[BreezaH]

Both my labours only ever had regular (every 2-3m from the get-go) contractions. First labour was waters breaking then contractions beginning immediately after at 1am, DS1 was born at 8.45am.

Second I had my first contraction at 6pm, waters broke as I arrived at hospital at 8pm and DS2 was born at 9.16pm.

[PurpleChicken]

For me I count it from when they started the drip to induce me. I know it took a while before regular, full-on contractions started, but I have no idea when that was.

So I'd say my labour was 8.5hrs, but if you asked a mid-wife, it would have been less than that.

[irises]

I asked the midwife this at my appointment on Monday actually. As PPs have said, you count it from the time regular/painful contractions kick in i.e. active/established labour where there's no going back!

The midwife told me if you have to stop and hold on, and breathe through the contractions you're more likely to be in established labour. Another question they ask is 'Did you wake up your partner?' - if the answer's no then you're probably not in active labour!

So my first labour was only 5 hours, even though I experienced the first semi-painful tightenings the evening before, got a few hours sleep and then was timing regular tightenings throughout the night quietly in bed while my DP slept beside me. It wasn't til I got up at around 7am that things really ramped up, I threw up, contractions were very painful and happening more than every five minutes and we called the taxi

[CallMeProtart]

I consider it to be when I started getting regular and painful contractions.

A midwife did tell me that I wasn't 'in labour' despite 24 hours of 5-minutely excruciating contractions, because I wasn't dilated yet - if she'd been closer I would have punched her.

[Freycha]

From the time my waters broke and i started having contractions was 66 hours, but the hosptial records take it from when you're around 5cms dialated and having regular contractions less than 5 mins apart, so that was around 15 hours. right from the get go my contractions would get to about 6-7mins apart, very painful and then just slow down out to about 15mins apart,and then start the process all over again...the midwives were very funny and kept on saying "don't worry love the second one will be much quicker!"

It is a bit disheartening when you think you'll be well into active labour and getting close to fully diallated only to find out you're 3-4cms. But as they say, good things come to those who wait

[Mrs Manager]

I find womens length of labour depends on how hard they found the whole experience, ie if they feel they need loads of sympathy the length of the labour grows.... My sister for eg tells everyone she was in labour for 32 hours, however her medical records say 6 hours, in fact 32 hours before the birth she was at my house sitting on the lounge and said "ooh... that might have been something" when she felt a little twinge

[DW2202]

I think that my first labour was recorded as 24 hours, after my waters broke, by the time I went to the hospital, 24 hours later I was fully dilated, despite having contractions every ten minutes and being able to talk through them. So this business of labour starting when your contractions are 5 mins apart and you're 5cm dilated would have me never being in labour - and I had a baby, so I suspect I was!

I do wonder what my next labour will bring - I hope to repeat the experience, but a bit quicker would be good, I don't particularly want to leave DD for that length of time, nor do I want her around whilst I'm stomping around the house leaning over the bed head.

If I went for a 'medical' version of the length of my labour I guess it would have only been a couple of hours. I'm not sure which is more competitive, 24 hours, or only 2?!

[Studybug]

I consider it to be when I started getting regular and painful contractions.

A midwife did tell me that I wasn't 'in labour' despite 24 hours of 5-minutely excruciating contractions, because I wasn't dilated yet - if she'd been closer I would have punched her.

This is similar to my experience. At 20 hours in, the midwives checked me I was still only 2 cms which means all that was technically not labour lol! Lots of monitoring later, labour wasn't progressing so they suggested augmentation.

Anyway, hospital records say 1hr which is from when they put me on the drip. I say depends how you look at it as I was still only 2cms when they started me on the drip, but the next time they checked me was on the hour after 10 minutes of wanting to push. So really I don't actually know how long I was in active labour for due to the augmentation.

Does this mean I'll only be in labour for 1/2 hour next time? WooHoo! (I think...)

Good luck OP!

[WhatWouldBuffyDo]

With DS i counted it as my first contraction to delivery of the placenta, waters broke when he crowned - 2hrs 19min.
DD1 it was waters breaking to delivery of placenta because i didn't get contractions prior or until 10 mins after - 55 min.
DD2 was first contraction to delivery of placenta, waters broke 90 mins after contractions started - 3hrs 4 min.

[mumandboys]

I think the midwives count the start of labour as being when active labour starts, so regular contractions

This.

With DS2 I started having contractions around 8am (he was born at 5pm that day). But they were not regular, and not overly painful.

Active labour for him was 55 minutes, this is the number i give when asked how long my labour was.

This is the only one I have this discrepancy for. The other 3 were all active labour from first twinge.