encourage optimal fetal positioning? www.spinningbabies.com has some great tips!
even though i had a long labor (40+hrs) with irregular ctx the first time, the second time i still had irregular ctx (that's just how my body births) and a much shorter labor (7hrs).
My surgical report states that my DD was anterior but I know I had back labor when I was contracting through the evening at home. It is possible she turned at some point on the way to/or at the hospital. Then again half of what my OB wrote in the report were mistruths...This baby was posterior 3 weeks ago but last week was just "slightly posterior" according to my MW. After a chiro appt. last week I think *fingers crossed* that baby is now not OP. The MWs also keep telling me that by feel this baby should be smaller than my DD who was 7lbs 14oz. But I know this is a key time for growth so that could change in the next few weeks. A smaller better positioned baby sure could help :-) I've been consistent with my pelvic rocks and trying to stay off the couch and tailor sit/sit on my ball this pregnancy but it is getting harder each week.
Keegan Patrick - Bilateral Clubfeet found at Anatomy Scan.
www.facebook.com/portraitave
I responded to this yesterday and the stupid bump ate my post. Anyway, I did not get a set guideline either. My doctor told me to call if I thought I needed to.
My labor went so fast that by the time I thought, "OK, this might be labor, let's time some contractions," they were only 2 minutes apart. So at that point I told my husband "OMG, call everyone!" I started getting pushy and my water broke soon after that, before my doctor or even my doula had arrived. Thankfully as a VBAC, I had a long pushing phase typical of a FTM, otherwise we might have had an unassisted birth.
Keegan Patrick - Bilateral Clubfeet found at Anatomy Scan.
www.facebook.com/portraitave
Keegan Patrick - Bilateral Clubfeet found at Anatomy Scan.
www.facebook.com/portraitave
Here you go.
https://parenthoodinsanity.blogspot.com/p/my-vbac-story.html
So for J., I called the morning I lost my MP and had bloody show when I woke up. I was about 5 days past my EDD. I was also having my first contractions.
Yesterday (yeah, I need to change the ticker) I thought something was up. And I needed to call anyway because my 39 week appt. was today but I couldn't remember what time. So I called and said that it might be the day. I had no signs other than completely irregular contractions. They were all over the place: long ones, short ones, close together, far apart, strong ones, weak ones.
It stayed like that all morning and into the afternoon. I talked to my midwife various times. Then, midafternoon I said to DH those last 2 contractions were back labor like I had with J. And when things switched to back labor with J., things moved quickly.
2 hours later, DD was born. The 6-1-1 thing would have been a failure for us. There wasn't a consistent pattern of contractions. And by the time we knew it was really showtime, there is no way I could have travelled in a vehicle.
Wow, congratulations!
I'm sure their call times are not set in stone and that they will say to listen to my body. And after reading these replies I think I will feel better about calling even if I'm misjudging things. I don't want to be the mom that cries wolf but DH would wig if we ended up with an unassisted birth. Hopefully he and the doula will be able to recognize the emotional sign posts of labor regardless of the contraction pattern or lack thereof.
Once I get more info at my birth conference next week I will post a quick update. Thanks for the replies everyone.
I replied too but the bump ate my post. Grrrr,
Long story short - my contrax were never regular either. They told me to come to the birth center because I was having trouble breathing and talking through them. And they were lasting for a minute or longer.
I was supposed to go in when they were 5 minutes apart because I lived over an hour away. But they would be 2 minutes, then 4 minutes, the 6 minutes, then 3 minutes. They were all over the place, but grew in intensity. Plus my water broke.