Question about length of labor

stephl3055 · December 2013

How do you determine how long your labor was? I know this sounds like a silly question, but hear me out. I was incuded and the induction was started at about 11 PM with Cervidil. The next morning Pitocin was started, which started the stronger, more regular contractions. LO was born that evening. So do I count starting with when the Cervidil was placed, or do I count starting when Pit was started?

The reason I'm wondering is because quite a few relatives asked me when I saw them this week and when I said 18 hours (starting when Cervidil was placed), everyone seemed shocked it was that long and said they felt sorry for me. But if I said 12 hours (when Pit was started), they would comment on how fast my labor was. The few people I explained the whole thing to just seemed really confused.

sugarkissed · December 2013

I've wondered the same thing because I was also induced with cervidil.

happybride 276 · December 2013

I count the start of my labor from the start of my contractions being 1 min long, 5mins apart, and for over an hour.

missmuffin87 · December 2013

I think when you are induced you would count from when the induction process started. 18 hours really isn't that long. With my first I was in labor for well over 24 hours.

HBirdie · December 2013

I've wondered that too! I was given cervidil on Monday night around 9pm or so, and I didn't have him until Wednesday morning around 8:45am... which I counted as labor and was saying 36 hours, and my mom was like, "You weren't in labor for 36 hours, you just want to sound impressive blah blah blah"... but I felt like, hey, I was at the hospital in a hospital bed hooked up to monitors, seems like labor to me...

llybeck · December 2013

happybride 276 said:
I count the start of my labor from the start of my contractions being 1 min long, 5mins apart, and for over an hour.

I agree with this. I didn't have cervidil but they started pit and my contractions started like that almost immediately. I had labor that kept getting stronger for 19 hours and then ended up having a cesarean.

bumpuser9130703 · December 2013

Mine went from zero to sixty pretty quickly. I say mine started when my water broke (because contractions started 90 seconds apart within 30 minutes of that) and she was born 10 hours later (probably would have been sooner but they gave me terbutaline and then I held off on the pit for a while when that slowed things down too much)

I would say yours started with the cervidil.

ravenclaw1 · December 2013

I guess I don't really see the point in people challenging it.... I count from when my water broke, so 18 hours... but I wasn't making any progress on my own, so I had to have pitocin, which would put me around the 12 hour mark. But I wouldn't split hairs about it.

SweetPeaK26 · December 2013

I go with the start of the induction.

kje120 · December 2013

I wasn't induced with either of mine and considered my labor starting when my water broke and contractions started. 8 hours with DS1 and 2 1/2 hours with DS2.

sugarellie · December 2013

I was not induced but I consider my labor starting from the point that I had consistent contractions that were 5 min or less apart for over an hour. My contractions and bleeding started at 11pm the day before I gave birth but I don't consider my actual active labor to have started until about 8am the next day.. but like PP said I would not split hairs over it. Potato - Patato..

ajbook · December 2013

I've been wondering this too. I started Cervadil on a Monday around 7pm, but LO wasn't born until Thursday at 1a. 54 hours of labor? I just tell people I was induced Monday night and she was born very early Thursday morning. They can do the math if they want to.

kgravil85 · December 2013

I count from when my water broke. 20 hours with almost 3 hours of pushing. My progression was slow, so they gave me pitocin. I'm definitely going to count every bit of that.

Kristonita12 · December 2013

@ajboocher oh my goodness... that sounds terrible.

AppleMuffins · December 2013

I don't know how to count mine either. Contractions started some time on Saturday but they were pretty mild. It wasn't until the wee hours of Sunday morning that I thought this could really be it. But I called the hospital in the am and they said to wait until I couldn't talk through them. They kind of spaced back out a little Sunday during the day and started back up that night. But I was still walking and talking through them (just miserable from lack of sleep) and went to my Dr appointment Monday morning. I was 7cm! So I checked in at 11am and she was born at about 8pm. My water broke in the hospital. If I count when my contractions first started, then it would be like a 72 hour labor, but it didn't really feel like labor to me until I was officially checked into the hospital, which was 9 hours.

smlowe9311 · December 2013

Wow! My water broke around 4am, we got to the hospital at 5ish, was given Pit around 5:30 and out popped LO at 11:49. So I guess my labor was 8 hours in total from start to finish. Bless you poor ladies who were in it longer!

Violet1372 · December 2013

I consider labor starting when my water broke. I was also given pit a few hours later but still consider my water breaking as the starting point

UpsideDownFrown · December 2013

I was induced on Monday night and had him friday morning. I count every minute if it. Since ds was born on the 20th and we went home on 9/22 I jokingly say I was in labor so long it was summer when I went in and fall when I came out

AppleMuffins · December 2013

andjess11 said:
I wasn't induced but I'll chime in. My water broke around 2am, but my midwife said they don't count labor as starting until active labor begins. So 1 minute or longer, 5 minutes or less apart, consistent for 30 minutes or longer. She said my labor started around 1pm. I had LO at 9pm.

See, mine were never totally consistent like that so by that definition I was never in labor!

princessvespa1 · December 2013

I count mine as starting with contractions lasting longer than a minute and every few minutes for an hour. If I counted it from when my water broke this time, I would have been in labour 5 minutes.

normandyn7 · December 2013

I count when my contractions started. I was given pitocin at 8am but I didn't have contractions until they broke my water at 2pm. I had him at 7pm so I say I labored for 5 hours. 2 hours of that was pushing.

magdalina.h · December 2013

I would count it as when the induction started

bumpuser10024844 · December 2013

I was induced too. I got to the hospital at 5am, the dr. broke my water around 7am, then started pit about 9am, and I had my baby at 2:38pm. I was already having small contractions when I got to the hospital, but they got bad fast after my doc broke my water. I say count the entire process as labor.

redfallon · December 2013

No one has asked me how long my labor was. I went in for induction at 5pm on a Monday and had her at 412pm the next day. The Cervidil was placed at 730pm. Contractions started almost right away. I was having a lot stronger ones that woke me up around 1245am. I have no idea when I had them at 1 minute 5 minutes apart. I wasn't timing any of that. I was in the bed and not able to get up. Pitocin started at 630am and my OB broke my water at 8am.

So if you start when the Cervidil was placed, my labor was about 20 hours. If you count when my water broke, then it was 8 hours.

LnR70707 · December 2013

@beckynoelle please tell me you didn't really flag Hbirdie for her siggy. Don't abuse the flag button.

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