This is my first baby. I'm curious, how long were you moms in labor for during your first child? I've had friends from 9 minutes to 52 hours. Which by the way, I don't see how the 9 minutes is possible, I have a feeling she's not being truthful because my doctor and I have never heard of this. Has anyone else heard of a 9 minute labor for their first child? If 9 minutes is possible that is one scary thought!
Re: Typically, how long does labor last for your first baby?
Maybe she was pushing for nine minutes. Clearly you're in labor and your cervix doesn't open to 10 cm that fast. She should get her facts straight!
I would guess that it depends on too many factors, so there probably isn't an average, but who knows!
Maybe she only pushed for 9 minutes?
I'm a FTM so I don't know how long labor will last, but I do know that it's different for everyone and every pregnancy.
I'm a FTM, so this isn't me personally, but the women in my family have gone from about 18 hours-32 hours. I have a feeling my labor will not go for less than 15'ish. Not sure why I think that, but I do. I am planning on trying to labor as much as possible at home because I know once I get to the hospital, it's getting poked & prodded & whatnot. Also, it's only ice chips from there on out. I don't know how much strength I'll have after being in pain, after not eating, & perhaps not even sleeping for hours & hours... then to push out my son. Lord, I'm getting exhausted thinking about it!!!
As for the 9 minutes... whew! Maybe she just meant the actual pushing part?
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
I'm not too sure. She said she was at the hospital for something completely different, her water broke (she was 8 weeks early) and had her baby 9 minutes later. I don't know....sounds very odd to me.
My biggest concern is that I want to make it to the hospital on time! My doctor told me that being a first time mom that he wouldn't expect me to have a labor shorter than 2 hours. I hope he's right.
Make a pregnancy ticker
I was in labor about 12-13 hours. Woke up about 2:00am, and it was probably 5:00am before I thought, "hmmm, maybe I should be timing these contractions?
We went to the hospital about 10:00am, and ODD was born around 2:30pm. I pushed for an hour to get her out, but it seemed like that part went REALLY fast. Waiting to push was the hard part.
DH and I married 8 years. Mom of three, stepmom of one.
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There's definitely no "typical"
For me, I happen to have a ridiculous pain threshold and sat at home for HOURS!
By the time I admitted this was it and took the 20 minute ride to the hospital I was 10centimeters and it was time to push. My plan was NEVER for a med free birth but that's exactly what I had. I will say my recovery was super quick so that was a plus
TTC since 11/05...ectopic pg 4/08...early m/c 6/09...BFP 10/5/09!

Nora B...June 15, 2010...8lbs, 8oz...Med-free birth!
TTC #2 since 7/11...cycle #3 of Clomid + IUI = BFP

Malcolm...September 21, 2012...8lbs, 6oz...Another med-free birth!
BFP #2 1/22/2012 ~ DS2 & DD ~ BIRTHday 9/13/2012 ~ unplanned C-section @ 38w1d
I always thought the average for a first time mom was around 20 hours (2 hours for every cm). I could be remembering wrong and different sources probably have different numbers as well.
Mine was 12.5 hours which I was really happy about and thought was on the shorter side for a first time labor. My best friend was in labor with her first for 72 hours. She's pg with her second now and is praying dearly for a much shorter labor this time around.
I have a friend who just had her first baby last week and hers was 5 or 6 hours?
Clearly, everyone is different, but I think the average is around 20.
DS2 8/21/12
DD 9/26/14
Baby #4 edd 2/11/19
Contractions started w/ Ds shortly after my water broke around 9 am and he was out by quarter to 6 pm I only pushed 45 minutes.
from when my water broke to when I was a 10 and ready to push it was 5 hours. Pushing was 3 hours 45 minutes. For me... with a sunny side up baby that was crowed and stuck on my pubic bone for over 3 hours, pushing was the worst part.
I was able to get him out with a vacumn or forceps, but it was awful. that is the part i am most worried about wiht #2. pushing.. urgh
This depends on a lot, but from my experience it was 7 hours from Pitocin to birth with DS.
I was induced at 38w due to pre-e. I was 3cm and 80% to start. Labor lasted about 6.5 hours and I only pushed for 30 minutes. DS was 9.5lbs born 2 weeks early so he was a bit of a monster baby
#2 was much shorter. Induced again but at 39w. 6cm and 100% to start (um, for 3 weeks!!) and labor lasted 4 hours and ONE PUSH!!
Sign me up for that with #3, thankyouverymuch!
Carter Robert 7.18.08 | Brynn Sophia 5.24.10 | Reid Joseph 9.10.12 | Emerson Mae 1.27.14
More Green For Less Green
I was in labor for 16 hours.
I went to the hospital after about 7-8 hours and was 5cm dilated.
~after 34 cycles we finally got our 2nd little bundle of joy~

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Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3
I had contractions off & on for three days prior to DS's birth--they'd start up, get very painful & get closer together, but nothing close enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. That part sucked.
But after all that, I was only "officially" in labor for just under 11 1/2 hours (2 1/2 hours pushing)--labor started at midnight & DS was born 11:22am.
DS2 August 2012
DD1 labor was 12 hours from first contraction to having her out [2 hours of pushing].
DD2 labor was almost 19 hours from my water breaking to having her out [18 minutes of pushing].
can't wait to see how this one unfolds!
DD2 October 2010
DS September 2012
We learned in our Bradley course with our son that an "average" first time mom labors for 12-18 hours. When I heard the 18 hours part I about passed out. I thought that it couldnt get any worse than 18 hours. HA! Wrong!
I labored with my son starting Friday morning at 12am when my water broke until Saturday afternoon at 1:35pm. All in all it was 37 hours long with one hour of pushing. I could never have imagined it would last that long. I am praying for an 18 hour labor this time around (-:
Every mom is different. Dont stress about the length of your labor because you have no idea what it will turn out like. And nothing you do will change it anyway.
My birth experience was definitely not typical. I had my first contraction at 6:18 am, water broke around 7ish and my son was born at 9:26 am. I was only in the hospital for about 20 minutes before he was born so I probably pushed about 10 minutes.
If you are trying to make plans based on averages just remember that there are averages for a reason. Some go much longer, but others go much shorter. I never thought I would have been one of the ones to have a short labor.
They say that your second is faster and that terrifies me because my hospital is 30 minutes away, no traffic and I will have to drop my son off somewhere or have someone come watch him.